Voter ID Laws

The Voter ID Subsection 5 Ways Obama Is A Dictator.  Obama's Department of Justice has actively prevented South Carolina, Arizona, Texas, and other states from implementing voter ID laws designed to prevent the widespread incidents of fraud so instrumental to the success of the Democrat Party in elections for the past 50 years.  The Department has filed suit in federal court to prevent implementation of those state laws in spite of a 2008 Supreme Court ruling which found Constitutional an Indiana voter ID law whose various requirements were mirrored in the Texas and Arizona legislation. If You're Too Incompetent or Lazy to Get ID, We're Better Off If You Don't Vote.  Liberals have dug up some 93-year-old codger in Pennsylvania who's too lazy or incompetent to get ID so she can vote and they're demanding we leave the election in that state wide open to fraud in order to cater to her. DOJ Defends Employee Comment that Mississippi Is 'Disgusting and Shameful'.  The United States Department of Justice has defended comments by an employee who called Mississippi "disgusting and shameful."  This same employee reviews photo voter identification laws throughout the south for approval from her position in the DOJ Voting Section.  PJ Media first reported on comments made by Voting Section employee Stephanie Gyamfi toward the citizens of Mississippi. The Holder Justice Department: 'Disgusting and Shameful' Indeed.  Why have Texas, South Carolina, and other states that have passed common-sense voter-ID laws run into such dogged opposition from the Justice Department?  One huge factor is the radical ideology and bias of the staff who work in the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division, as revealed in a new report from Christian Adams, a former Voting Section lawyer. Voters show off their IDs, or don't.  Defiantly, begrudgingly or compliantly, Pennsylvania voters took the test run of the state's new voter ID requirement in stride Tuesday [4/24/2012], generally producing photo identification as requested but occasionally registering protests.  Whether they offered identification or not, registered voters who showed up at their old polling places were ushered to voting machines and permitted to start punching buttons — an option they'll be denied in November's general election unless they can show election officials a Pennsylvania driver's license or other specified ID. Holder's corrupt opposition to voter ID laws.  Can anyone think of an innocuous reason that President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder oppose state voter ID laws?  Republicans have been pushing for state voter ID laws throughout the nation as an effort to enhance fair and lawful elections and prevent voter fraud.  These laws are simple and transparent; they would require voters to present a government-issued form of identification as a condition of voting.  Predictably, Democrats — led by Obama and Holder — claim that the move is a GOP ruse to suppress minority voting. Court: Voter ID constitutional.  The 9th U.S. Circuit Court upheld the right to vote without it being canceled by an illegal vote.  The court upheld as constitutional the requirement by Arizona that voters show a photo ID to vote, just as they do to purchase booze, to purchase cigarettes, to board an airplane or to do hundreds of other perfectly legal things.  The idea that requiring a photo ID is racist is a straw man since smoking is higher among minorities.  How are they getting their smokes if they don't have a photo ID? Ninth Circuit Largely Upholds Arizona Voter ID Law.  While the Obama Justice Department continues to pretend that voter ID is racially discriminatory and a violation of voting rights, courts keep on ruling against them.  Today [4/17/2012], the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals — an incredibly liberal appeals court — ruled that Arizona's voter ID law was largely constitutional.  Opponents of the law had argued that the fee to obtain an ID amounted to an impermissible "poll tax"; the Court thought otherwise. Project Veritas Proves How Easy Voter Fraud Is Without ID.  There are a lot of liberals who think, probably correctly, that the Democratic Party benefits from voter fraud.  They figure it pads their totals across the country on election day by tens of thousands of votes and probably swings a handful of close races their way.  Undoubtedly, they're right about that.  So, in an effort to keep legitimate votes from being cancelled out by fraud, Republicans have started making a concerted push to put voter ID laws in place. Wisconsin Supreme Court refuses to take up voter ID appeals.  The Wisconsin Supreme Court today [4/16/2012] refused to take up two appeals of rulings blocking a new state law requiring voters to present photo identification at the polls. Why the Left Doesn't Care About Voter Fraud.  [Scroll down]  There are two forms of photo-issued ID in Texas: driver's licenses and simple identification cards.  Both are available through simple applications.  Voters must register to vote.  Why shouldn't they also have to register to receive an ID beforehand?  And it isn't expensive to get an ID, either.  An original driver's license in Texas costs $16; a six-year extension costs $25.  A photo ID costs $6. GOP lawyers' group chief: 'Desperate' Holder distorted our study to fit anti-voter ID agenda.  Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA) Chairman David Norcross told The Daily Caller that a "desperate" Attorney General Eric Holder distorted a study his group conducted about voter fraud to fit President Barack Obama's anti-voter identification agenda. [...] Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA) Chairman David Norcross told The Daily Caller that a "desperate" Attorney General Eric Holder distorted a study his group conducted about voter fraud to fit President Barack Obama's anti-voter identification agenda. Justice Dept.: S.C. voter ID law violates Voting Rights Act.  South Carolina's voter ID law violates the Voting Rights Act and discriminates against minorities despite the state's assertions to the contrary, the Obama administration says in new court papers. [...] Because of a history of minority-voter discrimination, South Carolina must get approval from the Justice Department or federal courts before changing election laws.  All or some counties in 15 other states require such prior approval. Why We Need Voter-ID Laws Now.  According to opinion polls, over 75 percent of Americans — including majorities of Hispanics and African-Americans — routinely support such laws.  One reason is that people know you can't function in the modern world without showing ID — you can't cash a check, travel by plane or even train, or rent a video without being asked for one.  In fact, PJ Media recently proved that you can't even enter the Justice Department in Washington without showing a photo ID.  Average voters understand that it's only common sense to require ID because of how easy it is for people to pretend they are someone else. Will the Left's Love of Foreign Law Extend to Voter ID?  At first glance, Eric Holder, the U.S. attorney general, is the star of James O'Keefe's latest sting, but listen a little closer for pop diva Rihanna in the background.  Why the artistic choice?  Both Holder and Rihanna have roots in Barbados, a far off Caribbean island nation once governed by the British empire where the two vacationed in 2011, and Barbados, like most countries, requires an I.D. to vote.  And while the central argument of Holder's Justice Department is that voter ID is suppressing black and minority turnout, that argument doesn't work in Barbados, where over 80% of the country is black.  The Barbadians take voting seriously. Voter ID Laws Are Wonderfully Just.  It's time to get to the root of all the consternation about states requiring photo IDs to vote:  The progressives, it seems to me, want to cheat.  They hope to have illegal aliens and other ineligible sorts hasten to the polls to help elect Democrats come November. Democrats boycott Coke, Walmart over voter ID laws.  Democratic officials Wednesday [4/4/2012] launched a two-pronged attack on states with new laws requiring identification before voting, the highlight being a call to boycott Coke, Walmart and others that back a leading organization pushing for voter ID laws.  Coke was quick to react to the political boycott threat, pulling support from the targeted group just five hours after it was called.  Walmart said that support for a group does not mean it backs every decision by those groups. Clyburn: Voter ID Laws Just Like Jim Crow.  U.S. House Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn said voter ID laws in South Carolina and elsewhere are reminiscent of post-Reconstruction Jim Crow laws.  Clyburn, D-S.C., and other voting rights advocates warn that laws requiring voters to present photo identification when they go to the polls could disenfranchise millions of Americans in the November elections. Voter-ID Laws Protect the Integrity of the Ballot Box.  Protecting the integrity of the ballot box is essential to our democracy.  Laws requiring voters to show identification at the polls are commonsense measures to prevent fraud and corruption, and ensure that each year's election returns accurately reflect the will of the people.  Yet President Barack Obama's administration and political allies are pursuing a dual-track approach to vilify such tools, in a crass political ploy to aid the president's reelection. Proof of life.  Republicans across the country are pushing for voter I.D. laws.  They want to limit the frequency and opportunities for voter fraud.  Democrats claim, reasonably perhaps, that Republicans are making a bigger deal out of voter fraud than the evidence supports.  Attorney General Eric Holder, who recently blocked Texas' voter I.D. reforms, calls the movement a "solution to a problem that doesn't exist."  Right or wrong, that's a claim worth investigating and debating.  But unfortunately, for whatever reason, that argument isn't working as a political tool.  So he and others ascribe racism to those who want to add voting to the long list of things that require a photo I.D. Is The New Photo ID Requirement For College Entrance Exams A Form Of Student Suppression?  The companies that administer two key college entrance exams have adopted new measures arguably designed to decrease participation in the tests — and, ultimately, enrollment in colleges in university — by minority and elderly students.  The two companies that administer the tests, the College Board and ACT Inc., which administer the SAT and ACT tests, have announced that students taking the tests will be required to present photo IDs. The Left's Internal Battle Against Voter ID.  In a soon to be released book, Professor Rick Hasen of Election Law Blog continues the left's war against voter ID.  What makes his effort different is Professor Hasen claims to be taking on both the right and the left.  While Professor Hasen gets some credit for admitting that the Brennan Center and others on the far left are wildly exaggerating their claims regarding voter ID, his book is still extremely one-sided.  The chapter available does not discuss any argument on the left, center, or right for voter ID. Screening out fake voters:  A perfectly sensible idea.  Everyone should have to show a photo ID before they are allowed to vote.  People already have to do so to board a plane.  And don't some banks ask for a photo ID before they will cash your check?  So what's wrong with the government also ensuring that you are who you say you are?  The only people complaining are those who are probably committing voter fraud.  Why else would they be upset? Voter ID law was Texas' choice.  On Monday [3/12/2012], the president's appointees in Justice Department blocked Texas's new Voter ID bill, which requires most people to show a photo identification card, such as a driver's license, when voting.  A vast majority of Texans want this bill and I look forward to fighting for its implementation. ... Despite Texans' enthusiastic support for this bill, the Obama administration has aligned itself with left wing fringe groups that oppose it. Voter-ID Insanity at DOJ Going to the United Nations.  The Far Left is making an unprecedented two-track move to derail states' efforts to protect the integrity of the ballot box for this November's elections.  While the Department of Justice (DOJ) is blocking state efforts, liberal activists are taking this issue to the United Nations as a human rights violation.  Attorney General Eric Holder is invoking Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) as giving him the power to block Texas' voter-ID law, which simply requires that voters show that they are who they say they are before they cast a vote to influence an election outcome.  This is the same argument Holder made to block South Carolina's voter-ID law, a move that has landed him in federal court. Pennsylvania lawmakers pass voter ID bill.  State lawmakers gave their final approval today [3/14/2012] to a measure requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls, sending the bill for Republican Gov. Tom Corbett's signature.  The bill was approved on a vote of 104-88 after three days of often-contentious debate. Gov. Corbett has said he supports the measure and intends to sign it immediately. NAACP Brings U.S. Election Law Before United Nations.  