$2.6 million expenditure for increased days, hours and sites for Maryland early voting results in dismal stagnant voter turnout of 2.1%

The Baltimore Sun reports on the increased number of early voting sites, days and hours of early voting that has not increased voter turnout. The evidence shows participation has been dismal and actually gone down. No discussion of cost with the article, but this 2012 analysis shows the additional cost for early voting pegged at $2.6 million.
According to Maryland Board of Elections statistics, just 2 percent of Harford’s eligible voters participated in the first five days of early voting from Thursday through Monday, despite more sites, more days and longer hours to vote in Harford this year.  The turnout has been equally dismal throughout the state, with roughly 2.1 percent of all Maryland voters casting a ballot, according to the state elections board.

…It’s been pretty slow,” she said about all four voting sites. “It’s also the primary, it’s the first time it’s been in June; people are going to be on vacation.”  The early voting sites in Harford drew 950 people on the first day Thursday, 850 on Friday, 377 on Saturday, 199 on Sunday and 818 on the Monday, according to the state’s unofficial turnout results. The McFaul Activity Center in Bel Air had the largest turnout, drawing 1,599 of the voters. Jarrettsville library was second-most popular with 588 voters and Edgewood library came in third with 582. The University Center in Aberdeen drew 425 people.  The turnout has been far lower so far than in the 2010 gubernatorial election when early voting was offered at one site, Livingston said.

Bumbling or Bundling Hypocrisy: “Senate Democrats Snag Campaign Cash From Lobbyist-Bundlers”

Well-heeled federal lobbyists are quietly helping embattled Democrats raise serious campaign cash ahead of November’s midterm elections, according to a Center for Public Integrity review of federal records.  During the 15-month period between January 2013 and March 2014, Democratic candidates and groups easily raised more money from lobbyist-bundlers than Republicans did—about $3.7 million versus $2.5 million.

No other political candidate or group received more money from lobbyist-bundlers than the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which raised nearly $2.6 million from them despite regularly criticizing lobbyists and Republicans who associate with them.
Link to the Daily Beast

Chairman Patrick Leahy orders Senate hearing on partisan written VRAA

Senator Leahy waits until the VRAA is dead in the House of Representatives and then orders a hearing on the VRAA in the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 25.  One year from the date, the Supreme Court found the coverage formula under Section 4 unconstitutional.  Why would the Democrats expect any bipartisan cooperation in playing partisan political games with voting and race issues.   

Link to press release.

GOP turns over evidence of voter fraud in Alabama primary



Was it the signs, the hotline, or the $1,000 reward that encouraged Alabama primary voters in both parties to say something if they saw something and report suspected voter fraud:


 


Bill Armistead, the chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, said the GOP’s efforts to gather information on voter fraud paid off…


 


The allegations include: voters receiving primary ballots in the mail without request; voters asked to vote absentee but who were only given the Democratic option; a candidate helping voters fill out ballots; and a voter finding out, in person, that her ballot had already been cast as an absentee ballot.


Armistead said reports and complaints came from both Republicans and Democrats.


 


The Alabama Secretary of State’s office told FOX6 News they also received reports of suspected voter fraud.


Orlando Sentinel calls protection of Corrine Brown’s majority minority seat a “broken promise” to Florida citizens

The Orlando Sentinel takes a cheap shot at Florida Republicans by focusing their ire on their attempt to protect a majority minority seat protected by the Voting Rights Act.  If the Republicans have broken up the seat, the redistricting plan would have likely drawn an objection and expensive lawsuit under the Voting Rights Act and been condemned by the same Orlando Sentinel editorial board.  The Orlando Sentinel doesn’t want to explain the complexities of federal civil rights laws to it’s readers; they simply want to make boogeymen out of the Republican legislative leaders.    

We wanted to believe that leaders of the Florida Legislature would respect the will of state voters after they passed the Fair Districts amendments to the state constitution in 2010. Now, we have serious doubts.  Voters approved the two amendments to put an end to legislators’ long-standing practice of drawing irregular districts with partisan politics in mind to ensure “safe seats” for Democrats and Republicans. The point was to stop political mapmakers from carving up cities and counties, based on the voting habits of residents, to let politicians choose their voters, instead of the other way around.

But in the first round of redistricting that followed passage of the amendments, legislators in 2012 ended up approving maps that perpetuated gerrymandered districts, such as one for U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, a Jacksonville Democrat, that snakes through eight counties. Brown’s district concentrates Democratic voters within its boundaries, keeping her seat safe, and making it easier to elect Republicans in the surrounding districts.

….Regardless, it’s clear that legislative leaders didn’t honor their promises to operate openly and aboveboard when redrawing the state’s political maps. Voters have good reason to feel cheated — and to be mad as hell.
If this nonsense is what the redistricting trial comes down to in Florida, the state court should throw out the case. The majority minority seat of African-American incumbent Corrine Brown was absolutely protected under different sections of the Voting Rights Act.  Unfortunately, the Orlando Sentinel shows their ignorance and partisan bias by repeating Democratic Party talking points. Florida Republicans did not insert politics into redistricting when protecting one of few minority districts in the state; they were simply following federal law.