Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Rampant Voter Fraud?

I have absolutely no business writing a new post tonight.  Feeling a little buried in school work already this week, my plan was to bring some of it home with me and work on it tonight.  Alas, the gardener, who is STILL dealing with my stupid sprinklers, called causing me to leave school in a hurry where I left all the work sitting on my desk.  The alarm is set for 5am to try and catch up, so until then… 

This past week partisan voter laws have been in the forefront.  In order to address “voter fraud” Pennsylvania wrote a law that all citizens must show a picture ID in order to vote at the polling place.  I guess if voter fraud were really a problem, the laws might be necessary, but it seems like a solution that is in search of a problem.  With only ten documented cases in the entire country since 2000, it seems as if there have got to be bigger fish to fry when it comes to our governmental systems.

But then things became a bit clearer when the PA Majority Leader, Mike Turzai, made the partisan remark when sharing his stellar list of accomplishments, “Pro-Second Amendment? The Castle Doctrine, it's done. First pro-life legislation -- abortion facility regulations -- in 22 years, done. Voter ID, which is gonna allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania, done.”  Hmmmm…

It would seem as if this law was designed to skew the results of this year’s presidential election.  Pennsylvania’s own Department of State has reported that 758,000 eligible voters will not be allowed to vote under this law because they don’t have a photo ID.  Remarkably, the demographics of that number are the young, the old, the poor, and minorities…those who tend to vote for Democrats. 

The law was taken to court last week and the judge stunningly upheld the voter ID law, stating it will be handled in a “Non-partisan, even-handed manner”  He wrote that requiring a government-issued ID "is a reasonable, nondiscriminatory, nonsevere burden when viewed in the broader context of the widespread use of photo ID in daily life."  For many of us, having a driver’s license or passport is the norm, but when you’re too poor to own a car or open a bank account or travel internationally, the need for an ID beyond proof of residency with an electric bill may not be applicable. 

To keep things fair, the state is required to educate it’s residents about the new voter ID laws with advertisements.  The job of doing that was given to a lobbying firm who has paid tens of thousands of dollars towards the Romney campaign and the man in charge of the campaign was once the Executive Director of the state’s Republican party.  With Turzai’s comments, it’s a wonder how that education is going to turn out.

In Ohio, voting hours were on the table.  There has been much debate about early voting and who gets to use it in Ohio this month.  While hours in counties who lean to left were going to be shortened, counties who lean right were allowed to keep extended voting times.  Interestingly enough, the board making the decision sits 3-2 Republican. 

After heavy criticism of this alleged disparity, Ohio’s Secretary of State ordered that all counties have to abide by the same polling hours.  Well Duh!

With the mechanisms of the vote in the hands of partisan elected officials, can any decision about elections, ever, be considered non-partisan? “Non-partisan oversight” has been thrown around over the last week or so.  But really, can an oversight group made up of human beings with leanings to the left of right, truly be objective?

17 comments:

  1. I am going to go ahead and speak for Pennsylvania since I live here. I know for a fact that every single family and person I work with (all of whom are minorities) have an ID. Each time there is an election I offer to drive my families to vote. I have never had one person accept my offer. I try to drill into them the importance of voting and how it is our privelege. I don't think what you are worrying about is an issue at all at least where I work in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania!

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    1. There's no denying that voter apathy is huge, regardless of these rules. It would seem to me that anything done that curbs it even more is a shame regardless of political party. It's the motive that seems to be behind it that I have an issue with too.

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  2. Another PA blogger here!
    Don't hate me but I approve of this law. It's not the hardest thing in the world to get a government issue I.D. If you're worried for Obama, he got the Black vote by 95% last election and can do it again with no problem. I would say that if Minorities(me)really want him in, they'll get their I.D.s together.
    FYI, I voting for him but am not thrilled to do so. I'm only after Immigration rights and then I'll dump him like a hot potato. C'mon, what'd you expect from me anyway?
    mark

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    1. Ha! I was hoping you you would share your thoughts. Obama? Really? You're such an enigma! :)

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  3. Do you mind if I get back to you sometime tomorrow. I'm in the middle of a freak out. I've an assignment due on a course I'm doing and the broadband was down.
    AND now the printer is pissing ink all over the pages. If I wasn't such a level fellow I be thinking a frecking conspiracy.

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    1. :)
      I'm curious what your course is about. Good luck!

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    2. It's just an on line thing.


      Who runs the voter registrar in the USA. If it is federal, then I expect any changes will be subject to the SCOTUS instantly since what hits Maine also hits AZ. Further since the debacle in the South with registration it would be a foolhardy judge that would uphold anything but the status quo.
      I expect also that there is a raft of legislation from the 19 century on this type of chicanery on the books in the eastern States.
      The way the Irish got round those 19C electoral laws was to vote early and often :-D.

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    3. No it's by state not federal. CA doesn't require photo ID...only about 4 states are pushing it through for this election. Our polling hours are 7am - 8pm on election day only,across the state. We do have absentee ballots which anyone can apply for. Some of these states were talking the weekend before, but only in certain areas.
      These moves seem calculated, admittedly so by those making them. Should our voting procedures be federalized so elections are aligned across the country, especially for national elections? It seems like that would be common sense, but we don't have much of that these days.
      They voted often? In one election? Sounds like they needed to show a photo ID! ;)

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    4. this one is better http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5OWRRJh-PI&feature=player_embedded

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    5. "A wanker whipping up fear!" The best line of the whole thing and spot on.

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    6. That's Michael D. He's now President of Ireland since last year.

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    7. I like what he had to say...I bet Michael Graham isn't a favorite over there though. He's been released from contract a few times due to offensive commentary.

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  4. In our corner of the midwest....we have Todd Akins to contend with. Kansas has the voter Id on the books. This is the one downside to leaving CA...all the rednecks.

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    1. That Akins' comment was something wasn't it!?!? Ick! Obama's response was great though...it's 9th grade sex ed for goodness sakes. It just amazes me what comes out of the mouths of SOME of the GOP - these Harvard, or the like, educated people.
      I would imagine the difference between the two states' political leanings are vast.

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  5. Put some share buttons on your blog so I can share excellent content like this. Pretty please!

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    1. Ahhh, thank you, but I don't have any idea what a share button is...

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