The United Nations Human Rights Council, comprised of human rights violators like Saudi Arabia, China, and Cuba, has turned its attention to American election laws.  Ironically, the council is investigating the impact of American election laws on minorities in the United States, even as some of the Council's member nations have only just recently permitted women the right to vote, and Saudi Arabia still bars women from voting completely.  Fox News reports, "Officials from the NAACP are presenting their case against U.S. voter ID laws, arguing to the international diplomats that the requirements disenfranchise voters and suppress the minority vote." UN rights council delves into US voter I.D. laws.  The United Nations Human Rights Council is investigating the issue of American election laws at its gathering on minority rights in Geneva, Switzerland.  This, despite the fact that some members of the council have only in the past several years allowed women to vote, and one member, Saudi Arabia, still bars women from the voting booth completely. Justice Dept opposes Texas voter ID law.  The Justice Department's civil rights division on Monday [3/12/2012] objected to a new photo ID requirement for voters in Texas because many Hispanic voters lack state-issued identification. Justice Department bars Texas voter ID law.  The Justice Department has blocked a new law in Texas requiring voters to show a photo ID, saying that it disproportionately harms Hispanic residents.  The action is the second time in three months that the Obama administration has blocked a state voter ID law. Holder's Identity Problem.  The tyranny of the photo ID is so all-encompassing that people can't enter Holder's own Justice Department without showing one.  Holder is outraged that in a nation where requests for photo ID are ubiquitous, more and more states are requiring that people show them when they vote. ... His Justice Department is now blocking a new voter-ID law in Texas, after doing the same to a South Carolina law.  It argues that the Texas statute will disproportionally affect poor Latinos and therefore violate the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The Real Photo-ID Civil-Rights Issue.  Those really concerned about minorities and the poor should help them get photo IDs. Feds challenge Texas voter ID.  The U.S. Justice Department has rejected Texas' new Voter ID law.  The department on Monday [3/12/2012] said Texas did not meet its burden under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act and failed to show that the law will not discriminate against minority voters. NAACP Asking U.N. Human Rights Council to Condemn American Voter ID Laws.  Riled by state-level voting law changes that it alleges are designed to suppress "the political participation of people of color, the poor, the elderly, and the young," the NAACP is turning to the U.N. Human Rights Council for support. NH Senate passes voter ID bill after O'Keefe video.  The New Hampshire state Senate passed a bill requiring residents to show identification before voting after a well-publicized video showed how easy it is to obtain a ballot in the name of a dead person in the state.  The Union-Leader reports that the legislation passed on Wednesday [3/7/2012] and now heads to the House.  Conservative filmmaker James O'Keefe produced the bombshell video earlier this year. Questions after Wisconsin judge stops new voter ID law.  A Wisconsin judge has granted a temporary injunction to stop the state's controversial new voter identification law, but Republicans immediately questioned it after records showed the judge signed a petition to recall GOP Gov. Scott Walker. Texas' contested voter ID law could shave voter rolls.  Texas secretary of state officials did not find matching 2012 driver's licenses or state-issued photo IDs for 2.4 million of the state's 12.8 million registered voters, though all but about 800,000 of those voters supplied a valid identification number when they first registered to vote.  The findings come from documents submitted by the state to the U.S. Department of Justice as part of an ongoing review of the new voter ID law. Attorney General to Appeal Judge's Injunction on Voter ID.  State Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says his office will appeal a Dane County judge's ruling granting a temporary injunction against Wisconsin's voter photo ID requirement.  Judge David Flanagan granted the injunction until a full hearing is held in mid-April — after the spring elections and presidential primary. Holder: Voter ID Laws Harmful to Minorities, Seniors, Young.  Attorney General Eric Holder defended the Justice Department's litigation against states to stop voter ID laws, while testifying Tuesday [2/28/2012] to a House subcommittee.  The Supreme Court upheld the states' right to require photo ID to vote in a 2008 case involving an Indiana statute.  Nevertheless, the Justice Department has found other legal grounds to challenge the statutes passed by more than a dozen states. Dismantling the Phony Case Against Voter ID.  Here in Minnesota, an overwhelming majority of voters are disgusted with the state's lax voting laws.  Polls indicate that a large majority support a voter identification requirement.  Our legislature — in Republican hands after the 2010 election — passed a voter ID law, but it was vetoed by Democratic Governor Mark Dayton.  So the legislature is now working on a proposed amendment to the Minnesota Constitution that in all likelihood will be on the ballot in November. Voter ID law takes effect with no major problems.  Normally, the spring primary elections this year would be considered low-profile.  However, they did receive some extra attention, more for how people voted and not who the were voting for.  Wisconsin's new voter ID law went into effect, with no major incidents in La Crosse County. Dismantling the phony case against voter ID.  Here in Minnesota, an overwhelming majority of voters are disgusted with the state's lax voting laws.  Polls indicate that a large majority support a voter identification requirement.  Our legislature — in Republican hands after the 2010 election — passed a voter ID law, but it was vetoed by Democratic Governor Mark Dayton.  So the legislature is now working on a proposed amendment to the Minnesota Constitution that in all likelihood will be on the ballot in November. Eric Holder's Protection of Voter Fraud.  Seeking to overturn a DOJ judgment that its voter photo identification law, passed in May 2011, violates the National Voting Rights Act (NVRA), the state of South Carolina recently announced that it is suing the Justice Department and Attorney General Eric Holder in federal court.  The decision by South Carolina comes as the DOJ is vigorously working to stop the spread of states enacting or implementing voter photo ID laws, prompting fears that the Obama administration is undermining the integrity of the upcoming 2012 elections. Texas AG Sues Feds Over Voter ID Law.  On January 23, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott asked a federal court to clear the way for his state's voter ID law while he awaits to hear what will happen with his demands that the Department of Justice drop its objections to the Texas law. Holder vs. Racist Photo-ID Cards.  A bunch of racists in South Carolina are trying to hold down blacks by forcing them, and everybody else, to show photo identification before they can vote.  Astonishing!  Luckily, Attorney General Eric Holder is on it. Americans Want Voter ID 'Because There Is a Brother in the White House'.  Polls show that about 80% of Americans support photo voter identification laws.  A majority of whites, blacks, Hispanics, Democrats, and Republicans support voter ID.  Why do so many people want voter ID laws?  According to Richmond, Virginia, Mayor Dwight Jones, "because there is a brother in the White House."  Here's a secret.  I've been following the voter ID debate for seven years.  In fact, I've even been involved in some legislative plotting in various states to pass voter ID.  And I can say with one hand on a Bible, and one hand in the air, that I've never once heard any voter ID proponent suggest that a "brother in the White House" has anything to do with it.  This is pure, simple, racialist nonsense from the mayor of Richmond. Federal Election Reform Commission Advocated Voter Photo ID.  Critics of requiring voters to present a photo ID at the polls say the practice would disenfranchise minority voters, and some even accuse proponents of being motivated by racism.  They don't mention, however, that a 21-member bipartisan Commission on Federal Election Reform, co-chaired by former President Jimmy Carter, advocated just such a policy in 2005.  The commission, also co-chaired by former Secretary of State James Baker, called voter identification one of "five pillars" that would "build confidence" in the integrity of federal elections.  Only three of the 21 commission members voted against requiring photo identification of voters. Dead voters prove the need for photo ID at the polls.  One probe caught on tape how easily anybody can vote on behalf of dead Americans.  Elsewhere, the total ballots cast by the dead exceeded the winning margins in several high-profile elections.  These cases confirm the urgent need for all voters to prove that they are alive and correctly identify themselves via photo ID — just as Americans do on non-election days. Black Caucus charges voter ID laws aimed at Obama supporters.  The Congressional Black Caucus on Monday night [1/23/2012] took to the House floor to charge that voter ID laws popping up around the country are aimed at dissuading minority voters from voting, and making it harder for President Obama to win re-election.  "It is clear to me that whether racially based or not, this is a direct attempt, not only to undermine the election process, but a specific attempt to derail what surely would be and ought to be the re-election of Barack Obama," Rep. Donna Christensen (D-VI) said on the floor. Texas sues feds over voter ID law.  Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott filed suit against the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday [1/23/2012] in an effort to speed enforcement of the state's new voter ID law.  Justice officials, who must determine whether the law unfairly puts minority voters at a disadvantage, have been reviewing the law for the past six months and twice have asked state officials to supply additional information on the racial breakdown of Texas voters with state-issued identification. Texas AG asks court to clear way for voter ID law.  Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott asked a federal court on Monday [1/23/2012] to clear the way for the state's voter ID law as it waits to hear from the Department of Justice. In Catawba County voter fraud case, attorney says voter ID law could help.  Catawba County was set to try its first felony election fraud case Wednesday morning.  The case ended in a misdemeanor plea, but the defense attorney argued the situation may not have happened if North Carolina had a voter identification law.  Horatio Johnson was charged with felony election fraud for voting in the Nov. 4, 2008, presidential election.  Although Johnson was previously convicted of felonies, he was eligible to vote in March 2008 and registered to do so, said his attorney Scott Reilly. The Left's War on Voter Fraud Reform.  [Scroll down]  Seven states passed laws in 2011 requiring photo IDs, and others shortened early voting timeframes and tightened requirements for absentee ballots.  All but 13 states had legislation introduced in 2011 dealing with the critical issue of voter integrity.  Five states (Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, and North Carolina) enacted photo ID laws that were vetoed by Democratic governors.  Speaking of such, North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue was caught on tape last September wishing that elections could be suspended so that lawmakers wouldn't have to worry about what voters thought.  If you can't fix the election, why not just cancel it? Voter I.D. law kicks in without a hitch in Cimarron.  Morning voting in a special sales tax election in Cimarron — the first election since a Kansas voter identification law took effect — proceeded without a hitch.  Pollworkers inside the Gray County Extension Service office building asked each voter to show a photo identification in order to receive a ballot.  As of 10:30 a.m., all 106 voters had produced a photo I.D., without problem. The Editor says... Doodad Pro was unavailable for comment. South Carolina AG to fight feds over voter ID law.  Three of South Carolina's top political leaders announced Tuesday [1/10/2012] their plans to file a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice's decision to block the state's controversial voter ID law.  Attorney General Alan Wilson said he will file a lawsuit within the next two weeks against the Justice Department in Washington D.C. district court.  It's necessary, Wilson said, to protect the integrity of South Carolina elections. Eyes turn to Virginia as state weighs voter ID law.  