Issues Archives - Page 176 of 222 - Voting Integrity Institute

Heloise Gets It about How to Prevent Vote Fraud

The household advice column "Hints from Heloise" weighed in this week on the importance of accurate voter registration rolls: Dear Heloise: In 2012, my father died, and in 2014, I was still getting voter mailings in his name. I went to the voter-registration office in our town and had his name removed. I also checked when we went to vote to make sure his name was removed. I did the same last year for my mother. By doing this, no one can use their names to vote. - Nancy J. in North Carolina Dear Nancy: I am sorry about the loss of both of your parents in such a short time. Hopefully others reading this hint will keep this in mind. It's amazing how many dead people vote, in every state. The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 requires that every state "make reasonable efforts to remove persons who have died," but there is no set standard for doing this. Each state is different, so take the time to make sure a deceased person's name is no longer on the roll. Notify your voter-registration office yourself, and follow up when you go to vote. - Hugs, Heloise

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:38:01+00:00April 5th, 2016|ACRU Commentary, Vote Fraud, Voter ID|

Supreme Court: Count Illegals in Legislative Districting

A unanimous Supreme Court ruled Monday that illegal immigrants and other noncitizens can be counted when states draw their legislative districts, shooting down a challenge by Texas residents who said their own voting power was being diluted. The ruling does not grant noncitizens the power to vote, but says the principle of one person, one vote doesn't require localities to only count those who are actually eligible to vote when they are deciding how many people to put inside of each district. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, writing for the court, said even though only eligible voters are supposed to cast ballots, elected officials represent all people within their districts, and it is that act of representation, not the election itself, that the boundaries are drawn to.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:38:01+00:00April 5th, 2016|In the Courts, News, Voter ID|

Voter ID Laws Do Not Suppress the Vote

By Hans von Spakovsky Polls consistently show that Americans -- regardless of race or ethnicity -- agree that requiring identification to vote is a common-sense way to ensure the integrity of our elections. The repeated narrative pushed by critics that this "suppresses" votes is a myth. That claim has been disproven by the turnout results in states such as Georgia and Indiana, whose voter ID laws have been in place for years. In fact, these states experienced almost no problems despite apocalyptic predictions of opponents. The number of Americans who don't already have an ID is minuscule -- and every state with a voter ID law gives a free ID to anyone who can't afford one. Opponents who say there is no voter fraud are wrong. As the Supreme Court noted in 2008 when it upheld Indiana's photo ID law, we have a long, documented history of voter fraud in this country -- and it could make the difference in a close election. That is why states should also be requiring proof-of-citizenship to register to prevent non-citizens from illegally voting.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:34:41+00:00April 4th, 2016|ACRU Commentary, Proof of Citizenship, Vote Fraud, Voter ID|

Florida Mayor, Two Others, Indicted for Vote Fraud

ORLANDO --The mayor of Eatonville and two others face a host of charges in connection with an election fraud investigation. News of the indictment came as the grand jury looking into the case concluded its service Monday. Mayor Anthony Grant is accused of offering bribes in exchange for absentee votes -- allegations the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has investigated. "These three people conspired together to essentially present votes as if they were legitimate," said State Attorney Jeff Ashton. "That is the allegation in a number of the counts." Grant turned himself into authorities Monday night and is in the custody of the Orange County Jail. The two others named in the indictment, James Randolph and Mia Nowells, are also in custody. Officials said Randolph and Nowells worked for or with Grant during the election. "This indictment is the culmination of a one-year investigation," Ashton said. In a news conference, Ashton said Grant, along with his two alleged co-conspirators, Nowells and Randolph, is accused of either telling people how to vote or intimidating people to influence how they voted on their absentee ballots in last year's election.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:19:28+00:00March 31st, 2016|Absentee / Mail-in Voting, News, Vote Fraud|

West Virginia May Permit Auto Voter Signup

CHARLESTON (AP) - A push to automatically sign up voters that began with new laws in Oregon and California will soon likely hit a third, notably less liberal state - West Virginia. The proposed change has taken a less-than-conventional route to the governor's desk. After condemning a Republican voter ID bill as the "voter suppression act," Democrats offered an amendment to include automatic registration when people get driver's licenses or IDs. The Republican-led Legislature accepted it without much resistance. The reception was much cooler on the West Coast - only one Republican in California and none in Oregon voted for similar automatic registration setups. And in New Jersey, Republican Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a similar proposal cleared by Democrats last year. But West Virginia's Republican Senate president had only positive things to say. "If managed properly, automatic registration is a great benefit to our citizens and will encourage more people to go to the polls," said Senate President Bill Cole, R-Mercer.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:36:33+00:00March 31st, 2016|Automatic Registration, News, Voter ID|

