Providence Journal: “liberals, Democrats stunned by passage of voter ID.”

The State.  “The S.C. Progressive Network, the Legislative Black Caucus and other groups are launching an effort to stop the implementation of the new law, which must first gain approval from the U.S. Justice Department.”

AP  reports that Democratic drawing of the lines won’t elect any more Democrats.

“Democrats historically have held most of the congressional seats, but the GOP gained a majority of the seats for the first time in 2010, with Rick Crawford winning in the 1st District, Tim Griffin winning in the 2nd District and Steve Womack winning in the 3rd District.

Even though three of the four congressional seats are held by Republicans, Democrats control the state Legislature and thus led the development of the new district boundaries.

Barth said Democrats couldn’t use the majority control to create more Democrat-friendly districts because they needed to try and protect the only current Arkansas Democrat in the U.S. House, Mike Ross of the 4th District. Also, Barth said, the committees considering the legislation that set the district boundaries were almost evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans”

The Tennessean reports that in proposed plans, “Rutherford and Williamson counties are expected to gain seats, and district lines could be scrambled in Davidson County under redistricting plans being considered by the state legislature’s Republican majority.

Explosive growth in Nashville’s suburbs should mean the addition of at least two more state House seats in areas of Middle Tennessee dominated by Republicans. At the same time, population shifts in Davidson County also may strengthen Republicans’ hand in the Democratic county.

The 10-year redistricting effort under way offers Republicans a chance to firm up their hold on the state legislature and Tennessee’s congressional delegation. But Republicans also run the risk of overreaching or triggering legal disputes as they take control of redistricting.”

Gaston County, North Carolina.

The Oklahoman.

“Then, and now, critics claimed requiring citizens to present ID at the polls would discourage people from voting. However, the facts show just the opposite is true. A study released in 2009 tracking changes in voter participation showed states with voter ID laws had higher turnout compared with those that didn’t require identification. Clearly these laws did not have the chilling effect on voters that opponents had predicted.”

 Daily Caller:  “The mishandling of the operation is a part of a ‘trend’ he sees forming at the DOJ. West said the way Holder has handled Operation Fast and Furious is reminiscent of how he handled the New Black Panther Party voter intimidation scandal.

The Augusta Chronicle in Georgia states that the Voting Rights Act has had unintended consequences in that the landmak law seems to hurt those it was supposed to help.   

“The federal Voting Rights Act that was designed in the civil rights era to safeguard black electoral efficacy actually has the opposite effect now that it’s been fully exploited by both parties in the South.”

…. “Since blacks so reliably vote Democratic, where they were put on the district maps became the most visible tool in the partisan battle. When Democrats run the redistricting, they tend to distribute black voters across as many districts as the law allows so they’ll help keep Democratic lawmakers in the statehouse majority.  Democrats ran every Southern state when Congress passed the law in 1965, so it served kept them from spreading the blacks so thin that they would never elect black representatives. Those black legislators, in subsequent redistricting sessions, wanted to maximize the blacks in their districts to ensure re-election. Ironically, that aligned their interests with conservative Republicans who wanted as few blacks in their districts to improve their own re-election chance.”

The Chronicle seems confused in believing the Voting Rights Act was designed to perpetuate the power of the Democratic Party and not to empower Black Americans.  

MySanAntonio points out some potential train wrecks awaiting overseas military voters.  Is anyone listening?  excerpts from the article:

“The MOVE Act mandates ballots must be sent to voters in the military 45 days before an election.

It will be interesting to see how this all pans out during the 2012 presidential election. The National Democratic Convention
does not conclude until Thursday, Sept. 6. That is the date when the
Democratic vice-presidential candidate is officially announced.

…..It looks like a train wreck waiting to happen.”

AP:  Arizona’s redistricting commission is already embroiled in partisan controversy even before it starts the politically sensitive job of drawing new congressional and legislative districts for use in elections in the coming decade.

Republicans say key staff choices, including a Democratic-leaning consulting firm whose president did work for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign as mapping consultants, are suspect.

And the commission’s chairman, registered independent Colleen Mathis, is under fire from conservatives. That’s because she sided with the panel’s two Democratic members in outvoting the two Republicans in making the controversial staff choices and because she didn’t disclose that her husband did some 2010 campaign work for a Democratic legislative candidate.

Arizona created its commission system in 2000 when voters approved an initiative measure taking redistricting out of the hands of self-interested legislators