Democrats in Congress Protect Voting Rights
Posted by Stephanie Taylor on June 6, 2007 at 03:16 PM
Yesterday Democrats in Congress defeated a proposal by Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) that would have required all voters to show photo identification in order to vote.
Not just identification. Photo identification.
Requiring photo identification is the equivalent of imposing a modern day poll tax. A study of Wisconsin voters found that only 22% of African American men aged 18-24 have a photo ID. A requirement like this would unfairly penalize seniors, young people, minorities, people with disabilities and other groups who are less likely to have photo identification. DNC Voting Rights Institute Chair Donna Brazile said:
"The American people were the real winners last night when Democrats stood up and defeated Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s harmful amendment. The Republican Party continues to play politics with the most fundamental right in our Democracy, the right to vote. The American people went to the polls and spoke loud and clear about their desire for change in November. Just because Republicans dislike what Americans are saying doesn’t mean they can block voters’ access to the ballot box. Democrats believe that democracy works best when all legally eligible voters can exercise their right to vote. And we believe that we should be working to make it easier and not harder for Americans to vote and have their vote counted."
New evidence emerged this week about Republican efforts to suppress votes under the guise of cracking down on voter fraud. A lot of the activity is related to the political purge of eight U.S. attorneys.
UPDATE: Here's a few examples of Justice Department activity:
• Tim Griffin, a protégé of Karl Rove, was installed as U.S. attorney in Arkansas. During the 2004 election, Griffin led a "caging" scheme to suppress the votes of African-American service members in Florida.
• Bradley Schlozman, acting U.S. attorney in Missouri, prosecuted a lawsuit that was seen as a Republican effort to remove the poor and elderly from voting rolls. Another attorney was forced to resign after he refused to prosecute the case.
• Tom Heffelfinger, U.S. attorney for Minnesota, was apparently targeted by the Bush administration for firing because he tried to protect voting rights for Native Americans.
Comments (19) «
This is a great victory for voting rights. The defeat of this photo ID measure - and who introduced it - once more shows the American people that the Democratic Party is the party of participation and the franchise, and that the Republican Party is the party of suppression and disenfranchisement.
It's a great shame that in 2007, we Democrats must still fight to protect that most fundamental of rights, the right to vote.
Everything the repubs are for even when it sounds good watch out.They put their own twist into making it work for them and against democracy.More rovian spins to what appears on the surface to be good, ends up being only on the surface.Underneath is deception and a heavy price for freedom loving people.
Mitch McConnell,
Along with anti-gay legislation, the "Creationism Museum," and legalistic fundamentalist population, Mitch McConnell is why we're so proud to be from Kentucky.
I like Mitch personally; but his ideas are a different story. We're going to bring him down next election along with the ball player.
Novak: Rove-Protege Tim Griffin Joins Thompson Campaign
Robert Novak reports tonight that controversial former U.S. attorney in Arkansas Tim Griffin, who resigned last week, will join Fred Thompson’s presidential campaign as rumored:
Even before the official announcement of candidacy by former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.), an all-star team of GOP operatives is gathering around him — Lawrence Lindsey, Ken Khachigian, Tim Griffin, Dave Bossie and Victoria Toensing, with more to follow.
Griffin, a former protege of Karl Rove, was formerly research director of the Republican National Committee. He became the poster boy for the politicization of the U.S. attorney process. Former Justice official Kyle Sampson noted that getting Griffin into office “was important to Harriet [Miers], Karl, et cetera.”
In 2004, BBC News published a report showing that Griffin led a “caging” scheme to suppress the votes of African-American servicemembers in Florida.
UPDATE: Atlantic Monthly’s Marc Ambinder adds: “Griffin is advising Thompson on communications and message and will probably be a consultant to Thompson’s presidential campaign.”
So where were the Dems when they rammed that Real ID through the Seante, nestled in some spending bill?
Does America really not care if the government
can now access your medical records, your library usage...that you won't be able to board a plane or bus without one, or have a bank account?
