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Minority Florida Congresswoman criticizes redistricting challenge brought by voting rights groups

SaintPetersburgBlog reports that Rep. Corrine Brown rips into the redistricting trial where her seat has been
the subject of scorn by a coalition of national voting groups suing Florida for what else – redistricting.  Why?  Well, the League of Women Voters and other voting groups are not exactly
looking out for the interest of minority candidates in Florida; instead it is more focused on Democratic Party gains – at any cost..  This trial reveals there is still a difference and it is
rubbing minority candidates and local NAACP chapters the wrong way.

As Democratic U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown’s Congressional district remains effectively on trial, she took the time Monday to rip
into the legal challenge brought by a coalition of voting-rights groups against the state’s redistricting effort.


…On the stand Monday were witnesses called by the local NAACP chapter, who said the district was vital to ensuring black Floridians are represented in Congress. They resisted the suggestion
that lowering the percentage of black voters would not hurt African Americans’ ability to elect a preferred candidate.

Former Florida NAACP executive director Beverly Neal alluded to the fact that white Democratic U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson represents the district drawn in 2012, where only two years earlier
Latinos comprised nearly 41.4 percent of the vote.

“That was supposed to have been a Hispanic district,” Neal said, “and it’s not.”

…

Democrat Pleads Guilty to Voter Intimidation of Republicans

The plea agreement is here. A Seattle man pleads guilty to trying to
intimidate Republicans via the US mail. One wonders if this case was in some small measure about making a point about Florida’s citizenship verification laws. The perp certainly was trying to
make that point.

It’s also worth noting that the facts of the plea don’t seem to rise to the level of a Section 11 violation discussed in the US v. Brown case in the SDMS. That was a civil case with a lower standard
of proof. The defendant made statements inferring that if certain voters tried to vote they would be subject to denial, at a minimum, and perhaps more.

The response is that that was the S.D.M.S. and this criminal plea was elsewhere. …

Popper: “The Political Fraud About Voter Fraud”

“If the available evidence suggests that the amount of voter fraud is understated, the evidence that voter-ID laws suppress voting is nonexistent.
In elections held after new voter-ID laws were enacted in Georgia and Tennessee, for instance, minority turnout either was stable or increased. In Tennessee, the turnout among Hispanics of
voting age rose to 34.7% in 2012 from 19.2% in 2008, according to surveys by the U.S. Census Bureau, even though a strict new photo ID law was in effect in 2012.”

“When it comes to the subject of voter suppression, it is revealing that Mr. Obama avoided statistics earlier this month and relied entirely on conditional verbs: voters “could be turned away from
the polls . . . may suddenly be told they can no longer vote . . . may learn that without a document like a passport or a birth certificate, they can’t register.”

Wall Street Journal "http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303380004579521603120225572?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303380004579521603120225572.html"
target="">today. …

Former Senior DOJ official on Obama speech: “Obama’s statistics and arguments are bogus”

Writing  "http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303380004579521603120225572?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303380004579521603120225572.html"
target="" class="">in the Wall Street Journal, Robert Popper, former DOJ senior attorney deconstructs Obama’s bogus statistics and arguments in his latest speech with an article entitled
“Political Fraud About Voter Fraud. – The president’s selective statistics are red meat to supporters, but still bogus.”  Journalists are not paying attention or reporting on basic
information.  The President is playing loose and fast with the facts while engaging in such an discussion on race.


Mr. Obama also cited an “analysis” showing that only 40 voters “were indicted for fraud” from 2002 to 2005. That number is drawn from an Aug. 2, 2005, Justice Department news release—which
describes the department’s “Ballot Access and Voting Integrity” initiative—and from a related list of federal cases. The release mentioned 120 pending election-fraud investigations, 89 prosecutions
and 52 convictions.

