Issues Archives - Page 188 of 222 - Voting Integrity Institute

Wisconsin Is Ground Zero in Voter ID Fight

Wisconsin is not only an electoral battleground state, it is ground zero in the fight to ensure honest elections. Failing to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker in 2012 or to defeat him in the 2014 election, union-backed legal groups are continuing their efforts to try to make voter fraud easier to commit. Rebuffed by the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a petition at the U.S. Supreme Court asking the court to overturn Wisconsin's Voter ID law. On Thursday, Attorney General Brad Schimel's communications director Anne E. Schwartz responded to an email, saying only that, "We will continue to defend the Wisconsin Voter ID Law." Enacted in 2011, Act 23 requires voters to show one of several forms of photo identification before voting. Wisconsin is one of 17 states that have added a voter ID law following the Supreme Court's upholding of Indiana's photo ID law in 2008. A total of 34 states now require some form of ID to vote, according to the ACLU's petition.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:34:44+00:00January 19th, 2015|ACRU Commentary, Vote Fraud, Voter ID|

Grand Jury Recommends Charges Against Pa. Attorney General

A grand jury has recommended criminal charges against Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane. The grand jury found that she leaked secret grand jury information to a newspaper in an effort to smear political enemies. PJ Media has been covering Kane's refusal to prosecute Pennsylvania Democrats who took bribes in order to oppose photo voter identification legislation in Pennsylvania.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:37:08+00:00January 9th, 2015|ACRU Commentary, Voter ID|

New Mexico Legislator Seeks New Voter ID Law

ALBUQUERQUE - A state legislator is pushing for voter identification requirements in New Mexico. Cities and state around the country have enacted voter ID legislation. It's required in Albuquerque during city elections, and people in Hobbs recently passed a similar law. "Anybody who's not voting accurately by who they say they are, that's too many," Republican Rep. James Smith told KRQE News 13. Smith filed a bill that would require voters to produce government-issued photo IDs with some exceptions. People who don't bring their ID could still vote if they gave a social security number and date of birth. Smith's proposal would change not only how you vote in person, but also by mail. "This bill covers absentee ballots as well, where you have to prove who you are over absentee ballots and if there is a place for voter fraud, it's more likely in the absentee or the registration than it is in in person voting," Smith said.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:34:44+00:00January 5th, 2015|Absentee / Mail-in Voting, News, Vote Fraud, Voter ID|

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|

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