President Obama has nominated an official with Media Matters to a slot on the Election Assistance Commission.  The EAC assists states in administering federal elections.  Media Matters assists the White House in attacking political opponents.  It’s hard to see where the two overlap, except for raw political rewards.  The rank nature of the nomination is one reason the GOP now holds a 2-1 majority on the EAC as the Media Matters alum Matthew Butler is less likely to be approved absent a rough fight.  PJ Media has more at this Drudge linked story.

Texas:

Lawyers for the state of Texas have accused a federal district judge of wrongfully awarding “a consolation prize” of more than $1 million in attorney fees to groups that challenged the state’s redistricting plans.

The challengers, which included Texas state legislators, voters and civil rights organizations, argued that they were entitled to the money because a court found that the redistricting plans ran afoul of the federal Voting Rights Act. Texas argued it was the winner because the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013 struck down a section of the voting rights law that required the state to go to the court for approval in the first place.

A far-left community organizer is going to jail for at least 2 and a half years for election fraud in Michigan.  Edward Pinkney was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for rigging a recall election for the mayor of Benton Harbor Michigan.

As often happens, a defiant voter fraudster defended by protesters outside the courthouse.  “Free Robert Pinkney” they chanted.  Robert Pinkney was handcuffed and hauled off to jail to begin serving his 2.5 to 10 year sentence.  Benton Harbor City Commissioner Marcus Muhammed (D) questioned the legitimacy of the criminal justice system and called the court a “kangaroo court.”

Protests

At the root of the crime was a recall election.  Far left groups had targeted the mayor of Benton Harbor arguing in the (ironically named) “People’s Tribune” that “an economic system that doesn’t feed, clothe, and house its people must be overturned and replaced with a system that meets the needs of the people.” Here’s the story.

Two and a half years in prison. That’s the minimum sentence given to a Southwest Michigan political activist convicted of election fraud.

Edward Pinkney of Benton Township was taken to prison Monday after his conviction. 

Pinkney said he did nothing wrong and that he was disappointed in the jury and the system that found him guilty of changing the dates on several recall petitions.

The judge responded by reminding Pinkney he was a habitual offender and then sentenced him to two and a half to ten years in prison.

A large group of protestors chanted and held up signs outside the Berrien County Courthouse today following the sentencing of Pinkney.

Pinkney argued the jury who convicted him of five felony counts of election forgery was wrong and that he was innocent.

“I know I did nothing wrong. And I am very disappointed in the system itself,” he said.

Scott Whitlock has the story at Newsbusters.

AJC: Imagine someone shy, he said, in a small town who wants to vote privately. But an activist comes into their home, and “because of my position in the community, maybe I have some sway over them, maybe I’m just a dynamic personality, I say, ‘Didn’t you get an absentee ballot? Let me take a look at that.’

“In any world would that be right?”

In fact, a few of the people who actually voted absentee did lodge complaints. Johnny Parker’s was one. Parker cast an absentee ballot marked only for the school board race, not the other contests.

He showed up on Election Day intending to vote in the other races and became angry when a poll worker told him he couldn’t. He filed a complaint, and told investigators Smart had urged him not to worry about the other races on the absentee ballot.

CSPAN has the video of a debate on voter ID between Hans von Spakovsky and Justin Levitt before an IFES visiting panel.  I’m told that most in the audience came from countries with voter ID so it’s a steep hill to climb to convince them voter ID is bad.

Story here at PJ.

WAFB CBS:

“A hearing on allegations of voter fraud stemming from the April election in Port Allen to replace recalled Mayor Deedy Slaughter was scheduled for Tuesday, but was postponed once again.

The purpose of the meeting was to allow deputies with the West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office to collect documents they have been waiting on for months now. However, their wait will continue.

Instead, there was an ambulance, along with police and firefighters, outside the West Baton Rouge Parish Courthouse. Officials said Profit suffered a seizure while sitting in the courtroom waiting on his hearing to begin. He was taken to the hospital and the hearing did not happen.”

Great stuff from my friend Niger and Larry Elder.

Capital Research Center:

“The Bauman Family Foundation is not well known, but it and its head, Patricia Bauman, are significant leaders of the American Left.  The real estate heiress donates to liberal politicians and holds powerful positions with far-left flagship institutions like the Democracy Alliance, the Brennan Center, and Catalist.  Her foundation supports “social justice” by fighting to redistribute wealth, stop voter ID laws, deny workers the secret ballot in union elections, and otherwise achieve the Left’s goal of fundamentally transforming America’s constitutional order.”

Full report is here.