Republicans attempting to disenfranchise voters?

[Selena_Kitt]

Happening in my home state. People who have had foreclosures can't vote!?!?

Anyone know anything else or have any other sources?

 

[rgraham666]

Can't say I'm surprised.

As Joe Stalin said, "Voting is not as important as who counts the votes."

 

[SlickTony]

That's just so patently evil that I kept looking for some evidence that it was satire.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

That's just so patently evil that I kept looking for some evidence that it was satire.

Real voters who've lost their homes 'should' have changed their addresses to their new digs. What this 'manuvor' would do is prevent someone claiming to reside in a know empty house. Logical on the face of it but really, really stupid public relations. But what do you expect from the Masters of Ineptitude?

 

[Belegon]

Sickening. They have no shame.

 

[Guest]

Happening in my home state. People who have had foreclosures can't vote!?!?

Anyone know anything else or have any other sources?

They've filed suit.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/16/obama-files-suit-over-gop_n_126865.html

The Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee have filed a lawsuit in federal court in Michigan over the Michigan GOP's plan to use foreclosure lists to challenge voters at the polls, as first reported by the Michigan Messenger.

Bob Bauer, general counsel for the Obama campaign, and Mark Brewer, chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, announced the lawsuit in a conference call with reporters this afternoon. It was filed on behalf of the campaign, the party and three Michigan residents who have had their houses foreclosed upon in recent months.

Bauer called the GOP plan to use foreclosure lists "a new and especially repellent version of caging." Caging is a technique of challenging voters where they take lists of addresses, mail to them with a "do not forward" marking and if for whatever reason those mailings are returned, they use this as a basis for claiming that the voter no longer lives at the address at which they are registered.

 

[Guest]

OH - to add.

Bye Bye McCain Bounce -- National Tracking Polls Show Race Shifting Back To Obama Over Past Four Days

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-nickolas/bye-bye-bounce----nationa_b_126863.html

 

[Boxlicker101]

If the Huffington Post told me i was going to be a bright, sunny day tomorrow, I would be sure to have my raincoat and umbrella handy.

 

[Guest]

Ultimately, I think this is less about the presidential election and more about trying to limit the gains that Democrats stand to make in the Senate and House.

Still reprehensible.

Fortunately, Michigan has a sensible voter registration law; the question, though, is how many people who have suffered foreclosure will think to update their voter registration?

From

http://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,1607,7-127-1633_11619-123989--,00.html


"How do I register to vote in Michigan?
To register to vote you must be …

a U.S. citizen;
at least 18 years of age by election day;
a resident of Michigan and the city or township where you are applying to register to vote.
Where. You can register to vote for federal, state, and local elections by mail; at your county, city, or township clerk's office; or by visiting any Secretary of State branch office.

In addition, the following State agencies offer voter registration services to their clients: Department of Human Services, the Department of Community Health and the Department of Career Development. Military recruitment centers also provide voter registration services.

When. You must register at least 30 days before the election. This gives the clerk time to process the forms and send you a Voter Identification Card. You must also re-register to vote whenever you move to a new city or township.

How. If you move within a city or township, you must update your address. This can be handled through your local clerk, at a Secretary of State branch office, by mail or at any other location where voter registrations are accepted. Michigan voters must use the same residential address for voter registration and driver's license purposes. Consequently, if you submit a driver's license address change, it will be applied to your voter registration. Similarly, if you submit a voter registration address change, it will be applied to your driver's license."

 

[Guest]

If the Huffington Post told me i was going to be a bright, sunny day tomorrow, I would be sure to have my raincoat and umbrella handy.

Box, no offense, but you formulated your opinions some thirty years and haven't changed a thought since.

 

[Liar]

Real voters who've lost their homes 'should' have changed their addresses to their new digs.

As long as they're one voter they should have one vote.

What difference does it make where they live?

 

[Guest]

As long as they're one voter they should have one vote.

What difference does it make where they live?

The thing is, voters will be challenged at the polling places. In Michigan, what I've been reading now today. The pollsters will have no choice but to accept the challenge and not allow the votes to count.

They will be tallied eventually, but days or weeks later.

Too late.

Other states have different procedures.

 

[Liar]

If the Huffington Post told me i was going to be a bright, sunny day tomorrow, I would be sure to have my raincoat and umbrella handy.

If you pay even the slightest bit of attnetion, you will see that the Huff is just recapping.

It's the Michigan Messenger that's telling you stuff.

(Whoever they are, some local rag?)