It is preposterous to cite that news release as proof that voter fraud is rare. The release contains no information concerning prosecutions in any of the 50 state court systems for violations
of state voting laws, even though these are far more common than prosecutions for violations of federal voting laws. Even as a list of federal offenses, the news release is inadequate. Justice did
not claim to have compiled all convictions, prosecutions or investigations—let alone all known or unsolved cases—involving federal voter fraud. The release was only a list of legal actions relating
to what was then a three-year-old initiative.
…When it comes to the subject of voter suppression, it is revealing that Mr. Obama avoided statistics earlier this month and relied entirely on conditional verbs: voters “could be turned
away from the polls . . . may suddenly be told they can no longer vote . . . may learn that without a document like a passport or a birth certificate, they can’t register.”

The president’s speech may have been red meat for his base and good for fundraising. But it failed to engage the serious issues relating to election …

Voter fraud risk keeps Maryland Board of Elections from certifying online ballot-marking system

“Sanity prevailed”

The Baltimore Sun reports
on the Board’s decision:

[T]he State Board of Elections refused to move forward with part of the plan amid fears it would open the door to widespread fraud…

 

“Sanity prevailed,” said Michael Greenberger, a University of Maryland law professor and founder of its Center for Health and Homeland
Security. “If this system had been adopted, Maryland would have had a voting system that was the most subject to fraud in the country.”

Board members were
reportedly “troubled by an IT security assessment conducted for the state by a firm that has never performed Internet security tests on election systems” and “didn’t
study voter fraud risks at the front end of the voting system where ballots are requested online.”

…

VA Governor McAuliffe makes it easier for violent felons to regain their voting rights

Gov. Terry McAuliffe is making it easier for felons to regain their voting rights.
    

McAuliffe announced Friday that he is reducing the waiting period for violent felons to apply for reinstatement from five years to three years. He is also removing drug offenses from the list
of violent crimes that are subject to the waiting period.

Link. …

Reform zealots and IRS scandal weaken campaign contribution disclosure argument

Charles Krauthammer
shows how reform community zealots and the IRS targeting of political opponents have weakened any good government argument for the full disclosure of political contributions.
In his lone dissent to the disclosure requirement in Citizens United, Justice Clarence Thomas argued that American citizens should not be subject “to death threats, ruined careers, damaged or
defaced property, or pre-emptive and threatening warning letters as the price for engaging in core political speech, the primary object of First Amendment protection.” (Internal quote marks
omitted.)

In fact, wariness of full disclosure goes back to 1958 when the Supreme Court ruled that the NAACP did not have to release its membership list to the state, understanding that such disclosure
would surely subject its members to persecution. “This court has recognized the vital relationship between freedom to associate and privacy in one’s associations . . . particularly where a group
espouses dissident beliefs.”

A different era, a different set of dissidents. But the naming of names, the listing of lists, goes on. The enforcers are at it again, this time armed with sortable Internet donor
lists.

The ultimate victim here is full disclosure itself. If revealing your views opens you to the politics of personal destruction, then transparency, however valuable, must give way to the
ultimate core political good, free expression.

…

“More Recriminations Over Dropping of Bribery Prosecution in Pennsylvania”

Hans von Spakovsky has the story.

“On Kane’s allegations of racism, Williams, a black Democrat, wrote: “I am offended. I have seen racism. I know what it looks like. This isn’t it.” Williams, a highly accomplished and respected
attorney, served as the President of the Black Caucus while at Penn State University and has been devoted his entire life to serving his Philadelphia community. The investigation’s lead agent, Claude
Thomas, who is also African American, criticized Kane as well: “The assertion that I/we targeted African Americans is unequivocally and blatantly false. I did not target any persons by race,
ethnicity or political affiliation.”
…
Another disturbing development in this spectacle is that Attorney General Kane "http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Kane-Hires-Attorney-Over-Possible-Defamation-by-Inquirer-251320591.html" originalpath=
"http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Kane-Hires-Attorney-Over-Possible-Defamation-by-Inquirer-251320591.html" originalattribute="href">hired an attorney
[4] last week to pursue defamation charges against The Philadelphia Inquirer. Her attorney, Dick Sprague, said that Kane plans on “suing whoever was responsible for the malicious words.”
As Pennsylvania’s Attorney General, Kane should understand the protections afforded to the media under the First Amendment and the scrutiny to which any public official is—and ought to be—subjected.
Kane’s attempt to squelch any criticism of her performance in office with litigation threats raises serious doubts about whether she has the proper disposition to hold any public position of
trust.