Do we go so gently as all that?
Does none of this raise even a whiff of ire?
This is strange: picture IDs do confirm that a voter is who he/she say they are.
Only 22%of black Wisconsin men 18 - 24 have a picture ID? Whom are you kidding? and the rest of the 78% don't have a valid driver's license?
Get real!!!
I believe all legal voting Americans ought to prove they have a right to vote, I think they should be required to be smart enough to know which precinct they are supposed to vote, and if they are to stupid to figure out really simple voting machines, then, too hell with their vote. Lazy, illegal, stupid, corrupt voting is not what the system exists for
Once again the repubs are up to their slight of hand tricks!While appearing to protect voting rights they are doing the opposite agenda.We all know who the voter frauds are!That is if you really want to see it.
I always find it ironic that the party of the rigged elections always come up with these scams to try to control minority voters in the name of stopping "election fraud", when it is the Republicans who have been responsible for most of the coercive and fraudulent election practices in the last 15 years.
Another case of what Harry T. would have called a "red herring".
I do not care who the h. you are or if you are a PH.D. in this or that. You can be brilliant and the damned voting machine is rigged like in Vegas, get it??? Things have been proven wrong here in Ohio for a long time now. So much so that I would like to see these machines trashed and get back my good old voting booth with a curtain please and a PENCIL and the voting card with a paper receipt and trail for double checking if any discrepancies arise, like they have done for how long? I think its been well over a hundred years that it worked for us before in the real time world...yeah.
This has been one of my primary pet peeves the last couple years. Thanks for "curing" one obvious bunch of B.S., I think the Vegas polker players bluff lost the logical debate when attemting to usurp the consitution. Hooray blues, another victory, we are opening a path back to freedom and ethical honesty via proof and logic, which creates trust, health and peace. It's just common sense simple and pure.
Diebold has long been a name that spelled security in bank vaults, and in ATM machines.
They've always claimed that they couldn't produce a secure voting machine that produced a paper trail as an anti-fraud measure.
They've been providing voting security all right. They consistently secured elections for the Republicans regardless of who the majority voted for.
When is Diebold going to be investigated?
Why is Tim Griffin's resignation and the "caging" emails not being covered by the mainstream media? Everyone should press the "press" to tell this story.
It was on BBC ages ago. But hey, don't believe a word of that stuff about the corporate-controlled media in this country-it's just a bunch of conspiracy freaks ^o^
re GOP: evidently, when they read 1984 no one explained that it was SATIRE, not a life strategy! :P
I'm a Democrat and believe voting rights are protected when only eligible voters are allowed to vote, and when we are assured our votes count.
I don't buy this Democratic Party philosophy that it is more important to get any votes than to be assured that they are eligible votes.
I meant to add this.....If someone can't provide a simple form of ID, frankly I don't think they should be voting. I do not want illegal immigrants or ineligibles voting.
Let's get the voting process up to snuff, without these proprietary software machines. We need preferably paper ballots that can be handcounted and recounted, then ALL sides can be assured that their votes count and only eligible voters vote.
Robson: The majority of voter fraud is NOT illegal voters. The majority of voter fraud in this country is caused in Republican controlled precincts using coercion, bogus voter disenfranchisement, and hacked voting computers.
You need to stop watching Faux..er Fox News, and find out what's REALLY going on.
The Republicans are the party of lies, corruption and doing anything to win.
Don't fall for Republican lies.
No ID required to vote is a big plus, but does this annul the state laws that already exist that do require ID’s. For the person who said it was odd that 75% of blacks do not have photo id drivers licenses, has it occurred to you, they do not own a car.. no jobs, no money, no cars. Also for he who said if they are so stupid.. well, perhaps we should provide a better education to those who do not read well. It all goes together. If you want an educated public, you have to educate them. Most people are not stupid, but many need a good education to develop their skills and hone their intelligence.
But my main question is now, what about the state laws. Does this bill annul them? Does anyone know the answer to this?
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