Virginia legislators are preparing to take on the thorny subject of voter identification laws during the upcoming General Assembly session amid national controversy that includes the Justice Department's rejection of a state law on the matter for the first time in almost 20 years.  More than 30 states have introduced such legislation, but the issue is likely to receive heightened scrutiny in Virginia because the Old Dominion is certain to play a crucial role in the calculus for President Obama's re-election efforts. If GOP Goes Easy on Obama, It'll Be a Fatal Mistake.  There are also signs that Democrats may be willing to cheat as they look for ways to rally their disillusioned base.  Scandal-plagued ACORN has reemerged, and according to investigative reporter Matthew Vadum, at least five ACORN officials have visited the White House for meetings in 2011.  Vadum reports that "one of these officials has been involved in vetting Department of Justice hires who may help to enforce the voter fraud-enabling National Voting Rights Act, also known as the Motor-Voter Law."  The DOJ has been accused of refusing to enforce parts of the law that prohibit ineligible felons, dead people and nonresidents from voting, while vigorously enforcing parts of the law that require states to register voters at welfare offices, the vast majority of whom vote Democratic. The truth behind Holder's push for 'electoral equality'.  Despite the presence of a black man in the White House and his own position as the nation's chief law enforcement officer, Holder insists that the era of Jim Crow in the U.S. is alive and kicking.  It is rearing its ugly head, he asserts, in the efforts by states to legitimize elections through the passage of laws that require voters to present a valid form of photo identification.  Holder maintains that these laws disproportionately discriminate against poor blacks and Hispanics, many of whom he notes lack a driver's license, passport, or other acceptable form of photo ID. Aren't these the same Democrats who are pushing for a National ID Card? Will Obama steal the 2012 election?  Racism has nothing to do with states implementing voter ID laws.  Rather, it is about protecting the integrity of our electoral system.  Voter fraud is rampant; abuses regularly take place.  In Chicago, local elections are often marred by ballot stuffing and multiple voting — including by false voters who use the names of deceased individuals. Voter ID terrifies Democrats.  The state Department of Motor Vehicles audited a state Election Commission report that said 239,333 people were registered to vote but had no photo ID.  The DMV found that 37,000 were deceased, more than 90,000 had moved to other states, and others had names not matched to IDs.  That left only 27,000 people registered without a photo ID but who could vote by signing an affidavit as to their identity. Voter ID and The Diluted Franchise.  Last Friday, the Justice Department shot down South Carolina's voter ID law. ... This decision was not based on the slightest hint of discriminatory intent, but rather the sheer number of minority voters who would presumably be affected by the new law, measured against what Assistant U.S. Attorney General Thomas Perez deemed an insufficiently urgent need to prevent voter fraud.  South Carolina must now either take the matter to court, or persuade the Justice Department to reconsider.  South Carolina's law, duly passed by the legislature and signed by Governor Nikki Haley, was extremely lenient — even more so than voter-ID laws already on the books in some other states. Holder Looks Through Race-Colored Glasses.  Fresh from using his race as a defense in the Fast and Furious scandal, the attorney general blocks South Carolina's voter photo ID law as discriminatory.  Tell that to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Texas ready to sue to defend voter ID law.  The Texas attorney general's office says it likely would go to federal court to defend its voter identification law if the U.S. Justice Department blocks it.  The announcement comes after the Justice Department last week rejected South Carolina's voter ID law, saying it would make it more difficult for minorities to vote. Holder's Voter ID Fraud.  The Obama Administration's re-election mobilization continues:  Witness Eric Holder's attempt to play the race card and perhaps twist the law in a campaign against voter identification laws.  In the Attorney General's telling, the movement in the states to require voters to show some ID is a revival of minority disenfranchisement a la Jim Crow. Eric Holder Blocks SC Voter ID, Texas Next.  Eric Holder has blocked South Carolina's voter ID law.  Hans von Spakovsky and I have been predicting this was going to happen for over eight months here at PJ Media.  The only surprising thing is that no halftime adjustments were made after it became even clearer an objection was on the way.  Texas now faces the same dilemma. Yes, Virginia, There Really Is Voter Fraud.  Eric Shawn at FOX News reports that two Troy city officials, the city clerk and a councilman, along with two Democratic political operatives, have pled guilty to forging absentee-ballot signatures and casting fraudulent ballots in the 2009 Working Families Party primary.  The WFP is the political party associated with ACORN.  One of the citizens whose votes were stolen was stunned at what happened.  She said that she was "sure this goes on a lot in politics, but it's very rare that they do get caught." Cue the Voter ID Scaremongering.  You know it's election season when the political left starts attacking voter identification laws as racist measures that have nothing to do with ballot integrity.  Last week the Obama administration and civil rights leaders once again were sounding this theme. Playing the race card before Election Day.  Is it racist to require people to show a photo ID when they vote?  You need a photo ID for nearly any meaningful transaction, such as cashing checks, including government checks.  If this simple requirement "suppresses" the vote, maybe we need to ask why it's such a great idea to push for universal suffrage for every adult who is merely breathing.  Of course, even this latter requirement would suppress the vote in Chicago and New Orleans, where dead people get to vote all the time — and do so cheerfully. Holder Ignores Voter Intimidation But Will Go After Voter ID Requirements.  Our Attorney General, the same one who wouldn't prosecute obvious voter intimidation, now leads the "it's racism!" charge this election season with a speech signaling his department will be wasting resources by looking into State Voter ID laws. ... I find it quite humorous when people give the argument that forcing someone to have ID to vote will somehow suppress minorities.  Is it not racist to believe that they aren't capable of get an ID?  Even the very poor must have ID when spending their welfare money. Eric Holder Is in Denial.  The truth is that vote fraud is real, has occurred across the country in recent years and election reforms are necessary.  The left claims no one ever gets convicted or persecuted for vote fraud.  RNLA did a survey to find examples in a wide variety of states just by looking on the Internet.  Predictably, the left has attacked the RNLA survey while missing the point, vote fraud is everywhere if you look for it.  Of course, some of the leading deniers have committed vote fraud themselves in the past. Vote Fraud Is All Over the Map.  46 states have had vote fraud convictions or prosecutions in the last decade. A Full Nelson on Voting Rights.  Those who don't believe it's going to be a long and nasty 11 months before Election Day should just look at how Attorney General Eric Holder and Democrats across the country are accusing Republicans of attempting to keep Democratic core constituents — minorities, young people, the poor, the disabled, etc. — away from the polls.  These charges are a symptom and preview of that party's campaign, which promises to be built on little more than attempting to gin up racial and social class resentments. No Shirt, No Shoes, No ID, No Service.  I've listened to my friends on the left's arguments — that there is no electoral fraud, and even if there is so what, what we need are more people voting, not fewer, and besides registration fraud (which they grudgingly admit exists) isn't the same thing as election fraud, so there — and must say they make no sense whatsoever.  The history of the Democratic party is one long ode to electoral fraud and systemic corruption, and until recently it was a badge they wore proudly. Voter ID Is Not Jim Crow.  In a speech at the LBJ Library at the University of Texas-Austin, Attorney General Eric Holder attacked efforts by state legislators to ensure the integrity of the ballot box.  In a setting obviously designed to evoke Lyndon Johnson's historic signing of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, Holder railed against voter-ID laws and other election-reform measures.  While minimizing the danger of fraud, Holder seemed oblivious to the irony of doing so at the LBJ Library:  It was, after all, the infamous Ballot Box 13 and the stolen 1948 election that launched LBJ's political career. Behind Holder's war on voter-ID laws.  If you want to buy over-the-counter cold medicine at your local drugstore, chances are you have to show a photo ID to do it.  Same if you want to get on a plane, rent a car or open a bank account.  So why not to vote?  But to Attorney General Eric Holder, the idea is an outrage.  In the name of "civil rights," he's declared war on a nationwide movement to ensure the integrity of the electoral process. ACLU files federal lawsuit over Wisconsin's voter ID law.  The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday [12/13/2011], claiming Wisconsin's new voter identification law imposes a severe burden on the right to vote — the second lawsuit filed in the last two months. Democrat says GOP trying to deny blacks the right to vote.  A Democratic lawmaker said Wednesday [12/7/2011] on the House floor that Republican legislators around the country are purposefully trying to deny blacks the right to vote by pushing for voter identification laws.  "It's no coincidence that a disproportionate number of these affected voters come from communities of color as well as the poor, the elderly and students," said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), a former chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus. Democrats hope that the masses respond to emotional outbursts rather than rational thought. NAACP targets tougher voter qualifications.  Voter ID laws are at the heart of the debate, according to the report.  The authors maintain that such laws disproportionately target minorities.  The report says about 25% of black Americans and about 16% of Latinos do not possess government-issued photo identification, compared with 8% of whites. Ex-Dem Congressman: Voter Fraud Is Commonplace, Voter ID Is The Cure.  Voter fraud is not a figment of your imagination, says former Congressman Artur Davis (D-Alabama).  The use of absentee ballots makes massive electoral fraud possible, Davis told the Daily Caller's Neil Munro in a startling interview.  Davis's comments came months after a Tunica County, Miss., jury convicted local NAACP official Lessadolla Sowers on 10 counts of fraudulently casting absentee ballots.  Sowers received a five-year prison term. Feds: Not enough information to clear voter ID law.  A new Texas law that would require more identification from voters has hit a road bump. Jimmy Carter an Ally on the Left in Voter ID Crusade.  In every state that has enacted voter ID, most of the proponents are Republican and most opponents are Democrats.  "And it really got ugly when the [Republican-controlled Pennsylvania] House of Representatives took up the issue earlier this year," GOP State Rep. Curt Schroder recalled for Human Events.  "Supporters were called hatemongers and racist, and comparisons were made between us and Mississippians in the 1960s who tried to keep blacks from voting."  The Pennsylvania voter ID measure passed on a party line vote and is now awaiting action in the state senate. Wasserman Schultz accuses GOP of rigging elections with 'suppression laws'.  Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Wednesday night [11/16/2011] said Republican governors and legislatures are purposefully pressing for the enactment of voter-identification laws to suppress Democratic voter turnout in the 2012 election.  "State legislatures are attempting to impose voting restrictions that are the modern-day equivalent of poll taxes and literacy tests," the Florida congresswoman said on the House floor. Democrats For Election Fraud.  This week, Maryland's Rep. Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, claimed that "we are witnessing a concerted effort to place new obstacles in front of minorities, low-income families and young people who seek to exercise their right to vote."  Earlier in the month, NAACP president Benjamin Jealous declared that "this is the greatest assault on voting rights, happening right now, that we have seen since the dawn of Jim Crow."  It all sounds so menacing.  Except that these liberals are excoriating Republicans for supporting what the vast majority of Americans agree is a perfectly reasonable requirement for voters — that they show a photo ID before casting a ballot. Nadler: Voter ID laws a 'deliberate plot by conservatives' to suppress votes.  