Hans von Spakovsky has this piece today at PJ Tatler on South Carolina’s strange decision to go to the Department of Justice for preclearance of a voter ID law.  Sources in South Carolina tell me that the submission was made to DOJ only because that’s how they “always do it.”  Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida and Virginia “always did it that way” too, but were savvy enough to recognize changed circumstances.  South Carolina may be ready to yank the submission if trouble appears.  But trouble has already appeared.  What more might South Carolina need to know to demonstrate the submission is heading for the rocks than the NAACP announcing they are “betting the farm” on an objection?  Maybe Democratic members of Congress inserting themselves politically into the process perhaps???  The SC Attorney General could call Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning’s office and listen to the account of the telephone calls from Voting Section lawyer (and former MALDEF lawyer) Elise Shore that pushed Florida toward yanking thier submission.  (Read her screed against Georgia Voter ID here, before she moved to DOJ).  Every minute and every penny South Carolina spends on the submission to the DOJ is likely a waste of time and taxpayer money. 

Von Spakovsky:

Those same people who wanted an objection to Georgia’s voter ID are now in charge and will call the shots on South Carolina’s voter ID. The fact that DOJ previously precleared Georgia’s voter ID law as well as Arizona’s ID law is precedent that they will probably do their best to ignore.

The NAACP recently announced it is “betting the farm” that the Holder Justice Department will object to the South Carolina voter ID law.

That’s a safe bet, considering that the new leadership of the Voting Section is comprised largely of former NAACP officials. Why would the state submit its statute to these officials for review when the Voting Rights Act provides for an alternative path — going straight to federal district court? Inexplicably, Attorney General Wilson rejected the federal court option. When the NAACP bets the farm, General Wilson should be concerned that the cards won’t be dealt fairly. If Justice does object to South Carolina’s statute, he will have no one to blame but himself.

Wilson’s colleagues to the south are playing it smarter. Last week, Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning yanked a submission from DOJ that the NAACP targeted and instead went to court. The NAACP also labeled the Florida law as the return of Jim Crow. What did the law do? Move early voting days and require voter registration forms to be turned in by third party groups in a timely fashion. Quite likely, the NAACP’s hyperbole (not to mention its overly cozy relationship with Voting Section attorneys and staff) is what caused Florida to pull the submission from DOJ.

Presser here.  Noxubee County was included.  I’m sure there was a line of volunteers on that coverage.  Will investigate and report.

Jacksonville News.  “Defenders of Gov. Bev Perdue’s veto claim that incidents of voter fraud in North Carolina are relatively rare and the legislation is unneeded, but what they’re really saying is that incidents of voter fraud that have been uncovered are relatively rare. How many dead voters, voters who no longer live in this state or are otherwise ineligible, have cast ballots in Tar Heel elections?

Without some type of safeguards on the voting system, how will anyone ever know?”

With so much in the pot, will South Carolina yank Voter ID from DOJ as Florida did with another NAACP target last week and go straight to Federal District Court?

Charleston Post and Courier: “As Mr. Hicks phrased it, the NAACP is betting the farm that the U.S. Department of Justice will see photo ID for the violation of voting rights that it is and not approve the law.”

Under Section 5 in Ouachita Parish (LA).

The Chattanoogan.

“In 2004 the NAACP National Voter Fund registered a dead man in Lake County, Ohio, while in nearby Cleveland, 48 of the voter registration cards brought in by the NAACP were fraudulent.”

WITN.com:
A longtime Jacksonville city councilman who has made headlines before is back in the spotlight again. Jerome Willingham was in and out of jail for a child support issue. He’s filed a lawsuit against Jacksonville police in the 1990s, claiming racial discrimination which was settled. The 10-year councilman is now accused of possible voter fraud.

The Attorney General’s office says Jerome Willingham is being investigated to see if he illegally registered to vote in two places- in Jacksonville where he is a city councilman and in Maryland where Willingham says he works for Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning says:

“The purpose of filing in the federal district court is to ensure that the changes to Florida’s election law are judged on their merits by eliminating the risk of a ruling impacted by outside influence,” said Secretary Browning. “Since the passage of HB 1355, we have seen misinformation surrounding the bill increase. By asking a court to rule on certain aspects of the bill, we are assured of a neutral evaluation based on the facts.”

Judged on the merits, ruling based on outside influence, misinformation, neutral evaluation.  More on this topic here and here and here.

The State of Florida yanks their submission to DOJ involving election law changes.  The submission was covered here at Pajamas.  Florida didn’t like what they were hearing from DOJ and are now going to fight in USDC in District of Columbia.  Bad news for the civil rights groups.

Matthew Vadum at The Daily Caller reports on the voter fraud conviction of NAACP official Lessadolla Sowers.

“In a story ignored by the national media, in April a Tunica County, Miss., jury convicted NAACP official Lessadolla Sowers on 10 counts of fraudulently casting absentee ballots. Sowers is identified on an NAACP website as a member of the Tunica County NAACP Executive Committee.”

ELC.com has more information in an April posting here.  Vadum reports the most troubling part of Lessadolla Sowers’ behavior:

“She was also convicted of voting in the names of four dead persons: James L. Young, Dora Price, Dorothy Harris, and David Ross.”