Voter ID Archives - Page 120 of 147 - Voting Integrity Institute

The Voter Suppression Myth Takes Another Hit

Federal lawsuits against North Carolina claim that recent changes to the state's election laws will "suppress" minority votes. For example, in N.C. State Conf. of NAACP v. McCrory, plaintiffs assert that the new laws "impose a disproportionate burden on the ability of African Americans to vote" and will "raise costs for voters and deter participation." They highlight testimony by a former director of the State Board of Elections who asserted that the laws will "ultimately reduc[e] turnout in comparison to comparable elections." Turnout data for the 2014 election, posted Dec. 10 on the state's Board of Elections website, tell a different story. Black turnout and registration for the November 2014 election increased by every relevant measure compared with November 2010, the last non-presidential general election. Last July, North Carolina adopted electoral reforms that eliminated same-day registration, reduced the number of days of early voting to 10 from 17, and required ballots to be cast in a voter's home precinct. It also instituted a voter-ID requirement that will take full effect in 2016. Two sets of plaintiffs, led by the NAACP and the League of Women Voters, sued in federal court on Aug. 12, 2013. They were followed a few weeks later by the Justice Department. Attorney General Eric Holder asserted that the state's new laws would restrict "access and ease of voter participation" and "would shrink, rather than expand, access to the franchise." All three suits alleged that the reforms will inflict "burdens" on North Carolina voters--and in particular, on minority voters. These allegations were backed by reams of expert reports submitted by social scientists predicting that these burdens would depress voter registration and turnout. One expert in the Justice Department lawsuit claimed that more than 200,000 black voters, along with 700,000 white voters, would be "burdened" in an off-year election. Another expert concluded that particular provisions "will lower turnout overall" and "will have a disparate impact on African-American voters." Those predictions were not borne out. The 2014 elections were the first test of the impact of North Carolina's new laws, including a "soft rollout" of its voter-ID requirement--under which poll workers asked voters if they had ID and if not, to acknowledge the new requirement in writing. Board of Elections data showed that the percentage of age-eligible, non-Hispanic black residents who turned out to vote in North Carolina rose to 41.1% in November 2014 from 38.5% in November 2010.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:36:58+00:00December 29th, 2014|Early Voting, News, Same-Day Registration, Voter ID|

Pa. Legislator Seeks Again to Impeach State Attorney General

Rep. Daryl Metcalfe has renewed his call to impeach Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane for what he called "blatant disregard and disrespect for the law." The Republican, who represents Butler County, had introduced a similar resolution last year after Kane refused to defend Pennsylvania's marriage law. That law was eventually overturned in the courts. On Monday, Metcalfe circulated a memo to his House colleagues seeking co-sponsors for a new resolution calling for Kane's impeachment. The memo comes after a difficult week for Kathleen Kane, in which a grand jury rejected her claims that charges against Philadelphia lawmakers who allegedly took bribes to oppose a voter ID law could not be pursued because the investigation was racially motivated. That presentment spurred public criticism from Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams and U.S. Rep. Robert Brady, chairman of the Philadelphia Democratic Party. An exerpt from Rep. Metcalfe's memo: "During the public hearing, testifier J. Christian Adams, Policy Board member of the , observed,'It is the obligation of the Attorney General to ignore the race, religion or partisan affiliation of wrongdoers in deciding whether to enforce the law.' Because the Attorney General raised the specter of racial targeting in announcing her decision not to continue the investigation, she has not met this obligation. In contrast, the outcome of DA Williams' efforts has, thus far, proven that such investigations can be successfully conducted without partisan or racial considerations. In recent comments on the investigation, Williams stated, 's an African American and as a law enforcement official, I was disgusted that the Attorney General would bring racism into this case.'"

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:37:09+00:00December 22nd, 2014|News, Voter ID|

Pennsylvania Legislator Was Paid to Oppose Voter ID Law, Grand Jury Alleges

PHILADELPHIA -- Pennsylvania State Rep. Ron Waters was charged Dec. 16 with allegedly accepting a $8,750 bribe to oppose a voter ID bill and take other official actions on behalf of an informant. Waters, D-191, and state Rep. Vanessa Brown, D-190, both of Philadelphia, each were charged with criminal conspiracy, bribery in official and political matters, conflict of interest and for failing to make required disclosures on statements of financial interest. Waters and Brown were among four state lawmakers caught in an undercover sting investigation that state Attorney General Kathleen Kane declined to prosecute, claiming the case was flawed. Williams later requested the case, which was submitted to an ongoing Philadelphia investigative grand jury. Waters, who represents Darby Borough and parts of Yeadon, allegedly accepted nine payments totalng $8,750 from an informant between Oct. 22, 2010, and April 20, 2012, according to the findings of an investigative grand jury.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:34:44+00:00December 17th, 2014|In the Courts, News, Voter ID|

New Hampshire Secretary of State Warns of Potential Vote Fraud

New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner told WMUR that the state's same-day voter registration poses a threat to the integrity of the process. About 35,000 people registered and voted on Nov. 4. No ID was required, just a signature. Rep. Sharon Carson (R-Nashua), who is introducing legislation to impose a 30-day residency requirement, said, "We have a problem with drive-by voting."

