August 22, 2013
Voter Suppression: The Hidden Nuance Of Republican Voter ID Efforts
That might be the last time you see me write “nuance” and “Republican” in the same sentence.
• • •
November 5, 2012
Voter Suppression Also Comes In The Form Of Long Lines
Since the 2010 midterm election, Republicans have deployed any and all tactics to suppress the vote for the 2012 election. Voter ID laws have gotten the front page coverage, but voter suppression also comes in the form of voter intimidation, voter registration purges and as we’ve seen this past week, long lines at the polls. Both Ohio and Florida, two critical swing states, have seen incredibly long lines during early voting with reports of some people in Florida waiting up to 7 hours to vote. This is not how democracy is supposed to work. It’s an outrage.
• • •
October 2, 2012
Judge Orders A Halt To Pennsylvania Voter ID Enforcement Before Election
Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson ruled Tuesday that Pennsylvania cannot enforce it’s voter ID law before the election. The ruling can be appealed to the state Supreme Court but that appears to be unlikely since it was the highest court in PA that sent the law back to the lower court with instructions to do what it has now done. This is a big win for voting rights in Pennsylvania and the country. However, the law still exists and could be enforced at a later date. So there is still work to be done.
• • •
September 18, 2012
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Sends Voter ID Law Back To Lower Court
I can’t help but think the Pennsylvania Supreme Court wanted to take the easy road on this ruling when they decided to send the Voter ID case back to a lower court for reconsideration. That means the law is still in effect but is pending yet another court review. The lower court has until October 2nd to issue a ruling.
• • •
September 13, 2012
Voter ID: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court Heard Arguments Today
Today the Pennsylvania Supreme Court heard arguments over the state’s strict — I mean, discriminatory — voter ID law. The case is on appeal from a lower court ruling. Unless overturned by the PA Supreme Court, the voter ID law is set to be enforced this election day, November 6th, potentially disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of PA voters.
• • •
September 4, 2012
Know Your Voting Rights: Election Day is Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Voting rights are under attack in America by a Republican Party that sees its odds of winning future elections hinge on the ability to suppress the minority vote. The country is growing increasingly diverse and by 2050 whites will no longer be in the majority. The Republican Party is going in the opposite direction. The party of Abraham Lincoln is now nearly unrecognizable. While the Republican Party should be able to recruit minorities with a conservative message, that message is overshadowed by a party that is hostile towards immigrants and people who they view as “different” or “foreign.” Just ask President Obama.
• • •
August 30, 2012
Texas Voter ID Law Blocked By Federal Appeals Court
Finally some good news on the effort to stop Republican voter suppression. Today a federal court of appeals blocked the Texas voter ID law saying it would disenfranchise the poor. Texas cannot implement their discriminatory voter ID law unless today’s ruling is overturned by the Supreme Court. While Texas is not a swing state and is a lock for Mitt Romney in November, this is still a nice victory for everyone who believes in a fair election system.
• • •
July 24, 2012
Pennsylvania voter ID defendants admit they have no evidence of voter fraud
At the same time that the Department of Justice is investigating Pennsylvania’s voter ID law, defendants of the law are publicly saying they have no evidence of in-person voter fraud. They admit they have no reports of fraud and no proof that a voter ID would make fraud less likely to occur (if attempted).
• • •
May 8, 2012
Pennsylvania Sued By 93-Year-Old Woman Over Discriminatory Voter ID Law
Yes, Pennsylvania’a new voter ID law (and similar laws in other states) is in fact discriminatory. I don’t care about rationalizations, because the Republican lawmakers responsible for these laws know exactly what they are doing. Their rationalizations might have convinced Republican voters that voter fraud is a serious problem, but for the rest of us these laws are a big steaming pile of horseshit.
• • •