Lawyers for the Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee marched into federal court last week to argue that it is unconstitutional for Ohio to allow military voters to cast in-person early ballots on the Saturday through Monday before Election Day, given that early voting for all other voters stops on the Friday before Election Day. Apparently, Team Obama has decided to take a break from howling about the alleged injustice of voter-ID laws to argue that military voters don’t deserve an occasional accommodation. John Fund @ NRO.
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Pennsylvania rebukes DOJ: “Inquiry into ID law is politically motivated, outside authority”
The administration of Gov. Tom Corbett is suggesting that a U.S. Department of Justice inquiry into Pennsylvania’s tough, new voter identification law is politically motivated and outside of its authority. Link to the full story.
“Military voters as political pawns” or the most disenfranchised?
An opinion piece by Professor Richard Hasen that ends with a quote likely to get the blood moving this Monday morning. “Keeping the military out of the voting wars would be especially good for the military and the country”. Link
Wikipedia definition: Pawn may refer to:
A regretful title and characterization of our soldiers trying to participate in the election of their civilian leaders. However, much like the Obama lawsuit, it again shows the insensitivity to the challenges of military duty. Military members have been fiercely independent rising above the partisan rhetoric of politicians and law professors engaged in the voting wars of their own creation. They are not political pawns of either party. Period.
What is surprising about the lawsuit, as well as Professor Hasen’s article, is the absence of understanding why the arguments in the lawsuit are insensitive and offensive to military members. While Hasen mentions that the lawsuit may in fact restrict military voting rights, especially if the federal judge decides to close the early voting period for all voters, that issue seems to be of little concern. The bigger concern for both Hasen and the Obama campaign is whether one of the campaigns is able to bus in thousands of voters in the days before the election.
Nor does the article mention the longstanding challenges faced by military voters, as well as the fact that thousands of military members have been disenfranchised in recent elections. That point was made by Bob Carey, the former Director of the Federal Voting Assistance Office, Department of Defense, who estimated that 300,000 military voters, the population of entire large city, had been disenfranchised in the 2010 election.
For years, the military has been caught in the middle of the “voting wars” as a silent bystander and that is ending. The military should be able to exercise their right to vote without being accused of being partisan or political pawns in the larger voting wars. Former Infantry Officer Pete Hegseth explains at Military.com that the “US should be expanding Military Voters’ Rights” and notes that what’s at stake here is not “special” treatment for military personnel so much as a respectful recognition of the heavy burden our government places upon them in service to our nation.
TX AG on Section 5 and New Black Panthers
Colorado SOS Documents Non-Citizen Voting
Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler has released this report documenting verified non-citizen voting in Colorado elections. Secretary Gessler tells me this is just the beginning of his efforts to stop illegal non-citizen voting.
Fund and von Spakovsky Offer to Debate Rick Hasen, Anytime, Anyplace
I learned over the weekend that Hans von Spakovsky and John Fund have offered to debate law professor Rick Hasen, anytime, anyplace about the allegations in their books. The pair have offered to appear at particular events where Hasen will appear to rebut the allegations in Hasens’ book.
So far, Hasen has refused to debate them about book contents.
I made a similar overture to Justin Levitt when I spoke at the National Council of State Legislature Meeting in Chicago. I said I’d debate him about voter fraud, but so far haven’t heard anything either.
Federal Court Rejects “Souls to the Polls” Argument in FL
All the headlines are naturally saying Florida lost the early voting issue, but the truth is that the core of the complaint about early voting – that church goers couldn’t get to early vote on Sunday and this discriminates against blacks – was squarely rejected by the court. That won’t get much attention, but is a defeat for racialist arguments.
40 Percent Likely to Sit Out 2012 Election
As has been said elsewhere, if you chose not to decide you still have made a choice.
“Voter ID Objections Miss the Real Need” in PA
True the Vote Summits – Ohio and Colorado
True the Vote is holding citizen activist summits the next two weekends. This Saturday it is in Colorado. Next weekend it is in Ohio. I will be appearing this weekend in Denver with John Fund and Secretary of State Gessler. Next weekend in Ohio, former Secretary of State Ken Blackwell will be appearing along with Judicial Watch’s Tom Fitton. American Spectator has more details on the summits.
As I say in all my speeches around the country – if you are at home on election day, you aren’t doing your job. True the Vote will deploying tens of thousands of trained poll watchers in the largest election monitoring program in the country. Find out how you can help bring integrity to American elections and sign up to help here.