Follow-up to Breitbart News’ major national story on Battleground Texas, an ACORN-like organization supporting Democrat Wendy Davis for governor, whose operatives appear to violate Texas law by registering voters on behalf of the state, but then illegally copying voters’ telephone numbers into their private database for partisan use later.

Now Democrats are responding with a defense so lame that it seems more likely than ever that in fact crimes are being committing by these Democratic operatives…

It began with a story in the Texas Tribune, in which Battleground Texas characterizes its actions as “patriotically working” to advance democracy. That story also quotes a Democratic election lawyer, Buck Wood, who tries to provide a legal defense. In the story, Wood says the plain language of the statute makes it clear that these volunteer deputy registrars (VDRs) are not considered county officials, and that the statute doesn’t address what these volunteers can do with such information.

Correction: The Texas Tribune story did quote Buck Wood, but it’s since been “updated throughout” to remove all of Wood’s comments and replace them with statements from “Battleground spokesman Ellis Brachman,” who also claims Battleground Texas operatives did not break the law when they copied voters’ phone numbers off registration applications – data-mining activity they have never denied.

The Breitbart follow-up details point-by-point a recent Fifth Circuit ruling that refutes the Democrats’ “lame” defense, concluding:

Contrary to Wood’s assertions, VDRs are regarded as county government officials, and the same criminal laws apply regarding copying or disclosing confidential information. The law does not allow a VDR to copy a phone number into a private database for political purposes.

Also contrary to Wood’s analysis, the relevant provision of Texas Election Code § 13.004 is not merely to keep the government from releasing private information such as a phone number to the general public… The only reason for the specific prohibition on copying phone numbers is to prevent the VDR from retaining that information, for any purpose whatsoever.

Republican Attorney General and gubernatorial favorite Greg Abbott, whose Democrat opponent’s campaign has received millions from Battleground Texas, recused himself and referred the case to Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed.

This isn’t a racist plot by southern white male legislators or the Ku Klux Klan version 2.014. It’s common sense.

Judge Greer’s opinion upholding Tennessee’s voter ID law was all about common sense.

No plaintiff has ever successfully challenged a voter ID law in federal court. All of the cases have been characterized by the same comic flaw: the person who can’t obtain a photo ID cannot be found.  The elusive snow leopard is easier to find than someone who can’t get a photo ID.

The recurring void was no different in the Tennessee case. From Judge Greer’s opinion:

“Defendants argue that plaintiff’s complaint does not identify a single injured person [or] allege that one injured person is a member of the Green Party.”

The case is a warning to the plaintiffs challenging Texas and North Carolina Voter ID. Bluster, sound bites and talking points only go so far. The country isn’t under the boot of structural racism perpetrated by conniving Republicans in North Carolina and Texas (and Democrats in Rhode Island).”

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald, who also is the elected Cuyahoga County executive, said he has asked his county law director to review the two new laws for possible legal action. 

What has Ohio Democrats so “livid”?  Claims that common-sense reforms are “outrageous and unnecessary and totally motivated by a desire to make it tougher to vote” sound like out-of-touch campaign rhetoric compared to reality:

Under Senate Bill 238, the number of days for Ohioans to vote shrinks from 35 to 29; Republicans say Ohio still will be among the nation’s leaders in number of early-voting days.  

The bipartisan Ohio Association of Election Officials has said that allowing people to register and vote on the same day makes it difficult to properly validate those voters.

The average early voting period across the 31 states that offer early voting is 19 days.  Only 10 states and the District of Columbia currently allow same-day registration.