The widely read and influential World: Other aspects of the law eliminate straight-party voting and nullify provisional ballots made in the wrong precinct. The law also ends a program for pre-registering high schooler students in civics classes. While 70 percent of North Carolinians support requiring voters to have photo identification, more than half the state is not pleased with many of the law’s other changes. But to accuse the legislature of being racist is something else entirely. Affecting and excluding are two separate things, not to mention excluding by color, not party, on purpose. North Carolinians still have 11 days to vote, getting a photo identification card remains free, and finding the right polling place can be easier than finding out what a candidate stands for.”
“Because of the statute the taxpayer-funded lawsuit is built on, Holder has a difficult task. He must prove racist intent, not just discriminatory effect. That’s what makes the accusation Holder made “with sorrow” so grave.
World is right. Of all the disgraceful behavior by the Justice Department Voting Section, the lawsuit in North Carolina was perhaps the most disgraceful. The lawsuit alleges absurdities, and seems designed more to appease a rabid political base than to actual present meritorious arguments. It is a great example of the use of power for political and ideological ends.
“Group wants some election law petitions tossed”
Felons signing petitions in AZ: “A group supporting a sweeping new Republican-backed election law wants the Secretary of State’s office to invalidate some petitions demanding a voter referendum. Wednesday’s letter from lawyers for a group calling itself Stop Voter Fraud demanded that Secretary of State Ken Bennett throw out signatures on petitions collected by four circulators because they’re allegedly felons. Bennett spokesman Matt Roberts said the Secretary of State by law can’t toss the petitions.”
Why would a group waste the time of the Secretary of State to do something he cannot do?
“Sen. Grothman Goes After Nursing Home Voter Fraud”
“Mass Mailing of Registration Cards Could Lead to Fraud”
St. Louis Post Dispatch.
Nebraska anti-fraud initiative: “Integrity of voter registration goal of Gale”
A local story out of Nebraska discusses the voter integrity initiative of Secretary of State Gale.
Gale said his office is participating in a voter integrity project to prevent possible fraud. He said they are looking to identify categories of voters where the risk of fraud is higher. The goal is to enhance the authenticity of each voter registration. He said there are about 16,000 voters who have registered on their honor due to no license or Social Security number (SS#). He said their goal is to upgrade those registrations. If the voter
still does not have valid driver’s license or SS#, then other means need
to be used to verify the registration. Another tool used to clean
up voter registration lists is the National Death database. By using
just the last four digits of a person’s SS#, he said they can
cross-reference their list to eliminate people who have died. Gale
said Nebraska’s not overly susceptible to fraud but raising the bar on
authenticity will reduce that possibility even further.
Post Election Dissection of Detroit Election Fraud: “Ballot box tampering affects all who live in a democracy”
A column discussing fraud in the recent election held in Detroit.
The question of fraud is not just about missing ballots, or too many
votes in a ballot box, or questions about absentee votes, or the
similarity of signatures on the ballots, it is also about the American
people’s resolve to stop being manipulated by organized crime. This is
not a political matter. It is a criminal matter and to that effect, I am
willing to put my political, professional and personal reputation on
the line with this issue.
“Protecting the First Amendment from the IRS”
An abstract from a Heritage Legal Memorandum authored by Hans A. von Spakovsky:
The targeting of conservative citizen organizations by the Internal
Revenue Service should concern every American. As one of the most
powerful federal agencies, the IRS can devastate associations of
like-minded individuals, such as nonprofit Tea Party groups, that form a
fundamental part of America’s political culture. Citizens use these
groups not only to assert their views and opinions under the protection
of the First Amendment, but also to advance the social welfare of the
country. Government employees who willfully violate the tax code to
retaliate against First Amendment–protected expression and activity
should lose their jobs—at the very least—and federal law governing tax
applications and returns should be strengthened by making IRS auditors
personally liable for First Amendment–type violations and clarifying and
simplifying the rules governing exemptions.
George Will: “Supreme Court can rescue another freedom in a campaign cash case”
The introduction by George Will to the McCutcheon case say it all:
The Supreme Court must feel as though it is plowing an ocean as it
repeatedly reminds Congress that the anodyne label “campaign finance
reform” can encompass a multitude of sins. Come Tuesday, the court will have another occasion to consider that not all regulations of the indispensable means of disseminating political speech — money — are constitutional just because they are presented as means of preventing corruption or its “appearance.”
By siding with Shaun McCutcheon,
a conservative Alabama entrepreneur, the court can continue rescuing
the freedoms of political speech and association from abridgements
written by, and for, the political class. More at the link.
Why is it that freedom always stirs the reform movement to fits?
NC Governor: “Attorney General Cooper compromised his ability to represent North Carolina by making himself a witness against the State”
Gov. Pat McCrory says Attorney General Roy Cooper could wind up a
witness against the state of North Carolina in a lawsuit the US
Department of Justice filed against the state’s new voter ID law. Political statements by an attorney general or by any lawyer can
have a detriment(al) impact on their ability to defend our state,”
McCrory said. Link to full story
DOJ Seeks to Stay TX Voter ID Case
The Justice Department is seeking a stay in the Texas voter ID case, claiming the government shutdown warrants a stay in the case. Of course the motion for a stay could be filed in the shutdown. Justice could also file a voluntary dismissal of the case if the DOJ is unable to pursue the matter.