Court Date Set for Texas Voter ID Law

A May 24th court date has been set to re-hear the case surrounding the Texas Voter ID law. In August, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeal ruled the law violates part of the Voting Rights Acts. However a majority of the full, 15-member court wants to reconsider the case. The voter ID law requires millions of registered voters to show a picture ID at the polls.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:34:41+00:00March 31st, 2016|In the Courts, News, Voter ID|

ACLU Sues Kansas over Proof-of-Citizenship Voting Law

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Tens of thousands of people in Kansas are being deprived of their right to vote, the American Civil Liberties Union argued in a lawsuit filed on Feb. 18 that challenged a state law requiring residents to show proof of citizenship when they register to vote. The suit is the latest to take direct aim at a three-year-old measure ushered into law by Secretary of State Kris W. Kobach, who has lobbied heavily over the years for measures that he said were needed to prevent non-citizens from casting ballots. The ACLU, arguing that fraud claims were unfounded, brought the class-action suit in federal court on behalf of six Kansas residents who said they were left off the voter rolls after registering at the state's Department of Motor Vehicles. Passed by its Republican-dominated legislature five years ago, the law requires residents to show proof of citizenship when they register.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:38:01+00:00March 19th, 2016|In the Courts, News, Press Releases, Proof of Citizenship, Vote Fraud, Voter ID|

CBS Evening News Sounds the Alarm Playing the Race Card Against Voter ID Laws

Amidst their voluminous Super Tuesday 3 coverage, the CBS Evening News found just over two minutes to trot out the tired liberal argument that voter ID laws, like the one in North Carolina, have a racist angle. Anchor Scott Pelley set the scene from the start of the segment before correspondent Mark Strassamann took over by making it clear that it would be a left-leaning piece on the issue: "In North Carolina, about 1,000 voters cast provisional ballots because they didn't have enough identification to meet the state's new, strict voter ID law. The law was passed even though voter fraud is almost unknown there. Opponents say the law is meant to silence minority voters."

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:34:41+00:00March 16th, 2016|ACRU Commentary, Vote Fraud, Voter ID|

Non-Citizen Voting Case Pits Justice Department Against States that Require Proof-of-Citizenship

By Hans von Spakovsky The free-for-all boxing match between the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the League of Women Voters, the NAACP, Kansas, and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) resumed on Wednesday, March 9. They're tussling over the right of states to require proof-of-citizenship from people using the federal voter registration form. In Courtroom 18 of the D.C. federal courthouse, Judge Richard Leon presided over a sometimes contentious hearing on the plaintiffs' request for a preliminary injunction that would rescind the Election Assistance Commission's change of the instructions on the federal voter registration form to accommodate a request by Kansas. The Sunflower State wants the form to note that Kansans wishing to register must meet a proof-of-citizenship requirement. At the first hearing in this case on Feb. 22, Leon refused to grant a temporary restraining order requested by the League of Women Voters and the NAACP, the plaintiffs who don't want the Election Assistance Commission to mention proof-of-citizenship. Justice Department Unwilling to Defend Election Assistance Commission Normally, the Justice Department would be expected to defend the Election Assistance Commission in court. Instead, the Justice Department lawyers tried to throw the case by agreeing to a temporary restraining order. Leon expressed astonishment at the Department of Justice's behavior, calling it "unprecedented" and "extraordinary." Rather than take that as a warning about the Department of Justice's potentially unethical and unprofessional behavior in refusing to carry out its duty to defend its client, the Federal Programs Branch came into this week's hearing once again trying to lose the case.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:38:01+00:00March 15th, 2016|ACRU Commentary, Proof of Citizenship, Voter ID|

Court to Hear Appeal of Ruling Striking Down Texas Voter ID Law

AUSTIN -- The full 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will to hear arguments on the constitutionality of the Texas voter identification law, the court said late Wednesday. The move, in response to a request by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, is the latest step in a case that seems destined for the U.S. Supreme Court. Last year, a panel of three judges on the appeals court issued a complicated ruling that largely was applauded by the plaintiffs in the case -- which include several civil rights groups and U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth -- when it said the state's voter ID law violates the U.S. Voting Rights Act through its discriminatory effects. The panel affirmed a portion of a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos of Corpus Christi, rejected another piece of it and sent other portions back to the lower court for further review. Later that month, Paxton asked the whole court to rehear the case, Veasey v. Abbott. In its order Wednesday, the court didn't specify a date to hear the case. Paxton responded Wednesday by saying the order "is a strong step forward" in the state's defense of the law. "Safeguarding the integrity of our elections is a primary function of state government and is essential to preserving our democratic process," he said in a statement. "We look forward to presenting our case before the full Fifth Circuit." Chad Dunn, an attorney for the lead plaintiff, said he looks forward to presenting the case. "So far, seven federal judges have already struck down Texas' voter photo identification law because it is the most complicated, discriminatory and burdensome such law in the country," he said.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:34:41+00:00March 12th, 2016|News, Voter ID|

SUBSCRIBE