Thread: Bush wants MuKasey to suppress votes in Ohio.

10/27/08

This year, there are over 600,000 newly registered Ohio voters, but President Bush has asked Attorney General Mukasey to investigate as many as 200,000 of them. Why? Because Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has refused to use an "exact match" standard before adding these voters to the rolls.

What is this "exact match" standard? Basically, it works like this: After you fill out your voter registration card, a local or state employee has to type in your information to add you to the voter rolls; then state authorities check to see that you really exist, usually by verifying your driver's license number or Social Security number.

And as you can imagine, sometimes there are typos or other disparities when the information gets entered and matched - for example, if your last name is "De la Rosa" and it got entered as "Delarosa", you would fail to meet the exact match standard, and your registration form would be invalid.

Secretary Brunner has refused to use this standard on the grounds that it would erroneously deprive tens or even hundreds of thousands of Ohioans of their right to vote. The Ohio GOP sued her a month ago to try and get the courts to compel her to use the "exact match" standard, but the Supreme Court ruled that they had no standing to make that case.

Now, President Bush is trying to run around the Supreme Court by getting the Department of Justice to intervene. On Friday, October 24th, Bush reportedly asked Attorney General Mukasey to investigate whether as many as 200,000 voters need to reconfirm their registrations before November 4th. This is hugely problematic, for a couple of reasons:

1. Obviously, for 200,000 voters to reconfirm their registrations before Election Day would be a logistical nightmare for Secretary Brunner, for Ohio's county Boards of Elections, and for the voters themselves, most of whom would have to vote provisionally.

2. The only reason the Department of Justice has jurisdiction to intervene here is because of the Voting Rights Act, the entire purpose of which was to expand, not suppress, the right to vote. This action would be completely contrary to the spirit of that law.

3. New registrants tend to be young people as well as people who move around a lot - a particular problem in the midst of a foreclosure crisis. Imposing an exact match standard would create a second class of citizens when it comes to voting rights - a group of people who are far more likely than most to lose that right altogether.

President Bush is doing his best to further politicize the Department of Justice and suppress the rights of Ohio's voters, but Attorney General Mukasey doesn't have to bend to this insidious tactic.

republicans are doing this kind of shit all over the place.

The news media is mute on this issue that is a cornerstone of this democracy, this is outrageous, and serves as confirmation of tyranny.

Originally Posted by Octoldit

10/27/08

That was the goal of ACORN to clog the system with BS and foul up the woeks with bogus registrations. That the left for you.

Originally Posted by nickcuse

republicans are doing this kind of shit all over the place.

Yeah. My response was, just Ohio?!

Originally Posted by Octoldit

10/27/08

This year, there are over 600,000 newly registered Ohio voters, but President Bush has asked Attorney General Mukasey to investigate as many as 200,000 of them. Why? Because Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has refused to use an "exact match" standard before adding these voters to the rolls.

What is this "exact match" standard? Basically, it works like this: After you fill out your voter registration card, a local or state employee has to type in your information to add you to the voter rolls; then state authorities check to see that you really exist, usually by verifying your driver's license number or Social Security number.

And as you can imagine, sometimes there are typos or other disparities when the information gets entered and matched - for example, if your last name is "De la Rosa" and it got entered as "Delarosa", you would fail to meet the exact match standard, and your registration form would be invalid.

Secretary Brunner has refused to use this standard on the grounds that it would erroneously deprive tens or even hundreds of thousands of Ohioans of their right to vote. The Ohio GOP sued her a month ago to try and get the courts to compel her to use the "exact match" standard, but the Supreme Court ruled that they had no standing to make that case.

Now, President Bush is trying to run around the Supreme Court by getting the Department of Justice to intervene. On Friday, October 24th, Bush reportedly asked Attorney General Mukasey to investigate whether as many as 200,000 voters need to reconfirm their registrations before November 4th. This is hugely problematic, for a couple of reasons:

1. Obviously, for 200,000 voters to reconfirm their registrations before Election Day would be a logistical nightmare for Secretary Brunner, for Ohio's county Boards of Elections, and for the voters themselves, most of whom would have to vote provisionally.

2. The only reason the Department of Justice has jurisdiction to intervene here is because of the Voting Rights Act, the entire purpose of which was to expand, not suppress, the right to vote. This action would be completely contrary to the spirit of that law.

3. New registrants tend to be young people as well as people who move around a lot - a particular problem in the midst of a foreclosure crisis. Imposing an exact match standard would create a second class of citizens when it comes to voting rights - a group of people who are far more likely than most to lose that right altogether.

President Bush is doing his best to further politicize the Department of Justice and suppress the rights of Ohio's voters, but Attorney General Mukasey doesn't have to bend to this insidious tactic.

Link?

The Supreme Court struck down the GOP lawsuit based upon a technicality, not because they felt that Bruner was doing her job.

Yes, Bush is trying to suppress registration fraud. And I don't believe for one second that all 200,000 questionable registrations are due to typos and misunderstandings. What a ridiculous assertion, it's almost like people want an illegitimate election in Ohio.

Besides, the 200,000 registrations don't even match driver's license IDs or Social Security numbers. Ohio's election board may be incompetent, but incompetent to the point of screwing up 200,000 registrations by a mere accident?

