ACRU Staff, Author at Voting Integrity Institute

Fix Sought for Texas Voter ID Law Before Fall Elections

AUSTIN -- The Obama administration and several civil rights groups are urging a federal appeals court to fast-track the process of temporarily fixing Texas' voter ID law in time for the Nov. 3 elections. In court filings Thursday, the Justice Department and civil rights groups asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to allow a lower court to immediately start working on an interim remedy to the law passed in 2011 by the state's Republican-led Legislature. A three-judge panel at the 5th Circuit ruled in part earlier this month that Texas' strict voter ID measure violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The 5th Circuit bounced a portion of the case back to a federal court in Corpus Christi and instructed it to correct the law ahead of the upcoming elections while the rest of the case works through the courts. The 5th Circuit noted the lower court should craft a remedy that would "avoid election eve uncertainties and emergencies." However, the 5th Circuit is set to retain jurisdiction of the case until Sept. 28. The Justice Department and the civil rights groups argue that timeline might not allow for an interim solution to be put in place across the state for early voting, which starts Oct. 19. They've asked the 5th Circuit to allow the federal court in Corpus Christi to come up with a fix earlier.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:34:42+00:00August 24th, 2015|Early Voting, In the Courts, News, Voter ID|

Kentucky Judge-Executive Hires Man Convicted of Vote Buying

Magoffin County Judge-Executive Charles "Doc" Hardin has hired a man with a felony vote-buying conviction to be an administrative assistant in his office. Randy Salyer was convicted in federal court of buying votes in the November 2010 general election. A judge ordered Salyer to report to prison in January 2012. He was released in July 2013, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. Hardin, whose 2014 re-election has been contested in court, announced at a fiscal court meeting Aug. 19 that he had hired Salyer. The decision didn't sit well with some. "It's a slap in the face to everyone in our county and to the judicial system," said Magistrate Matt Wireman. "It's unbelievable." Wireman said he was surprised by the decision. However, Hardin had the authority to hire Salyer without approval from magistrates, Wireman said.

ACRU Staff2015-08-24T16:13:56+00:00August 24th, 2015|News|

Justice Department May Try to Settle ID Part of Voter Law Suit

Charlotte --The U.S. Justice Department and others suing over North Carolina's 2013 election overhaul are looking to settle one part of their case: voter ID. Republican state lawmakers watered down the ID provision this summer, just before a federal trial on the overhaul began. Now there's a list of acceptable excuses for not having an ID, including lack of transportation or disability. So the Justice Department, the League of Women Voters and other plaintiffs are finalizing a settlement offer for that part of the case.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:35:34+00:00August 20th, 2015|In the Courts, News, Voter ID|

Another ACLU Attack on Election Reforms

By Robert Knight Although people in the nation's smallest state can obtain photo voter IDs with ease, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) says that requiring an ID in order to vote is a hardship. The group's Rhode Island chapter has demanded an end to the photo voter ID law that a solidly Democratic legislature enacted in 2011. It's the latest attack by the ACLU and other leftist groups against state election reforms that are specifically designed to prevent vote fraud. Over the past few years, courts have struck down laws in Arkansas, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Texas, while upholding them in Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio and Wisconsin. In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Indiana's photo voter ID law, which has been a model for other states. North Carolina's voter ID law, which also curbs early voting and ends out of precinct voting and same-day registration, went to trial in late July in a federal court.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:37:08+00:00August 17th, 2015|ACRU Commentary, Early Voting, Same-Day Registration, Vote Fraud, Voter ID|

Does Rhode Island Have an Identity Crisis?

By Susan A. Carleson Although Rhode Island residents can easily get a photo voter ID, requiring one at a polling place suppresses "minority, low-income, disabled, and elderly voters," according to the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). So, of course, the ACLU has demanded an end to the state's photo voter ID law enacted by a Democratic legislature in 2011. Anyone living in Rhode Island who wants to get a free voter ID can get one. All you have to do is provide an employee ID card; an ID card provided by a commercial establishment; a credit or debit card; a military ID card; a student ID card; a health club ID card; an insurance plan ID card; or a public housing ID card. Don't have one of those forms of identification? No problem!

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:36:34+00:00August 15th, 2015|ACRU Commentary, Voter ID|

List of Voter Fraud Cases Keeps Growing

The Heritage Foundation's list of nearly 300 documented cases of voter fraud in the United States continues to grow. Recent additions reveal that voter fraud is not just an individual or isolated crime; in some counties and communities, election fraud is almost a way of life. These additions again reinforce the need for measures such as voter ID laws and procedures designed to verify the accuracy of voter registration information are needed to prevent these crimes in the first place. Take East Chicago, Ind., for example, a town made infamous by the extensive voter fraud that occurred there in the 2003 Democratic mayoral primary election. The Daily Signal is the multimedia news organization of The Heritage Foundation. We'll respect your inbox and keep you informed. The fraud was so pervasive that the Indiana Supreme Court overturned the results of the primary and ordered a new special election that resulted in a different winner. A local judge found "direct, competent, and convincing evidence" that supporters of the election's apparent victor, incumbent Mayor Robert Pastrick, orchestrated an elaborate scheme of absentee ballot fraud.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:36:57+00:00August 12th, 2015|Absentee / Mail-in Voting, ACRU Commentary, Vote Fraud, Voter ID|

How the Latest Federal Court Ruling Affects Texas’ Voter ID Law

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - A federal appeals court declared that Texas' strict 2011 voter ID law has a "discriminatory effect" on minorities and violates the Voting Rights Act. But the three-judge panel's unanimous, 49-page decision also overturned a lower court's previous assertion that the law amounted to an unconstitutional "poll tax." Here's a closer look at the Wednesday ruling, the law and where the case stands now.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:34:42+00:00August 7th, 2015|In the Courts, News, Voter ID|

Will Supreme Court End Political Subsidy to Illegal Aliens?

By J. Christian Adams The United States Supreme Court has been asked to end a political subsidy to aliens through the use of alien population in allocating legislative seats. In a case arising out of the decision by Texas to count aliens -- illegal and legal -- in drawing legislative districts, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether using aliens violates the principle of "one person, one vote." The case is Evenwel vs. Abbott. Currently, many states count aliens when establishing the population of legislative districts, therefore diluting the legislative clout of citizens. Legislative districts -- whether for Congress, a state legislature, or a county council -- must be more or less equal in population. The case before the Supreme Court will decide what population must be used to calculate that "population." If Texas prevails, illegal aliens and noncitizens may be counted. This means areas with high alien population will dilute the legislative clout of areas where the residents are almost all citizens.

ACRU Staff2015-08-06T11:46:12+00:00August 6th, 2015|ACRU Commentary|

Evenwel v. Abbott

The Supreme Court has an opportunity to determine whether only [...]

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:38:03+00:00August 5th, 2015|ACRU Amicus Briefs, In the Courts, Proof of Citizenship, Voter ID|

Election Reform in North Carolina and the Myth of Voter Suppression

By Hans von Spakovsky In 2013, North Carolina passed omnibus electoral reform legislation that, among other provisions, eliminated same-day registration, required that qualified persons who desire to vote in an election must register to vote no later than 25 days before Election Day, reduced the number of early voting days from 17 to 10, and created a voter ID requirement. Although opponents of this bill predicted that such reforms would disenfranchise minority voters and significantly suppress voter turnout, turnout actually increased. African-American voter turnout increased by almost 30 percent and Caucasian voter turnout increased by approximately 15 percent. Clearly, these changes did not suppress voter turnout.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:36:57+00:00August 4th, 2015|ACRU Commentary, Early Voting, Same-Day Registration, Voter ID|

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