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:38:05+00:00December 16th, 2014|News, Same-Day Registration, Vote Fraud, Voter ID|

Kansas Sec. State: Election Showed Voter ID Did Not Suppress Turnout

HUTCHINSON -- Secretary of State Kris Kobach boasted that 51 percent voter turnout in November 2014 showed that requirements to prevent voter fraud actually can improve turnout. Speaking Dec. 2 at the Patriot Freedom Alliance meeting in Hutchinson, Kobach pointed out that participation in the midterm general election in November 2010 - prior to the new voter rules - was 50 percent. Kobach successfully sought legislation to require voter photo identification, to add security for mail ballots, and to mandate proof of citizenship for new voters. Critics charged the law would suppress voter turnout. "The argument is dead," Kobach said. Kobach's selection of 2010 as a benchmark made 51 percent appear good. He didn't mention, though, the 52 percent turnout rate in the 2006 midterm, or the 53 percent turnout in 2002. He selected 2010 for comparison, he told the audience, because the election circumstances in 2010 were "extremely similar to this year," with interesting races. The country had an unpopular president in 2010 - President Obama - and Kansas had an open race for governor and the U.S. Senate on the ballot, Kobach said. In 2010, Kansans had a "very competitive" race for governor, and a "very competitive" Senate race, especially in the August 2010 primary but in the general election as well, Kobach said.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:34:44+00:00December 9th, 2014|News, Proof of Citizenship, Vote Fraud, Voter ID|

Politician Whose Son Is Senator’s Chief of Staff Urges Supporters to ‘Vote Twice’

Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu's chief-of-staff was present at an event held a day before the midterm election in which his father, a Louisiana mayor, urged people to vote twice in order to re-elect Landrieu. The Black Conservatives Fund published video of the event, recorded on Nov. 3, showing Opelousas mayor Don Cravins Sr. telling a crowd that if they had already cast an early voting ballot in the election that they should vote again. "If you early voted, go vote again tomorrow," Cravins Sr. told the crowd which was gathered at the Charcoal Lounge. Cravins Sr. is a former state senator and Democratic Party operative. He is currently facing a run-off against another Democrat. The mayor's son is Don Cravins Jr., Landrieu's chief-of-staff. According to the Black Conservatives Fund, he was present at the event when his father urged voters to engage in fraud. "One more time's not going to hurt," Cravins Sr. says. "Tomorrow we're going to elect Earl Taylor as D.A. so he won't prosecute you if you vote twice."

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:38:05+00:00December 1st, 2014|Early Voting, News, Vote Fraud, Voter ID|

Alabama Voter ID Law Worked, Sec. State Says

MONTGOMERY -- Secretary of State Jim Bennett said that Alabama's new photo voter ID law caused only a few inquiries to his office during the Nov. 4 election. The general election was the biggest test yet of the law, with 1.2 million people voting. It was in effect for the first time during the primaries in June. "We feel very good about the results of the implementation of that program," Bennett said. The Republican-led Legislature passed the law in 2011, saying it would help prevent voter fraud. Voters were already required to show an ID, but could use those with no photo, like a Social Security card or utility bill. Many Democrats opposed the law, saying it was intended to suppress the vote by making it harder on the elderly and people with no driver's license.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:34:44+00:00November 25th, 2014|News, Vote Fraud, Voter ID|

One in Eight Voter Registrations Is Flawed, O’Keefe Video Demonstrates

By John Fund Filmmaker James O'Keefe has yet again demonstrated just how vulnerable our election system is to fraud. A Pew Center on the States study in 2012 found that one out of eight voter registrations is inaccurate, out-of-date, or a duplicate. Some 2.8 million people are registered in two or more states, and 1.8 million registered voters are dead. So O'Keefe decided to take some of the 700,000 "inactive" voters the Voting Integrity Project says are on the rolls in North Carolina, the site of one of the nation's most hotly contested Senate races, and see just how easy it would be to obtain a ballot in their name. Sadly, it was child's play as his video demonstrates.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:35:35+00:00November 3rd, 2014|ACRU Commentary, Vote Fraud, Voter ID|

How to Fraud-Proof Elections

By Edwin Meese III and Ken Blackwell Once upon a time, Americans got together on Election Day, went to the polls, and chose our leaders. Voting on the same day helped bind us together as self-governing citizens in a free republic. It even felt like a national holiday -- Independence Day without the fireworks. Except for those traveling or who are infirm and who can use absentee ballots, Election Day puts everyone in the same boat. As a civic exercise in equality, it is unparalleled. It has the added advantage of making vote fraud more difficult, since there is a very short window in which to commit it. But over the past few decades, election laws have been relaxed in the name of convenience, with "reforms" such as early voting, same-day registration, Sunday and evening voting hours, no-excuse absentee voting and allowing out-of-precinct ballots. All of these increase the possibility of vote fraud. At the same time, despite a clear mandate in the National Voter Registration Act (also known as the Motor Voter Law) to keep accurate registrations, the system has grown lax; election authorities have left millions on the voter rolls who should not be there.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:38:05+00:00November 3rd, 2014|Absentee / Mail-in Voting, ACRU Commentary, Early Voting, Same-Day Registration, Vote Fraud, Voter ID|

Non-Citizens Are Voting

By John Fund Could non-citizen voting be a problem in next week's elections, and perhaps even swing some very close elections? A new study by two Old Dominion University professors, based on survey data from the Cooperative Congressional Election Study, indicated that 6.4 percent of all non-citizens voted illegally in the 2008 presidential election, and 2.2 percent in the 2010 midterms. Given that 80 percent of non-citizens lean Democratic, they cite Al Franken 's 312-vote win in the 2008 Minnesota U.S. Senate race as one likely tipped by non-citizen voting. As a senator, Franken cast the 60th vote needed to make Obamacare law. North Carolina features one of the closest Senate races in the country this year, between Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan and Republican Thom Tillis. So what guerrilla filmmaker James O'Keefe, the man who has uncovered voter irregularities in states ranging from Colorado to New Hampshire, has learned in North Carolina is disturbing. This month, North Carolina officials found at least 145 illegal aliens, still in the country thanks to the Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, registered to vote. Hundreds of other non-citizens may be on the rolls.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:38:05+00:00October 30th, 2014|News, Voter ID|

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