Nice try, Pinnochio.

Originally Posted by Octoldit

10/27/08

This year, there are over 600,000 newly registered Ohio voters, but President Bush has asked Attorney General Mukasey to investigate as many as 200,000 of them. Why? Because Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has refused to use an "exact match" standard before adding these voters to the rolls.

What is this "exact match" standard? Basically, it works like this: After you fill out your voter registration card, a local or state employee has to type in your information to add you to the voter rolls; then state authorities check to see that you really exist, usually by verifying your driver's license number or Social Security number.

You object to the government requiring that people come to the polls to vote actually be the person they've presented themselves to be when they registered?

You must be a Democrat who knows the only way Democrats can win is by cheating and fraud.

Originally Posted by Octoldit

And as you can imagine, sometimes there are typos or other disparities when the information gets entered and matched - for example, if your last name is "De la Rosa" and it got entered as "Delarosa", you would fail to meet the exact match standard, and your registration form would be invalid.

And...that's why voter registration is supposed to be closed thirty days before any voting starts, so the government has a chance of checking the new registrants and correcting the errors.

Originally Posted by Octoldit

Secretary Brunner has refused to use this standard on the grounds that it would erroneously deprive tens or even hundreds of thousands of Ohioans of their right to vote.

You mean the Democrat Secretary of State has refused to obey the law.

That's typical, isn't it?

Originally Posted by Octoldit

The Ohio GOP sued her a month ago to try and get the courts to compel her to use the "exact match" standard, but the Supreme Court ruled that they had no standing to make that case.

Now, President Bush is trying to run around the Supreme Court by getting the Department of Justice to intervene.

The Supreme Court can't intervene until actual harm has been committed, ie, someone has been prevented from voting or allowed to vote based on false registration. That won't happen until election day.

Originally Posted by Octoldit

On Friday, October 24th, Bush reportedly asked Attorney General Mukasey to investigate whether as many as 200,000 voters need to reconfirm their registrations before November 4th. This is hugely problematic, for a couple of reasons:

Investigation of possible criminal activity is not "problematic" unless you're trying to cover up the criminal acts.

Oh, that's right. You're a Democrat. You ARE trying to hide the criminal acts.

Originally Posted by Octoldit

1. Obviously, for 200,000 voters to reconfirm their registrations before Election Day would be a logistical nightmare for Secretary Brunner, for Ohio's county Boards of Elections, and for the voters themselves, most of whom would have to vote provisionally.

I guess the Secretary of State should have acted sooner to do her job correctly instead of stonewalling and dragging her feet. The job still needs to be done, and it's more important the fraudulent voting is prevented than anything else. Let those voters in question fill out probationary ballots that may be used in evidence against them in a court of law if they are, in fact, shown to be registered fraudlently, but which may, if they check out, be counted as real ballots.

Can't get any fairer than that.

Originally Posted by Octoldit

2. The only reason the Department of Justice has jurisdiction to intervene here is because of the Voting Rights Act, the entire purpose of which was to expand, not suppress, the right to vote. This action would be completely contrary to the spirit of that law.

Well, your assumption that the VRA exists to permit fraudulent registration is certainly weird.

But typical of Democrats.

Originally Posted by Octoldit

3. New registrants tend to be young people as well as people who move around a lot - a particular problem in the midst of a foreclosure crisis.

Young people don't know how to spell their own names?

If they don't live in their residence long enough to establish residency prior to the election, then they shouldn't be voting anyway. Nothing lost, they haven't complied with that aspect of the law.

Originally Posted by Octoldit

Imposing an exact match standard would create a second class of citizens when it comes to voting rights - a group of people who are far more likely than most to lose that right altogether.

You mean the people that can't spell their own names, or who spell Jose Gonzalez as M-I-C-K-E-Y H-O-R-S-E, maybe shouldn't be allowed to vote?

What a strange concept.

The ONLY purpose of voter registration is to ensure the person voting is legally eligible to vote in that precinct. That means an exact match with other official records to ensure the registrant is the same as the voter is essential.

Is there some reason you would accept people voting who aren't who they say they are, perhaps so they could vote more than once in the same election, as Obama needs in some areas?

Originally Posted by Octoldit

The news media is mute on this issue that is a cornerstone of this democracy, this is outrageous, and serves as confirmation of tyranny.

The "cornerstone of democracy" is one man, one vote....and knowing that said "one man" is who he says he is, and thus eligible to vote.

Originally Posted by C-101

Yes, Bush is trying to suppress registration fraud. And I don't believe for one second that all 200,000 questionable registrations are due to typos and misunderstandings. What a ridiculous assertion, it's almost like people want an illegitimate election in Ohio.

No "people", "Democrats".

And we all know Democrats aren't really people, they're bots.

Originally Posted by Tick

That was the goal of ACORN to clog the system with BS and foul up the woeks with bogus registrations. That the left for you.

The issue is free and fair elections not ACORN. This clearly has more to do with the right to vote than anything else. Denial of the right to vote starts to bring clarity to why all American are being spied on through N.S.A.

This administration intends to take away our rights and liberties under the constitution and expects outrage. It is true they intend to overthrow the our Constitutional governmental structure. The lies about bogus registration does little to cover the fact that less than 1% of new registrations are questionable.