Members of both political parties in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives have "http://articles.philly.com/2014-03-21/news/48406984_1_ethics-inquiry-ethics-committee-house-speaker-sam-smith" originalpath=
"http://articles.philly.com/2014-03-21/news/48406984_1_ethics-inquiry-ethics-committee-house-speaker-sam-smith" originalattribute="href">expressed support
[5] for a bipartisan ethics investigation into the actions of the Democratic legislators accused of taking bribes. Such an investigation, however, should not serve as a substitute for
criminal prosecution by the Attorney General. She has an absolute duty to enforce the law. If she can’t uphold that obligation, she should not be the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania.

 

…

No Justice Department Charges for Woman Who Voted Six Times for Obama

  target="">Breitbart has the story.

“Last week Al Sharpton embraced convicted vote fraudster Melowese Richardson at a “voting rights” rally in Cincinnati. The United States Department of Justice under Eric Holder has done nothing to
Melowese Richardson 410 days after she admitted on camera that she committed multiple federal felonies by voting six times for President Obama’s reelection.

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"http://images.quickblogcast.com/2/4/3/2/5/261625-252342/MeloweseandAlHug.png?a=59" width="425" height="319">

Federal law makes it a felony to vote more than once for President. In fact, 42 U.S.C. Section 1973i(e) subjects Richardson to twenty-five years in federal prison for her six votes for Obama.

The lack of DOJ action against an unrepentant federal vote fraudster combined with Richardson’s lionization by Sharpton and the organization that sponsored the rally demonstrates how the Justice
Department is facilitating a culture of brazen criminality on the eve of the 2014 midterm elections. The failure to indict Richardson is the latest example of Holder’s department excusing lawlessness
in federal elections and abandoning law abiding Americans. . . .

Federal charges against Richardson easily satisfy DOJ guidelines. There is a unique federal interest in ensuring voter fraud does not taint the election of the President and Congress. Second, the
federal interest in having valid elections for President and Congress remains unvindicated; Richardson walks free and is now being cheered at rallies. Last, Richardson admitted on camera that she
committed multiple federal felonies and her handwriting matched the ballot applications that were sent to her house. Game, set, match. . . .

Federal charges against Richardson for voting for Obama six times can be initiated by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Springer, who serves as the District Election Officer (DEO) in
Cincinnati. U.S. Attorney Carter Stewart could also initiate charges, as could the Public Integrity Section in Washington D.C., or even Eric Holder himself. ”

…

“Blatant case of voter fraud” to be investigated in Lee County, Florida


“Sharon Harrington, Lee County Supervisor of Elections, has asked the Lee County State Attorney’s Office
to investigate a
possible case of voter fraud in Lee County.”

 

Two voters “admitted in their depositions, through sworn statements, and on the witness stand, that they voted in elections in which they
were no longer eligible to vote,” voting in Lee County and Cape Coral municipal elections “while residing in Charlotte County for the last six years.”

 

Harrington noted, “I had the obligation, as the Supervisor of Elections, to take the necessary steps to report what I believed to be a
blatant case of voter fraud… In accordance with Florida Law, it is a voter’s responsibility to keep his or her voter records up-to-date and current.”

 

Incidentally, Lee is one of two counties that were the subject of a "http://www.nbc-2.com/story/16662854/2012/02/02/nbc2-investigates-voter-fraud">2012 NBC2 investigation that uncovered non-citizens registering and
voting in Florida.

 

…