New York Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, told The Daily Caller that laws requiring voters to present photo identification are part of a "deliberate plot by conservatives and Republicans to suppress votes" that would be cast by minorities, the elderly and young people. Democrats Equate Voter ID Laws to 'Poll Tax,' 'Jim Crow' Laws.  House Democrats, including Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), said that voter ID laws were equivalent to poll taxes and Jim Crow laws, arguing that they were deliberate attempts to keep minorities from voting.  "We know [that] voter suppression has been taking place, is being taken place, and is planned," Hoyer said, at a congressional forum on the negative impacts of voter ID laws on Monday [11/14/2011]. Ellison introduces bills to erase photo ID voting requirements.  Rep. Keith Ellison introduced two voter ID bills Wednesday [11/2/2011], including one that would undo photo ID voting laws in 14 states and would have stopped legislation vetoed by Gov. Mark Dayton earlier this year.  Ellison's bills would prohibit states from requiring photo ID to vote and require states to allow same-day voter registration.  They both are unlikely to get any traction in the Republican-led House.  Voter ID has been a heated topic in Minnesota and states across the nation this year, as legislatures have strengthened voter ID laws. Voter ID, other initiatives follow GOP's resurgence.  Voters in Maine, Mississippi and Washington will decide election-reform questions this November, joining a wave of 36 states that in 2011 moved to increase identification requirements, limit the early-voting period, or toughen up registration rules. Should have supported voter ID law.  I've changed my mind on voter ID laws — I think Alabama did the right thing in passing one — and I wish I had gotten it right when I was in political office.  When I was a congressman, I took the path of least resistance on this subject for an African American politician.  Without any evidence to back it up, I lapsed into the rhetoric of various partisans and activists who contend that requiring photo identification to vote is a suppression tactic aimed at thwarting black voter participation. Former Dem. congressman makes U-turn on voter ID laws, says ballot fraud common.  Fraudulent voting by imaginary voters, not racist obstacles to the ballot box, is the most disturbing and common form of voter suppression facing people of all races, says former Alabama congressman Artur Davis, an African-American Democrat.  "I've changed my mind on voter ID laws — I think Alabama did the right thing in passing one — and I wish I had gotten it right when I was in political office," Davis wrote in an October 17 op-ed published in the Montgomery Advertiser. Sharpton: People Favoring Voter IDs Want to 'Revoke the Voting Rights Act'.  MSNBC's Al Sharpton lead a jobs rally in Washington, D.C., Saturday, and not surprisingly, he used the event to once again divide the nation along racial lines.  As he has disgracefully done on his PoliticsNation program on numerous occasions in recent weeks, Sharpton accused those favoring proper identification at the polls as wanting to "revoke the Voting Rights Act". Why Voter Photo Identification Is Crucial to Our Republic.  The Constitution provides that citizens of the United States 18 years of age or older shall be allowed to vote in federal elections, but the Constitution otherwise leaves the eligibility of voters pretty much up to the states.  Some states, for example, provide that convicted felons lose their right to vote.  The key constitutional requirement, however, is that a voter must be a citizen of the United States.  There is nothing unique about this requirement, as every nation on the planet allows only its own citizens to vote.  With 19 million illegal immigrants in this country and an estimated 12 million green card holders, plus those here on non-immigrant visas, it is easy to see why we must safeguard that these 31 million-plus non-citizens do not vote in U.S. elections. Among Hispanics, strong support for voter ID.  In recent months, the Obama Justice Department and Democrats on Capitol Hill have mounted a full-scale assault on state voter identification laws.  Accusing Republicans of trying to return to the days of Jim Crow, Democrats allege that the laws, many of which require a photo ID for voting, discriminate against blacks and Hispanics.  But an extensive new poll of Hispanic voters in the key electoral states of Florida, Colorado, and New Mexico shows strong support for those very photo ID laws. Feds Put Hold on S.C. Voter ID Law.  The Justice Department has put the brakes on enactment of a proposed election-law overhaul signed by South Carolina's Republican Gov. Nikki Haley, saying it wants more evidence that the changes will comply with Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. ... South Carolina is one of nine states that must receive preclearance for any changes made to election law. Not a Race Card.  Once you get past the race-baiting, you will find that opponents of voter ID generally rely on two arguments, equally specious:  1) There is no need for photo ID, because there is no voter fraud in the United States;  2) This is a deliberate effort to suppress the turnout of minority voters, who often don't have photo ID.  Liberals keep repeating these false claims despite the fact that they have been disproved both in the courtroom and at the polling place.  The claim that there is no voter fraud in the U.S. is patently ridiculous, given our rich and unfortunate history of it. No, Showing Identification is Not a 'Poll Tax'.  There's an entirely absurd op-ed by Georgia Congressman John Lewis in today's New York Times about voter ID laws. ... What's odd is that Lewis and others constantly criticize voter ID laws without defining what they think would be sufficient proof of identity.  Do Lewis and other Democrats simply think showing up at the polls and taking someone's word that they are who they say they are should be sufficient? With our borders porous and election fraud rampant, Voter ID is a sensible precaution.  Polling shows that a substantial majority of Americans from all racial and ethnic backgrounds agree it's the right thing to do.  Voter ID can prevent impersonation fraud, voting under fictitious voter registrations, double-voting by individuals registered in more than one state and voting by illegal aliens. CREW is a puppet of the Democratic Party.  Defending the electoral process from those who would undermine it shouldn't be a partisan issue, but it has somehow become one in recent years, with the Democratic Party seeming to yearn for the days before professional election administration, when ward leaders could manipulate elections. Town hall meeting attacks S.C. voter ID law.  More than 40 people appeared at an NAACP town hall meeting today [7/18/2011] where opponents said they would do everything in their power to see that the state's new voter ID law never gets used. GOP To Push Stronger Voter I.D. Laws, Says 'Voter Fraud Is Real'.  Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus repeated his party's commitment to stronger voter identification laws, saying that the GOP would not give up the fight against voter fraud. Democrat: Photo-ID Rule Seeks to Keep Poor, Minorities From Voting.  Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) said that every state governed by a Republican is attempting to prevent the poor, minorities, seniors and students from voting by requiring individuals to present photo identification at the polls. Democrats continue fight against voter ID laws.  Democrats are battling a growing number of states that are preparing to implement tougher voter identification laws. Democrats Should Know Jim Crow, They Created Him.  Likening Republican policies aimed at preserving voter integrity in states from Florida to California to poll taxes and literacy tests of the Jim Crow era proves Democrats are desperate.  Obama's tax-and-spend agenda stinks on ice.  So his segregation mudslingers — in this case, Clinton — must rely on shopworn clichés that stir racial animus to fire up his left-wing base.  Are Clinton and Shultz insinuating that minorities, college students and the elderly are all born Democrats, that they are more likely to vote for Democratic candidates than Republican candidates?  Is this what Democratic elites think of their constituents?  Do Democrats believe blacks and Latinos, old people and youngsters, are too stupid to acquire a photo I.D. by next November? Why not prevent vote fraud?  True, bona fide cases of voter fraud via identity theft are few and far between in North Carolina. ... I have yet to come across a person who wouldn't be able to meet the identification requirements of HB 351, or a reasonable scenario that would prevent someone from voting.  If for some reason a qualified voter doesn't have a photo ID, under HB 351 the county board of elections is required to provide a photo Voter Identification Card at no cost to the applicant. The Upside of Voter ID Initiatives.  For people who do not have ready access to any identification, not being able to vote is the least of their problems.  What's more, requiring these folks get a valid government ID may bring them greater benefits than would accrue to them merely by being eligible to vote.  Not having valid identification forecloses options that many would deem necessary to engage in commerce of nearly every sort. North Carolina governor vetoes voter photo ID bill.  North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue on Thursday [6/23/2011] vetoed a bill that would require voters to present photo identification before casting a ballot.  "We must always be vigilant in protecting the integrity of our elections," said Perdue, a Democrat.  "But requiring every voter to present a government-issued photo ID is not the way to do it." Voter ID Showcases Democrat McLovins.  Missouri Governor Jay "McLovin" Nixon's veto of the Republican-sponsored photo ID bill is another Democrat slap in the face to law-abiding, tax-paying citizens of Missouri.  The veto proves that Nixon couldn't care less about protecting the rights of Missouri citizens.  The truth is that Nixon is about empowering criminals and getting more illegal votes. ... Besides having a pulse and the ability to fog a mirror, all it takes is to vote in Missouri is a utility bill, a bank statement, or a paycheck stub — all things you can find dumpster-diving. Voter ID is no Jim Crow — I would know.  Having experienced the psychological pain of Jim Crow laws first-hand, I won't allow those who likely only read about Jim Crow in history books to trivialize it.  That's why I'm outraged about a recent edition of TV One's "Washington Watch" in which host Roland Martin and Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) compared state-level voter identification rules to Jim Crow.  To the contrary, requiring valid identification in exchange for something as sacred as a ballot is a pragmatic approach to governing. The 'Jim Crow' Lie.  Today railroads and hotels, along with almost all providers of public accommodations in almost all circumstances, are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race.  So what happens when you ride on Amtrak, the government-subsidized railroad?  You hear an announcement over the PA system advising you to be prepared to show your identification if the conductor asks to see it.  Likewise, these days there is a good chance you will be asked for identification when you check into a hotel. ... If black people have trouble producing identification, how come nobody ever claims that these requirements are discriminatory? Asking Voters for ID Is Not a Race Issue.  I don't get why [E.J.] Dionne thinks some people would have a hard time producing ID because of the color of their skin.  I can understand other reasons — homeless people might have a difficult time proving their place of residence, or illiterate people might not be able to fill in the paperwork — but to imply that getting and using an ID is somehow too difficult or onerous for some racial groups seems very condescending to me.  What does skin color or ethnic background have to do with it?  When we ask people to produce ID to get healthcare, as I had to, or to prove their identity to get an Amtrak ticket, no one says this is a return to segregation. Jackson blasts voter ID legislation at conference.  Civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr. on Saturday [6/18/2011] called on the Justice Department to reverse recent Republican-led legislative efforts that require voters to present photo identification at polls.  Twenty-seven states now require photo identification from voters and 33 have considered adding or strengthening voter identification requirements this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. More states require ID to vote.  State legislatures across the country have passed a record number of laws this year requiring photo identification to vote, a controversial move pushed by Republicans and opposed by Democrats. Bias alert: USA Today sees it as "a controversial move" because it was the Republicans' idea.  In my opinion, allowing dead people to vote should be where the controversy lies. Dayton vetoes voter ID.  