Author Archives: J Christian Adams

Democrats slow to remove non-citizens from voter rolls

Businessweek explores the issue of removal of non-citizens from the rolls.

Interesting points made in the article, including that Democrats were reluctant to recognize a problem with non-citizens illegally registered and slow to remove them from the voter rolls.  Of course, Republicans were too hasty in their efforts to remove potential illegal voters.  Of course, critics claim the proper action should have been to wait until after the election to remove the illegal voters. The article also points out that Democrats seemed reluctant to use federal databases with the most accurate citizenship data that would have helped prevent the wrongful identification of newly naturalized citizens as illegally registered voters.

Obama’s Robert Bauer: up to his old tricks

Obama campaign counsel Robert Bauer is again doing what he did in 2008 – attempt to get government officials on the side of the Obama campaign.  In Wisconsin, it appears to have made a difference.   The Washington Post:

“Pronouncing Election Day observers “the first line of defense” against illegal voting, the primer gives trainees some questionable or conflicting advice. At one point, for example, it says that convicted felons are ineligible to vote in Wisconsin. Not exactly true, according to Reid Magney, spokesman for the state’s Government Accountability Board, which administers elections. Felons who are out prison and have completed probation can vote, he said.

“Once you have completed the terms of your sentence your voting rights are restored in Wisconsin,” Magney said. A few pages later, it mentions that felons who have not had civil rights restored can be challenged at the polls.”

Bauer got exactly what he wanted – a public statement from Wisconsin election officials that the GOP training materials were in error. This is part of a calculated nationwide strategy.  Obama campaign officials have contacted other state election officials and demanded action.  In other instances, the state election officials have complied with the request without even first contacting the authors of the training materials. 

Bauer is notorious for making demands on election officials.  In speeches I give across the country, I describe how Bauer did the same thing in 2008.  He attempts to leverage law enforcement to the benefit of his campaign.  To the extent that so many inside election administration are partisan democrats (names later), this strategy often works.