Breitbart has more on the DOJ Voting Section hiring a partisan GOTV operation to assist an expert in the Texas Voter ID case.  This issue is going to get even bigger shortly.  Stay tuned to ELC for more.  Also catch Congressman Ted Poe on Fox Friday morning about the Voting Section’s involvement with the partisan group.

“Catalist was apparently hired without ‘an open bidding process.’ As Smith says, it is “unacceptable for the Department to go into court in a case involving the integrity of Texas elections on the basis of data provided by a Democratic Party campaign operation.” He charges that it is a misuse of taxpayer dollars that undermines the credibility of the Justice Department.”

Will the responsible parties be fired at the DOJ?  Of course not, they will probably be rewarded because nobody there thinks anything is wrong with this.  On the other hand, this mess could justify significant changes in 2013.  Stay tuned for more breaking on this story.

“Justice Lost. We won.”

Fox News leads with the story.

Based on the timeline established by the federal court for hearing the South Carolina voter ID case against DOJ, a positive or negative ruling may not provide enough time to implement before November.  This is becoming a recurring theme where the wheels of justice turn so slowly (intentionally or otherwise) that enacted legislation adopted by state legislatures are held up and delayed for months and now going on years.  When the courts want to move quickly, they do so.

The answer is staring the Times in the face. 

“We have long worried about the design and operation of electronic voting machines, but New York city produces a paper record that could be used for recounts or to resolve disputes.  The idea that poll workers are told to ignore the computers and do the arithmetic by hand is chillingly abusrd.  New York City has a state primary on Sept. 13 and the general election on Nov. 6.  It’s time to stop the cut and add routine and let the computers do their job.

In Michigan, it appears new integrity measures may be on the way.  The Michigan Secretary of State notes that 15 states recently compared voter registration lists and found that up to 164,000 Michigan voters could be registered in another state.

Nothing is more sacred to democracy than integrity in our elections and safeguarding the principle of one citizen, one vote.  That is why the Secure and Fair Elections legislation, now before Gov. Rick Snyder, is so critical.  It will allow election official to go after the worst campaign finance offenders, help them clean up our voter rolls and remove those who have died, moved and are not citizens. It also will close photo ID loopholes and create more transparency and accountability in the elections process.  It also retains strong measures in place that ensure no legitimate voter is disenfranchised.  Michigan’s voter rolls had an impossible 102.54% of eligible voters registered in 2008.  See the full article at TimesHerald.com

Minnesota Public Radio reports on questions being raised as to whether Secretary of State Ritchie has a conflict of interest and is properly performing his duties in preparation of the November ballot that may include the voter ID amendment:

Dan McGrath, executive director for the pro amendment group Minnesota Majority, accused (Secretary of State) Ritchie of spreading misinformation about the costs and using the same talking points as the political organizations that oppose the amendment.

“Well, I think the Secretary of State is creating a very unfortunate, very public conflict of interest when speaking about the voter ID amendment,” McGrath said.  “His job is to impartially prepare and count the ballot.  I find that very disturbing, especially in light of that fact that he appears to be using taxpayer dollars in his campaign against the voter ID amendment.”

McGrath said he thinks Richie should be required to form a political committee, just like other opponents and advocates of the ballot question.  He said his group may file a complaint against the secretary of state with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board.

 Here

and here.

and here.

Pleading here.

PJ Media Rule of Law.

“I was just on the Glen Beck show on GBTV and had occasion to note that Chief Justice John Roberts’ opinion in the Obamacare case was familiar to me. It turns out that Roberts adopted a similar activist rewriting of the parties’ arguments in Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District v. Holder.”

New Mexico Secretary of State Dianna Duran is concerned that mailings from a group called “The Voter Participation Center” are going to registered voters, non-citizens, the deceased, and others not eligible to vote such as minors and pets.