Saying that election reform measures should reflect a broad bipartisan consensus, Gov. Mark Dayton Thursday [5/26/2011] slapped down a GOP bill that would have required voters to present a photo ID at the polls.  In addition to new ID requirements, the bill eliminated vouching as a method of Election Day registration and created an entirely new system of provisional balloting for voters without IDs. Accusation that Voter ID Is Racist Demeans Blacks.  Imagine if some Democratic politician had announced that demanding a photo ID at the voting booth was an attempt to keep Jewish Americans from voting.  No one would understand what the person was talking about.  But why not?  Jews vote almost as lopsidedly Democrat as do blacks.  So why weren't Jews included in liberal objections to voter ID laws? The Case for Voter ID.  On Thursday [5/19/2011], the Wisconsin legislature sent a bill requiring photographic identification for voting to Gov. Scott Walker's desk.  This follows the enactment of an even stricter law in Kansas a few weeks ago. Texas House passes final version of voter ID bill.  The Texas House passed hotly debated legislation Monday [5/16/2011] requiring voters to show photo identification before casting ballots, sending to Gov. Rick Perry's desk a measure he declared an "emergency" item for the legislative session. Voter ID? Minnesotans say yes.  It's pretty hard to find 80 percent who agree on anything nowadays.  More so if it's a cause considered "conservative" and the entity doing the survey is the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.  But Minnesotans, it turns out, really like the idea of checking voters' identity using widely-issued and easily available forms of state and federal identification. Minnesota Poll: Big show of support for voter photo ID .  Eighty percent of respondents said they favor a photo ID requirement, which Republican majorities at the Legislature have made one of their signature goals of the session.  Democrats have almost universally opposed it, arguing that it will prevent members of some groups from voting.  That party split was reflected in the poll:  A whopping 94 percent of Republicans supported photo ID, compared to 64 percent of Democrats. RI civil rights groups oppose voter ID bill.  The American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP say a proposal to require voters to show identification is unfair and unnecessary. Bill critcized as voter suppression tool headed for passage.  In a move blasted by critics as a way of suppressing likely Democratic voters, the Republican-dominated Legislature edged closer Wednesday to overhauling voting laws ahead of the 2012 presidential election.  Republicans say the Senate bill sponsored by Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami is aimed at stopping voter fraud. Voter ID bill clears Missouri House.  A bill that would require voters to provide photo identification before being allowed to cast a ballot passed the Missouri House Wednesday [5/4/2011] on a 99-52 vote.  The bill, which was sponsored by state Rep. John Diehl, R-Town and Country, establishes requirements for voter photo identification and early voting. GOP pushing state voter ID laws.  Democrats claim the moves will disenfranchise poor and minority voters — many of whom traditionally vote for their candidates. The Editor says... The people who will be most "disenfranchised" by these laws are the dead and fictitious voters. New Law Requires Photo ID, Proof of Citizenship to Vote in Kansas.  Voters in Kansas will need to show a photo ID the next time they go to the polls.  In a signing ceremony last week, Republican Gov. Sam Brownback signed a bill to protect the integrity of elections, he said:  "We must be able to accurately and fairly discern the will of the people of Kansas."  While Gov. Brownback said the new law establishes "reasonable steps" to protect the rights of citizens, the American Civil Liberties Union called it a "giant leap backwards." Wisconsin's Election Snafu Is a National Wake-Up Call.  [Scroll down]  The Carter-Baker commission noted that "the electoral system cannot inspire public confidence if no safeguards exist to deter or detect fraud or to confirm the identity of voters."  Eighteen of the 21 commission members called for voters to show photo ID at the polls and for more security for absentee ballots.  Some states have since adopted photo ID laws.  But too many (like Wisconsin) still do not require any ID to vote.  In a time of razor-thin election margins, we can no longer afford such insecurity in our election process.  Also, though one-third of all votes in 2008 were cast before Election Day, safeguards against absentee ballot fraud are still spotty. Wisconsin voter photo ID bill gets committee's OK.  [Scroll down]  Wisconsin voters currently are not required to show any form of ID before casting a ballot.  The new requirement would be in effect for the April election, but voters who don't have IDs would still be allowed to cast their ballots and would be given information about the new law that would fully take effect in 2012.  The committee voted to expand the number of acceptable IDs to include U.S. passports and tribal IDs.  Also allowed is a driver's license, a military identification card or a state identification card or certificate issued by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Tennessee bill would require photo ID to vote.  Voters would be required to show photo identification before they can cast ballots under a proposal passed on to the full Senate on Tuesday [2/8/2011].  The measure sponsored by Republican Sen. Bill Ketron of Murfreesboro passed the State and Local Government Committee on a 6-3 vote along party lines and will be scheduled for a vote on the Senate floor. Texas Senate passes GOP-backed voter ID bill.  With a strong push from Republicans and over the vigorous objections of Democrats, the Senate on Wednesday [1/26/2011] approved legislation requiring all but elderly Texans to show a photo ID before voting.  Most of the proposed amendments to the bill — offered by Democrats — were rejected during several hours of debate Wednesday, but one change found bipartisan support.  That added a state concealed handgun license to the list of photo IDs that would meet the requirement of the legislation. SC legislators approve voter ID requirements.  South Carolina House Republicans today pushed through a measure requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls, as Democrats blasted them for spending money on what they called voter suppression while the state faces a deficit. Voter ID bills get emergency status from Texas Gov. Perry.  The state Senate is expected to take up controversial voter ID legislation next week after Gov. Rick Perry designated it an emergency issue that he wants lawmakers to pass within the first 60 days of the legislative session.  Perry, who has already designated property rights and so-called sanctuary cities as emergency items, on Thursday [1/20/2011] added two more items to the list:  the voter ID bill and legislation calling for a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Coalition says proposed voter ID law is costly, unneeded.  A newly formed coalition will try to derail Kansas Secretary of State-elect Kris Kobach's attempt to get a voter photo identification law passed in the 2011 legislative session.  Kobach, a Republican, made voter photo ID the centerpiece of his campaign, which ended with a decisive victory last month over Democrat incumbent Chris Biggs. Republicans confident of passing Texas voter ID bill.  As politically emboldened Republicans predict almost certain enactment of a voter identification law in the 2011 Legislature, the House point man on the issue is pushing a measure patterned after one of the most stringent voter ID laws in the country. I Am Who I Say I Am — Now Let's Prove it with Some ID.  Perhaps nothing can set up more of a racial firestorm than requiring a voter to show valid government-issued picture ID when casting a ballot for an election.  The state of Georgia is battling courts and activists groups in its attempt to tackle voter fraud by eliminating the loose standards currently in place. Voter ID and Illegal Aliens.  The latest Rasmussen poll on voter ID is sure to frustrate liberal advocacy organizations like the NAACP and the League of Women Voters that oppose commonsense proposals to ensure the integrity of our election process.  They have been waging a losing litigation battle against states to try to prevent them from implementing photo ID requirements. Indiana justices uphold voter ID law.  The Indiana Supreme Court today [6/30/2010] upheld the state's voter identification law, ruling against a challenge based on whether the 2005 law ran afoul of two provisions of the Indiana Constitution.  The League of Women Voters of Indiana and the group's Indianapolis chapter together sought to overturn the law.  Oral arguments on the case were held in March, and the court issued its 4-1 opinion today [6/30/2010]. Texas Democrats keep fighting voter IDs despite idea's popularity.  Texas Democrats have staked out political ground that trumpets their beliefs and will ignite supporters at the party's state convention this week — protecting the rights of eligible citizens to vote.  The only problem — especially for a political party that hasn't won a statewide office in 15 years — is that when it comes to whether voters should have to show a photo ID, 70 percent of Texans disagree with the Democrats. Voter ID fight appears certain in Texas Legislature.  Both major political parties signaled Monday [6/14/2010] that neither side is ready to give an inch on the politically divisive voter ID issue expected to come before Texas legislators again when they reconvene in January.  Republicans want to make elections more secure.  Democrats, citing the lack of any large-scale fake voter problem, contend the GOP simply wants to make voting harder for Texans most likely to support Democrats — low-income folks, minorities and the elderly. As usual, the Democrats' argument is based on emotional outbursts rather than rational thought. From One Hispanic to Others — Arizona, You're Being Had By the Media.  If voters had to prove their eligibility the Democrats would lose their base and their power.  Every attempt to have voters prove their citizenship has been thwarted by the Democrats and with good reason, from their point of view.  They rely on minority and suspect voters whom they can truck to the polls en masse with instructions on how they should vote.  Would they be able to do this if these voters had to show their eligibility to vote? Court knocks out state voter ID law.  The Indiana Court of Appeals today declared Indiana's voter ID law unconstitutional because it does not apply uniformly to all voters. Dem Rep Who Opposes Photo ID To Vote Requiring Photo ID For Town Halls.  Congressman Eugene Green, Democrat from Texas, [is] telling the world that if you're not from his District, you're not welcome at his future town hall meetings — oh, and how he'll enforce his new rule... How many dozen other Congressmen who oppose voter ID laws are going to hypocritically enforce voter-ID rules at their town halls — And does that mean that controlling their meetings more important than controlling the voting process? Rep. Green to require photo ID at town halls.  A Texas congressman, worried about disruptions at his town halls, wants to weed out people who want to attend but don't live in his district.  Rep. Gene Green (D-Texas) has announced on his website that he will require attendees to show photo identification to get into his town halls to prove that they're his constituents. ... His decision drew derision from Republicans who noted that he voted against a Republican amendment that would have required Medicaid recipients to prove they are citizens by showing photo ID. Clown Hall Meetings:  Rep. Gene Green has voted against bills that require people to present a photo ID before they vote.  But don't show up at one of his public gatherings without a driver's license.  You won't get in. Lull before 'Voter ID' storm.  Things could get ugly in a hurry when the Texas House debates the super-charged "Voter ID" bill. ... Republicans see voter identification as a way to make sure only eligible Texans cast ballots.  Democrats say they don't oppose a voter ID system if voting is made easier — but accuse the state GOP of wanting to make voting harder. Texas Senate approves bill requiring voter ID at polls.  Senate Republicans pushed through a bill Tuesday that would require Texans to show a photo ID or two alternative IDs before voting, while Democrats shifted their efforts to derail the legislation to the House.  The measure, commonly referred to as "voter ID," was approved 19-12, with all Senate Republicans voting for the bill and all Democrats voting against it.  A final vote will be required Wednesday before the proposal is sent to the House. Voter ID wins approval.  A bill that would require voters to present a photo ID at the polls won key approval from the S.C. House on Thursday, but not before House Democrats — equating the proposal to segregation-era efforts to disenfranchise voters — walked out.  About 30 members of the Legislative Black Caucus and other House Democrats staged the walkout as debate moved into its fourth hour and it became clear the bill would pass. Voter ID Was a Success in November.  