 

[Guest]

If you pay even the slightest bit of attnetion, you will see that the Huff is just recapping.

It's the Michigan Messenger that's telling you stuff.

(Whoever they are, some local rag?)

Local news - fitting, since it is Michigan.

Box refuses to see or hear a thing counter to his long held beliefs.

 

[Liar]

The thing is, voters will be challenged at the polling places.

Yes, I read that too.

What I'm asking is why. Partisan bickering aside.... what's the rationale for having a challenging system in place? Fear of massive fraud involving hoards with false voting cards?

 

[sr71plt]

As long as they're one voter they should have one vote.

What difference does it make where they live?

You're right, of course, but it brought to mind what I faced in the last presidential election (when I was an election official in Virginia) and a pilot and stewardess came in from the airport 20 minutes before our polls closed and insisted that they had the right to cast their Florida ballot in Virginia.

It just don't work that way.

 

[Guest]

Yes, I read that too.

What I'm asking is why. Partisan bickering aside.... what's the rationale for having a challenging system in place? Fear of massive fraud involving hoards with false voting cards?

That's a very good question.

 

[off2bed]

So, enforcing the law is considered evil?

I read the article as saying, "We know Democrats are going to bus voters around to different precincts (like they usually do) but this time they might claim to live in the houses vacated by forclosure victims, so we're going to make sure everyone who casts a vote actually lives in the precinct where they are voting."

What a concept.

I swear, you people are so easily hoodwinked by the mainstream media it's nauseating.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I didn't read the whole story as it was slanted to smear. I got what I needed to know out of the first two paragraphs...they just want to make sure you live were you say you live. Something they really don't do here is Chicago, as the dead keep voting every year. Although technically still residence of Chicago, the dead are not eligible to vote in any election in the nation.

If you haven't updated your voters registration address and you no longer live at the address listed then you aren't eligible to vote in that precinct/whatever.

So I see no one being disenfranchised by being required to update their voter records.

 

[Salvor-Hardon]

Yes, I read that too.

What I'm asking is why. Partisan bickering aside.... what's the rationale for having a challenging system in place? Fear of massive fraud involving hoards with false voting cards?

Actually yes.

I have been a poll worker for the past 4 years and voter fraud on even a small scale is a huge deal. Our county recently had a young man arrested and he is now in the state pen for voter fraud, one vote. One vote in a local election that was won before the polls opened pretty much.

But the people who work polls take that obligation of "one person one vote" seriously. Even things like what t-shirts and purses peole bring in, where politicians can place their signs, ringtones on cell phones. Its nit picking in many ways and yet because anyone, even the easily influenced can vote, their vote has to be protected.

Massive fraud, I doubt. Bu miniscule fraud, oh yeah.

 

[Guest]

So, enforcing the law is considered evil?

I read the article as saying, "We know Democrats are going to bus voters around to different precincts (like they usually do) but this time they might claim to live in the houses vacated by forclosure victims, so we're going to make sure everyone who casts a vote actually lives in the precinct where they are voting."

What a concept.

I swear, you people are so easily hoodwinked by the mainstream media it's nauseating.

It's such a marvelous thing that the Republican party is looking out for the well-being of the country.

Gosh. I was becoming so concerned.

But this is good. Instead of worrying about Iraq, or the housing situation, or the gas concerns, or high taxes, or corruption (or the multitude of other problems that face our country today) they're going to make damn certain some poor family who just lost their home had better have their address up to date before they are allowed to vote.

Because you know those deadbeats are just going to fuck up the system.


Edited to add: Of course voters should be prepared to vote. We always bring our cards and proper ID.

But this is deliberate. This is targeting a specific group who will probably NOT vote Republican.

It is very sleazy.

 

[cloudy]

If the Huffington Post told me i was going to be a bright, sunny day tomorrow, I would be sure to have my raincoat and umbrella handy.

Original story in the Michigan Messenger.

I also have a link for the story from Faux News, since that's the only thing you seem to believe.

 

[Guest]

Original story in the Michigan Messenger.

I also have a link for the story from Faux News, since that's the only thing you seem to believe.

Evening, beautiful.

 

[off2bed]

But this is deliberate. This is targeting a specific group who will probably NOT vote Republican.

So you admit that it's the Democrats who engage in vote fraud.

 

[Guest]

So you admit that it's the Democrats who engage in vote fraud.

That must be difficult to type with a straight face (after the last two elections).

I'll just add that many of those who have lost their homes must now be choosing to vote Democrat, else the Republicans would not be concerned.

That says a great deal.