Author Archives: J Christian Adams

Tom Perez makes false statement to Mike Levine

Tom Perez told Mike Levine at Fox News this:

“You look at our enforcement actions in the Obama administration in the voting context, and you see cases where we’ve had African-American defendants and white victims, and you see cases that involve white defendants and African-American victims,” Perez said.

This is entirely false and Mike Levine should know better.  (Lets guess the excuse – 2:1 “misspoke”;  5:1 “misunderstood”;  20:1 “reporters got the quote wrong.”)  Contact information on the left of this page, if interested.  There isn’t a single case the Obama DOJ filed with “African American defendants and white victims.”  This is totally false.  The Ike Brown case was filed by the Bush Administration.   The motion filed (which incidently still hasn’t been granted 6 months later, and probably never will) was filed in an active case brought by the Bush Adminstration.

And whether or not the phony motion filed in the Ike Brown case qualifies, see here.   In fact, I have multiple sources in Mississippi that tell me not a single call was made by the DOJ into Mississippi on this issue until after my columns appeared on the topic.  It was a reaction to sunlight, not a pre-existing policy.  Hopefully Mike Levine won’t be duped again by Perez the next time he speaks to him.  Until then, contact info on the left.

New Jersey voter fraud issues entangle prosecutor reappointment

The New Jersey Senate has the power to appoint county prosecutors.  The Cape May County Herald reports:

“Some members of the Senate Judiciary Committee grilled Cape May County Prosecutor Robert Taylor about several high-profile cases during a Thur., Dec. 9 reappointment hearing in the Capitol.  On Mon., Dec. 13, despite a motion by Sen. Gerald Cardinale to table the vote, which was defeated 23-15, for more examination of the nominee, Taylor was reappointed by a vote of 25-12.”

Here is where the story takes a strange turn:
 
“Pressed on prosecuting voter fraud, Sen. Gerald Cardinale asked Taylor, ‘Do you believe it is part of the function of your office to protect the public from those who would commit voter fraud action?’


‘Yes,’ replied Taylor, “It is the job of my office to look for any crime or prosecute any crime. The Attorney General’s office has done most of the investigation of voter fraud in Cape May County and other places.


‘Voter fraud is a tragedy that needs to be prosecuted where it’s found,’ added Taylor.


After Cardinale read a list of names who allegedly lived in Florida and voted in Wildwood, or who voted from empty lots or commercial establishments, Van Drew interjected, ‘So the committee is aware, Cape May County has about 100,000 people year round, and a million in the summer. A lot declare residency. Folks are clearly summer folks yet want to vote in Cape May County. It’s been an ongoing problem that occurs. This is a debate that goes on endlessly in Cape May County,’ said the senator.”

Broken campaign promises of transparency

The Washington Times has an editorial about broken campaign promises on transparency here.

“Judicial Watch is exposing the emptiness of open-government promises by President Obama and Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. These Democrats have stiffed the legal public-interest group’s Freedom of Information requests related to the Justice Department’s dismissal of a voter-intimidation case against members of the New Black Panther Party. Judicial Watch’s Dec. 7 filings reveal the false basis for the administration’s novel claims of “privilege” against disclosure. . . . Federal District Judge Reggie B. Walton, who is overseeing the Judicial Watch case, shouldn’t allow it. The judge should personally examine the documents in question and release those for which the privilege claims are spurious.”

Yakima (WA) considers single member districts


 


Yakima Washington may move toward single member districts after some academics and groups have started to pay attention to at large elections in Yakima:

“Leading the charge is Joaquin Avila, a Seattle University law professor who heads the school’s National Voting Rights Advocacy Initiative.  Avila, who backs up rhetoric with lawsuits, said recently that Yakima is on his radar screen.


Underlying much of the debate is the belief that Latinos are embarrassingly underrepresented in elective office in Yakima. The percentage of Latinos likely will exceed 40 percent when new federal census figures are released in April.”

The article contains no discussion whether Gingles One, Two and Three can be satisfied –  or whether “embarrassing underrepresentation” is all the newspaper had available to report.

Avila is an advocate for allowing illegal aliens the right to vote in American elections.  More on that position here. It is “political Apartheid,” wrote Avila, to deny these non-citizens a vote in how their communities are run.


Perris (CA) School Board retreats on single member districts

Succumbing to threats of litigation, the Perris California School Board is likely to implement single member districts.  The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights had sought single member districts under the California version of the Voting Rights Act. 

“Several trustees agreed with Carolyn Twyman who said it felt like the district was ‘being blackmailed’ into forming election districts. Nonetheless, four trustees said to avoid a costly lawsuit, they support the change.”

Virginia Attorney General: Bailout not a priority


 


 
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli backtracks on statewide bailout talk, noting it is not a priority.  Democrats criticizing Cuccinelli apparently didn’t get the memo  – defenders of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act desperately want and need bailouts.  A full court press is on to get bailouts in place before the Supreme Court hears the next challenge to Section 5.  ELC is conducting a survey of other Virginia counties to see where others are attempting to obtain bailouts (more on that later). 

The sly fox in this game is Cuccinelli, who put the kibosh on moving toward a bailout that would help preserve the constitutionality of Section 5.  The reactionaries who went after Cuccinelli are the ones hurting their own cause, though they may not know it.