Remember the storm that arose on the political left after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Indiana's voter ID law last April?  According to the left, voter ID was a dastardly Republican plot to prevent Democrats from winning elections by suppressing the votes of minorities, particularly African-Americans.  Since the election of Barack Obama, we haven't heard a word about such claims. Florida Officials Push to Enforce Voter ID Law.  The intent of the "No Match, No Vote" law is simple:  to ensure voters are who they say they are.  The verification effort entails double-checking every voter registration form with the Florida Motor Vehicles database, or the Social Security database.  If the numbers don't match, the voters can still vote — with a provisional ballot — but that voter then has two days after Election Day to provide their driver's license or Social Security card to their local elections supervisor. Will This Election Be Stolen?  The U.S. is one of the few democracies in the world that doesn't require photo identification to vote.  Photo ID protects not only against impersonation fraud, but it can prevent bogus votes from being cast based on fictitious voter registrations, by noncitizens, or by individuals who are registered in multiple states.  This spring the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Indiana's photo ID requirement, and courts in Georgia upheld its photo ID law.  In all of these cases, despite claims that there are thousands of Americans who lack photo IDs, and after years of litigation, the plaintiffs were unable to produce a single individual — not one — who didn't have an ID and couldn't easily get one. Supreme Court says states can demand photo ID for voting.  States can require voters to produce photo identification, the Supreme Court ruled Monday [4/28/2008], upholding a Republican-inspired law that Democrats say will keep some poor, older and minority voters from casting ballots.  Twenty-five states require some form of ID, and the court's 6-3 decision rejecting a challenge to Indiana's strict voter ID law could encourage others to adopt their own measures. A Victory Against Voter Fraud.  In ruling on the constitutionality of Indiana's voter ID law — the toughest in the nation — the Supreme Court had to deal with the claim that such laws demanded the strictest of scrutiny by courts, because they could disenfranchise voters.  All nine Justices rejected that argument. Dewhurst hails Supreme Court ruling, state fight likely.  Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst hailed Monday's Supreme Court ruling that approves states' efforts to pass a voter identification law and said he looks forward to passing such a measure when the legislature meets again next year.  The ruling galvanizes a Republican-inspired effort that Democrats say will keep some poor, older and minority voters from casting ballots. Supreme Court gets it right with voter photo ID ruling.  Constitutional law degrees aren't necessary when mere common sense is sufficient to conclude, as did the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday [5/5/2008], that an Indiana law requiring a photo ID to vote "is amply justified by the valid interest in protecting 'the integrity and reliability of the electoral voting process.'"  The court thus affirmed with a 6-3 vote both common sense and the Constitution in recognizing that states have the right to safeguard ballot integrity. Indiana's Primary Turnout High, Despite Photo ID Law.  Indiana's controversial photo identification rule may not have made a major dent in the state's high turnout, but it did frustrate a small group of voters more accustomed to divine law.  About 12 elderly Roman Catholic nuns were turned away Tuesday [5/6/2008] from a polling place because they didn't have state or federal identification bearing a photograph. Voter-ID Hysteria:  New York's Sen. Chuck Schumer was quick to denounce this week's US Supreme Court ruling upholding the nation's strictest voter-ID law as "a blow to what America stands for."  His response might have made more sense if those who'd tried to strike down the Indiana law — which requires the state's voters to present valid photo IDs — had actually managed to find a single voter who'd been improperly turned away from the polls because of it. Voter ID Battle Shifts to Proof of Citizenship.  The battle over voting rights will expand this week as lawmakers in Missouri are expected to support a proposed constitutional amendment to enable election officials to require proof of citizenship from anyone registering to vote.  The measure would allow far more rigorous demands than the voter ID requirement recently upheld by the Supreme Court, in which voters had to prove their identity with a government-issued card. Bill requiring citizenship proof to vote fails.  A proposal that would require proof of citizenship to register as a Tennessee voter has failed in the House Elections Subcommittee.  The measure sponsored by Rep. Curry Todd, a Collierville Republican, failed 3-3 on Wednesday [4/15/2009] and is likely dead this session. To ID or Not To ID?  The answer to a cynic's question "Do elections matter?" may be partially found in the way judges have handled an Indiana voter photo ID law that requires people to prove their identity before they can vote.  The Supreme Court will begin 2008 by hearing arguments in one of the most volatile political cases to come before it since Bush vs. Gore in the 2000 presidential election. … Appellate judges named by Republican presidents have mostly favored the ID requirement.  Appellate judges named by Democrats have mostly opposed it. Democrats Predict Voter ID Problems.  On Indiana's primary day, Rep. Julia Carson shoved her congressional identification card in a pocket, ran out of her house and raced down the street to be at her polling site when it opened at 6 a.m.  The Democrat, seeking to represent Indianapolis for a sixth term, showed the card to a poll worker, who told her it was unacceptable under a new state law that requires every voter to show proof of identity. Vote fraud:  Democrats' meal ticket.  Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn. ... asserts that "while photo IDs seem harmless, they are in fact the modern-day poll tax." ... The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, made such pre-conditions for voting illegal.  The 24th Amendment did not prohibit requiring non-forgeable identification as proof that the voter:  a) was voting in the right precinct, ward, etc.; b) was in fact who they represented themselves to be; and c) was casting only one vote. Goddard asks Supreme Court to repeal recent voter ID ruling.  The state will ask a justice of the nation's high court to let county election officials require voters to produce identification for next month's general election.  Attorney General Terry Goddard said Tuesday [10/10/2006] legal papers will be given to Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, possibly by the end of the week, asking him to void an order by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals barring the state from enforcing the voter ID provisions of Proposition 200 while a legal challenge to them works its way through federal court. Partisan Fissures Over Voter ID.  The Supreme Court will open the new year with its most politically divisive case since Bush v. Gore decided the 2000 presidential election, and its decision could force a major reinterpretation of the rules of the 2008 contest.  The case presents what seems to be a straightforward and even unremarkable question:  Does a state requirement that voters show a specific kind of photo identification before casting a ballot violate the Constitution? Supreme Court upholds Arizona's photo ID law for elections.  Arizona voters will have to present identification at the polls on Nov. 7 after all.  The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday [10/20/2006] that Arizona can go ahead with requiring voters to present a photo ID, starting with next month's general election, as part of the Proposition 200 that voters passed in 2004.  The ruling overturns an Oct. 5 decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which put the voter ID rules on hold this election cycle. The liberal assault on voter ID laws.  People in the good state of Missouri need photo identification to cash a check, board a plane or apply for food stamps.  But the state Supreme Court has ruled that a photo ID requirement to vote is too great a burden on the elderly and the poor.  Go figure. Court OKs photo ID for voting.  Michigan voters will be asked to present photo identification at the polling place, after a divided Michigan Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that such a requirement is constitutional.  At issue was a decade-old state law requiring voters to show photo identification before voting.  The 1996 law never went into effect because then-Attorney General Frank Kelley, a Democrat, ruled it violated the 14th Amendment, which guarantees the right to vote. Ellison wants to ban photo ID as requirement for voting.  Requiring photo IDs to vote in federal elections would be banned under legislation introduced Wednesday [10/31/2007] by Rep. Keith Ellison, who said such requirements disenfranchise minorities, the poor, women, elderly and young people.  "While photo IDs seem harmless, they are in fact the modern day poll tax," Ellison, D-Minn., said in a statement. Judges question criticism of Voter ID.  A three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard 30 minutes of oral arguments this morning [10/18/2006] about Indiana's voter identification requirement, questioning how much of a burden it represented and whether it threatens to disenfranchise voters. Are Democrats Seeking Voter Fraud?  The Democrats in the House of Representatives last week provided a good way to measure just how far left they have drifted, when they managed to maneuver to the port of former President Jimmy Carter by opposing legislation that would require would-be voters to provide a photo ID before voting in federal elections.  The most obvious explanation for the Democratic position on this issue is that they hope to benefit in future elections from illegal votes cast by some of the 12 to 20 million illegal aliens in the United States. This Will Make Voter Fraud Easier.  [New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's plan] stops just short of being an engraved invitation for people to commit voter fraud.  The background here is the National Voter Registration Act, commonly known as "Motor Voter," that President Bill Clinton signed into law in 1993.  It required all states to offer voter registration to anyone getting a driver's license.  One simply fills out a form and checks a box stating he is a citizen; he is then registered and in most states does not have to show any ID to vote.  But no one checks if the person registering to vote is indeed a citizen. Pedestrian Down.  [Hillary] Clinton has always had a soft spot for measures that many election officials say compromise the integrity of the ballot box.  She sponsored a major bill to strip states of their right to bar felons from voting, a right many legal scholars say is enshrined in the Constitution.  Governor Spitzer's plan to grant driver's licenses to illegal aliens is equally controversial, in part because anyone with such a license could probably vote in elections with impunity. A.C.L.U. Sues Alabama on Ballot Access.  The American Civil Liberties Union sued Alabama elections officials Monday [7/21/2008] over what it says is an overly expansive policy disenfranchising felons, amid concern from voting rights groups nationwide that voting lists are being culled with too great alacrity by many states. Closer look at illegal voting.  Holes in law allow some non-citizens to register, but most don't cast ballots, expert says. Illegal Voting:  The non-citizen electorate.  Amid all the talk of new voters becoming involved in the election, hopefully one group of voters will not vote in November — non-citizens, many of whom are illegally registered to vote all over the country, particularly in the southwest.  Although there is no reliable method to determine the exact number registered aliens, there is evidence that this is a significant and growing problem. The Threat of Non-Citizen Voting:  Non-citizen voting is likely growing at the same rate as the alien population in the United States; but because of deficiencies in state law and the failure of federal agencies to comply with federal law, there are almost no procedures in place that allow election officials to detect, deter, and prevent non-citizens from registering and voting.  Instead, officials are largely dependent on an "honor system" that expects aliens to follow the law.  There are numerous cases showing the failure of this honor system. NEA opposes the use of IDs in order to vote.  The [NEA] convention approved Legislative Amendment 6 to oppose the use of voter ID in U.S. elections.  However, in order to vote in NEA elections held during the convention, delegates were required to show photo ID.  Apparently it's more important to prevent voter fraud in an election for the NEA Board of Directors than in an election for U.S. President or Members of Congress. It's much too easy to vote illegally in Minnesota.  Which of the following do you need to register to vote in Minnesota?  A driver's license?  Some form of government-issued ID that proves your identity and residence?  Proof of American citizenship?  Wrong on all counts.  In Minnesota, you can register on election day without showing poll workers one piece of paper.  All you need is a "voucher" — a person registered to vote in that precinct who is willing to sign a sworn statement that you live there. More states ask voters to show ID.  For Rita Glenn, the clerk of St. Joseph County in north central Indiana, the weeks leading up to the 2006 election have seen an unexpected surge in activity from voters looking for absentee ballots. … A hotly contested race in the 2nd Congressional District has contributed to the hike, Glenn said.  But a big part of the increase comes from people wanting to avoid what they believe will be hassles on Election Day connected to a new state law requiring voters casting ballots in person to show a government-issued photo ID. Does your senator support voter fraud?  On the Senate floor right now, members just finished voting on an amendment to a student loan bill that would require voters to show photo ID at the polls.  You know, so illegal aliens and other ineligible people don't undermine the integrity of the election process.  The amendment failed 42-54. Court revives voter-ID measure.  The requirement that voters provide proof of identification to cast an early absentee ballot is back on again.  But stay tuned.  The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order last night staying a lower court ruling from last week that had put the ID provision on hold. Senate Bill Aimed at Making Absentee Ballots from Overseas Count.  Although roughly 6 million U.S. citizens are eligible to vote oversees using absentee ballots — many of whom are serving in the military — only a fraction of their ballots are being counted.  The bipartisan Election Assistance Commission found that of the nearly 1 million absentee ballots sent out for the 2006 election, only 300,000 actually were counted. Georgia Appeals Restraining Order on Voter IDs.  Georgia's attorney general filed an emergency appeal Monday [7/10/2006] of a court order that blocks the state from enforcing its new voter photo identification law during next week's primary elections.  The new law requires that every voter who casts a ballot in person produce a valid, government-issued photo ID. Update: Judge Throws Out Georgia Photo-Voter ID Law.  A judge Tuesday [9/19/2006] struck down as unconstitutional the latest version of a new Georgia law requiring voters to show photo ID. State Superior Court Judge T. Jackson Bedford Jr. ruled that the photo ID requirement deprives otherwise qualified voters of the right to cast a ballot and adds a new, unconstitutional condition to voting. Dead Voters Still Showing Up on Election Records.  Jane Drury voted last year in an election in Stonington, Conn.  The only problem is, she died eight years ago. … The town clerk's record clearly shows Drury's vote, marked by a horizontal line poll workers put next to her name.  And it turns out, Drury isn't the only voter to apparently cast a ballot from the grave.  The issue of dead voters showing up on ballot records continues to be a problem for election administrators across the country. Should Your Vote Still Count if You're Dead?  Increasingly popular mail-in ballots mean voters can now choose candidates up to 60 days before an election, raising new questions about an age-old phenomenon normally associated with chicanery in places like Chicago:  What should be done with the ballots of the recently dead?  Laws in at least a dozen states are evenly split between tallying and dumping the votes.  No one keeps records on how often such deaths occur. Photo IDs could improve image of election process.  "Vote early — and often."  We hear this quip every time an election rolls around, and with good reason:  Electoral fraud is as old as the ballot box itself and still happens in the United States.  Just last year a judge in Washington state ruled that some 1,678 illegal votes were cast in its 2004 election — more than enough to change the outcome of the governor's race. Update: No evidence of election crime, former U.S. attorney says.  Fired U.S. Attorney John McKay said Sunday that the 2004 razor-thin governor's election in Washington "smelled really bad," but that an extensive, little-publicized investigation by FBI agents and federal prosecutors found no evidence of a federal crime. Voter-ID rules suspended.  Arizonans won't have to prove citizenship to register to vote or show identification at the polls in November, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday [10/05/2006].  The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the controversial new voting requirements passed in 2004 as part of Proposition 200.  Opponents argued the provisions were unconstitutional, amounting to a poll tax that could keep legal voters from casting ballots. Request to halt ID rules rejected.  A federal court on Monday rejected pleas from Latino and voter-advocacy groups for a suspension of requirements that people prove their citizenship when registering to vote.  In 2004, Arizona voters approved the requirements through Proposition 200 in an effort to curb voter fraud. Democrats Will Appeal Ruling on Indiana's Voter ID Law.  A federal court has upheld an Indiana law requiring people to show a government-issued photo ID before voting, much to the disappointment of the Democratic Party, which says many of its constituents — minorities, the poor, the elderly and the disabled — will be adversely affected. [Other Democratic Party blocs, such as deceased and fictitious voters, will also be hit hard.] Photo IDs Will Clean Up Federal Elections.  Before the 108th Congress expires, the Senate should pass, and President Bush should sign, the Federal Election Integrity Act.  H.R. 4844, adopted 228 to 196 by the House of Representatives on September 20, would require Americans to present valid, government-issued photo identification to vote in the 2008 presidential election.  By the 2010 mid-term congressional elections, voters must show photo ID that demonstrates American citizenship.  Liberals have reacted to this common-sense anti-vote-fraud effort as if it were conceived at a Klan rally. Photo identification needed nationwide to ensure fair elections.  In at least six states, the crucial issue in the November 2006 election might turn out to be whether or not voters must present photo identification.  Because we have to show government-issued ID in order to board a plane, cash a check, enter a federal building, and for many trivial pursuits such as buying alcohol or renting a video, why not make it a requirement in order to verify that you are a legal voter? Feds approve Georgia Voter ID law.  The state can move forward with its plans to require voters to show photo ID at the polls, the U.S. Department of Justice has decided. Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker's office was notified in a letter dated Tuesday [6/27/2006] that the state's detailed plans to implement a photo voter ID law has passed muster by Justice's voting section. Groups challenge voter ID plan.  The Detroit NAACP and several other groups have filed legal briefs with the Michigan Supreme Court urging the justices to not require people to present photo identification in order to vote next month. … Joining in the legal action were the ACLU of Michigan, Latin Americans for Social and Economic Development, the American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee, the League of Women Voters and Project Vote. [Ask yourself this question:  What do all those groups have in common?  And why would they be opposed to having voters produce positive identification?] ACLU Supports the Right to Vote Even If You're Dead or Foreign.  When the House passed the Federal Election Integrity Act of 2006, requiring photo IDs for voters in future federal elections, the ACLU issued a statement [opposing it].  Similar laws have been passed in at least six states, and the ACLU has either led the attack on all such laws, or lawyers well schooled in ACLU arguments have done so. Night of the Voting Dead:  State Superior Court Judge Linda R. Feinberg made the ruling Friday after learning that the official responsible for tracking deaths had failed to do so because he didn't know it was his responsibility.  The case stemmed from Republican complaints that an estimated 13,000 people who apparently have died remain on voter registration lists, including 4,755 people who reportedly voted in last November's election. Democratic officials challenge Missouri voter ID law.  Democratic officials from St. Louis and Kansas City sued the state Monday [7/17/2006], trying to block a new Republican-backed law requiring voters to show photo identification from taking effect for the November election.  Republican Gov. Matt Blunt signed the law about a month ago, praising it as a way to build public trust in elections.  The measure requires voters to show a photo identification issued by Missouri or the federal government, such as a driver's license, to cast a regular ballot. Activist judge allows illegal aliens, deceased and felons to vote.  Best-selling author Ann Coulter once wrote that when liberals pass by a graveyard, they see potential voters. … Superior Court Judge Melvin Westmoreland's ruling, that Georgia's law requiring voters to show identification is unconstitutional, is allowing illegal aliens, felons and dead folks to continue voting in Georgia.  The judge struck down a newly enacted law that requires Georgia voters to present government-issued photo identification cards before they are allowed to cast a ballot. Deal reached with woman who registered dog to vote.  "Next stop, the Legislature."  That's what Jane Balogh said Wednesday after accepting a deal that will allow her to avoid a criminal conviction for registering her dog to vote.  Balogh, a Federal Way grandmother, said she won't give up trying to change state law so prospective voters would have to prove they are citizens. Maryland's ex-felons register to vote.  Ex-convicts who have completed their felony sentences lined up outside the Baltimore City Board of Elections today seeking to register to vote and take advantage of a new Maryland law. ... The new law, which went into effect yesterday, simplifies the rules regarding which former felons can vote. In a Break From the Past, Florida Will Let Felons Vote.  Gov. Charlie Crist persuaded Florida's clemency board Thursday [4/5/2007] to let most felons easily regain their voting rights after prison, saying it was time to leave the "offensive minority" of states that uniformly deny ex-offenders such rights. Felons gain right to vote.  Felons who have completed their sentences will be able to register to vote in Maryland under a new law signed by Gov. Martin O'Malley yesterday [4/24/2007].  The law, which takes effect July 1, was one of 178 measures the governor signed, including legislation to require stricter emissions limits on new cars and protect the diamondback terrapin.  Advocates say more than 50,000 Marylanders will be eligible to vote as a result of the legislation. Groups Push to Restore Virginia Felons' Voting Rights.  Civic and social organizations are teaming with Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to try to add thousands of nonviolent offenders to the voting rolls in time for the November election … The Kaine administration's efforts come as a coalition of groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP, have launched an ambitious drive to get convicted felons information on how they can apply to have their voting rights restored. Study says votes of ex-felons could have changed outcomes.  President Al Gore?  U.S. Sen. Buddy MacKay?  Did they really lose because ex-felons were not allowed to vote in Florida?  Some believe that's exactly what happened in 2000 when Gore lost to George W. Bush and in 1988 when MacKay lost to Connie Mack. The Editor says... First of all, there is no such thing as an ex-felon.  Secondly, do you want your elected representatives to be chosen by known criminals?  Of course the outcome of any election in history "could have" been different if additional votes had been included. House Passes Bill to Make Voters Show ID.  The House voted Wednesday to require Americans to show proof of citizenship in order to vote, and the Senate moved to build a 700-mile fence along the Mexican border as Republicans sharpened attacks on illegal immigration before the midterm elections. High Court to Hear Case on Voter ID Law.  A voter seeking to cast a ballot is first told to produce a photo ID.  Is that intimidation or a prudent safeguard against election fraud?  The Supreme Court said Tuesday [9/25/2007] it intends to decide, stepping into a controversy that blends race, partisan politics and the Constitution. High Court to Decide If Voters Must Show Photo ID.  With the 2008 elections on the horizon, the Supreme Court has agreed to rule on whether an Indiana law that requires voters to have a government-issued photo ID is a security necessity in the post-9/11 world or some sort of partisan plan to suppress voter turnout. Voter IDs Aren't An Undue Burden.  Earlier this year, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld an Indiana state law that requires voters to present a government-issued photo ID before casting ballots in person.  Absentee voters and nursing home residents are exempt.  The plaintiffs claim the photo ID requirement is an 'undue burden on the right to vote,' particularly for the elderly and poor who don't drive or can't afford one. Voter ID case could affect election laws.  The League of Women Voters has tried to put names and faces on the people who could be hurt by a strict Indiana voter-identification law that the Supreme Court will take up Wednesday.  The league, in a court filing, refers to Mary Wayne Montgomery Eble, 92, who had no driver's license or ready access to the birth certificate she needed to get an alternative ID. The Editor says... Yes, for every thousand fraudulent votes prevented by a Voter ID law, there might be one legitimate voter who is shut out due to extraordinary circumstances.  That's just too bad.  Whenever a major problem is acted upon by a strong solution, there is always some "collateral damage" (e.g., chemotherapy; divorce; Hiroshima, DDT.)  Do not be deceived — political activists on the left are fighting the implementation of Voter ID laws because the laws will prevent dead people from voting for Democrats.  It's just that simple. Who are these people anyway? League of Women Voters:  The League of Women Voters (LWV) describes itself as a "non-partisan" group that encourages citizen participation in the political process.  [LWV] Supports taxpayer-funded abortion-on-demand.  Supports "motor-voter" registration, which allows anyone with a driver's license to become a voter, regardless of citizenship status.  Supports gun control, tax hikes, and socialized medicine. … LWV also supports a national health insurance plan financed by higher taxes; stricter handgun control; increased UN authority over American foreign policy decisions; the elimination of the electoral college; and increased environmental legislation. Ballot Box Integrity v. Voters without Borders.  On January 9, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments for one of the biggest election law cases in years.  This case might decide who becomes president of the United States in a close election, and shape the future of the country.  The Court will hear arguments in the consolidated cases of Crawford v. Marion County and Indiana Democratic Party v. Rokita.  At issue in the case is Indiana's new voter ID law. Effort To Expose Computer Vote Fraud Leads To Lawsuit.  The Constitution Party … points out that since 1988 all but a handful of the 3,142 counties in the US have delegated the "counting" process, done in secret, to several mega companies, Diebold, ES&S, Hart and Sequioa.  All 50 secretaries of state have approved these systems.  The Clean Elections lawsuit, in the process of expanding to all 50 states, charges that the use of any computer (direct-recording-electronic- or DRE) systems which obscure ballots from the people for any period of time before a count is completed and the results are announced are unconstitutional. Fighting Vote Fraud With Photo ID:  The controversy surrounds Indiana's requirement that voters show photo identification when they cast their ballot.  At a time when Americans are asked to show photo ID for routine things such as buying alcohol or getting on an airplane, it hardly seems unreasonable to do the same before voting.  There's also overwhelming public support for voter ID requirements; Rasmussen puts the number at 77 percent approval nationally. Voter ID rule finds support.  Two-thirds of Americans, including a majority of racial and ethnic minorities, say the government should make voters show photo identification before voting, according to a new Fox 5/The Washington Times/ Rasmussen Reports survey. 'Affirmative Action' for Voting.  Many courts, including the present Supreme Court hearing an Indiana case, have begun seeing the minor inconvenience of getting a free ID card as worth the extra security against voter fraud.  At best, such ID requirements provide a deterrent against such manipulation of the voting system.  At worst, they enact an inconvenience most rational, sane and responsible adults can handle without sobbing, pointing fingers or throwing themselves on the ground demanding more cookies. Tighter voting laws urged.  Nearly three years after police began a probe into 2004 voting flaws in Milwaukee, investigators issued a report Tuesday that says eliminating same-day registration and requiring voters to show photo IDs would minimize the problems found. Those recommendations immediately became fodder for advocates of both changes — and swiftly condemned by critics. Somewhat related: Making the World Safe for Medicaid Fraud.  Americans expect to show a photo ID when they board a plane, enter many office buildings, cash a check or even rent a video — but rarely in voting or applying for government benefits such as Medicaid.  Many Democrats seem to view asking citizens for proof of identity as an invasion of privacy — though what's really being protected is the right to commit identity fraud.  Exhibit A is Tuesday's 13 to 10 party-line vote in the Senate Finance Committee rejecting a proposal to require that immigrants prove their identity when signing up for federal health care programs. Mysteriously Appearing / Disappearing Ballots A Month After Elections, 200,000 Votes Found.  The [New York City] Board of Elections routinely reminds New Yorkers that the election night vote count is unofficial and preliminary.  Still, the difference in the results from Nov. 2 and in the returns formally certified by the board on Wednesday seems striking:  The board found 195,055 votes, or 17 percent more votes, than were originally reported. 28-Year Democrat Rep. Ortiz Loses, But Keeps 'Finding' Ballots in Recount.  [Scroll down]  So it would appear Ortiz, Inc. is either trying to drag this out long enough to conjure up enough additional votes to steal the election — or he is an entitlement lifer politician who is dragging out the very end of his very long 28-year Congressional run, unable to fathom that the people of south Texas chose ... SOMEONE ELSE.  He is, after all, the only Congressman the district has ever had — it's difficult for these sorts of people to let go.  November 2nd, we began showing these types of people the door.  Some, like Ortiz, will not go quietly into that great night. The regularity of voting irregularities.  Voting irregularities marred elections last week.  This recurring problem will get worse so long as laws governing how Americans register and cast ballots are liberalized instead of tightened.  The Connecticut governor's race was especially bollixed up.  Vote counts switched back and forth from the same jurisdictions, hundreds of ballots were "found" lying around in unguarded bags, and a local news station ran footage of a poll watcher being escorted from the premises for complaining about such slipshod procedures. Altschuler leads Bishop after voting machine re-canvass.  In the close House race on the East End, Republican Randy Altschuler moved ahead of incumbent Rep. Tim Bishop Friday [11/5/2010] after a re-canvass of voting machines.  Altschuler leads Bishop, a Democrat, by about 400 votes, both campaigns said, citing data from the Suffolk County Board of Elections.  That represents a swing of almost 4,000 votes because Bishop was ahead by 3,461 earlier this week. Bag of Uncounted Ballots Found in Bridgeport.  In what has become one of the stranger twists in an already bizarre Governor's race, a bag of uncounted ballots was found in Bridgeport Thursday night [11/4/2010].  Republican officials were approached by Democratic operatives and told about the surprise ballot bag, according to Bridgeport GOP Chairman Marc Delmonico.  "It adds to the inconsistencies from the Democratic Party in Bridgeport.  It just keeps adding to it," said Delmonico. ... Bridgeport has become the focal point of what has turned into a circus of an election. DC Primary votes don't add up... even with a fudge factor.  As District officials continue to investigate errors in the early vote tallies from the Sept. 9 primary, one number stands out:  1,542.  That number appeared in the category for "overvotes" in 13 separate races when the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics released early results on election night.  But those votes inexplicably vanished shortly after midnight, when officials posted what they identified as corrected results. Strange Yahoo! vote count.  The original statement from the Yahoo! Annual Meeting suggested strong support for the Yahoo! board.  However, reportedly exactly 200 million votes seemed to have vanished from some of the expected totals. ...Once again, who knows what really happened? As Election Day nears, eyes will be on Florida.  After the polls closed on primary-election night in August, workers somehow lost all the ballots cast by voters in Osceola County's Precinct 11.  "We questioned the poll workers and have searched the whole building," said Osceola Supervisor of Elections Connie Click.  "It was only 98 ballots.  My speculation is they got put in the trash." Hunt for missing ballots widens in Palm Beach County.  Another Palm Beach County election mess, including thousands of missing ballots, stumbled toward a new venue today with county officials leaving it to the courts to decide a disputed judicial race. Texas voting recount halted:  On orders from the Texas Secretary of State's office, the recount for the Tom Green County Court-at-Law No. 2 race has been suspended midway through its second day.  About 1:30 p.m. today, county Republican Chairman Dennis McKerley stopped the recount after workers found discrepancies of as much as 20 percent between what was counted Monday and what was reported Election Night.  Interesting:   Multiple vulnerabilities in Diebold Optical Scan.  A Technical Report published by BlackBoxVoting.org details multiple critical security vulnerabilities in the Diebold Optical Scan voting equipment that was used to tally approximately 25 million votes in the 2004 US election. … According to the report:  "Exploits available with this design include, but are not limited to:  Paper trail falsification – the ability to modify the election results reports so that they do not match the actual vote data … removal of information about pre-loaded votes, the ability to hide pre-loaded votes, the ability to hide a pre-arranged integer overflow, the ability to program conditional behavior based on time/date, number of votes counted, and many other hidden triggers. Ohio lunacy.  Jesse Jackson has now joined the "Ohio was stolen" team with a rally in Columbus, while civil-rights and left-wing groups are filing lawsuits.  They all demand a recount!  Get ready for Ohio 2004 to take an honored place in fevered left-wing lore.  Speculation about Bush stealing Ohio was fueled by a voting machine in the small city of Gahanna in Franklin County that mistakenly recorded 3,800 votes for the president.  It was a software error that was caught and corrected as the normal process of certifying the vote was proceeding. Detroit votes don't add up.  Canvassers find boxes with uncounted ballots, discrepancies in 30% of the precinct tallies. GOP bashes county clerk over mistakes.  The Mercer County Republican party slammed Democratic county clerk Paula Sollami-Covello yesterday [6/12/2006] for what it said were egregious errors affecting elections. Obion County Tennessee vote counting problems:  The county had to revise its preliminary election results after they discovered that early votes weren't counted. "Ghost vote" spooks the Assembly.  Nobody was surprised that state Sen. Carole Migden voted in favor of her own cosmetics bill.  The problem was that she did it in the wrong legislative house.  Toward the end of Wednesday's floor session, Migden, a San Francisco Democrat, pushed the voting button of a GOP assemblyman who was temporarily away from his desk.  Her action violated Assembly rules and drew an angry response from Republicans. At this time, the Editor would like to ask a rhetorical question: Why aren't voting systems in state capitols protected with keys or passwords? Florida 2002:  Sluggish Systems, Vanishing Votes.  Following the 2000 Presidential election debacle in Florida, government officials promised sweeping reforms that would prevent such chaos from reoccurring.  Indeed, the Florida election code was extensively revised, punchcard systems were outlawed, and over $125 million was spent statewide on new voting equipment and training of voters and election administrators.  What could possibly go wrong?  Apparently enough calamity to cause Governor Jeb Bush to declare a state of emergency, extending the voting session by two hours for the September 10, 2002 primary election.  Yet events earlier in the year should have provided sufficient forewarning of difficulties. Muslim group attempts late Florida vote dump.  A pushy Muslim activist demanded a county elections office worker accept a box of 550 applications to vote after the close of business on the last day to register in Palm Beach County, Florida. Florida election stymies technology:  Seven precincts reported Democratic turnouts of more than 100 percent in the 2002 elections. Back to Voting in general. Back to the Home page.

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