News
Democrats Sue over Virginia Voter ID Law
Virginia Democrats filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging the state's voter ID law, joining an effort backed by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton to overturn voting rules in several swing states ahead of the 2016 elections. The Democratic Party of Virginia said in the lawsuit that the photo ID requirement, which was approved by the Republican-run legislature, would make it difficult for residents to vote. "The commonwealth voted strongly to support Democrats in recent national elections. After Republicans determined they couldn't change the minds of the electorate, they decided to change the makeup of the electorate instead by making it more difficult for Virginians to exercise their right to vote," Susan Swecker, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Virginia, said in a statement. Similar arguments have been raised in lawsuits challenging GOP-backed voter ID laws in presidential battleground states of Ohio and Wisconsin. Opponents of voter ID laws claim they disproportionally stops blacks, Hispanics and poor Americans from voting. Proponents argue that the laws are a safeguard against voter fraud. But there has been scant evidence of either widespread voter fraud or that the laws cause widespread problems with access to voting. "This is another politically-motivated lawsuit funded by George Soros and out of state interest groups who are seeking to manipulate the court system in order to benefit the Democratic Party," said Virginia House Speaker William J. Howell. Mr. Soros has pledged to spend as much as $5 million trying to overturn voter ID laws and other election rules ahead of next year's elections.
Clinton Calls for Sweeping Expansion of Voting Registration
HOUSTON -- Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday called for sweeping changes in national voter-access laws aimed at making it easier for young people and minorities to take part in elections, putting her on a collision course with Republicans who say such measures are a political ploy that would lead to widespread abuses. In a speech at a historically black college here, Clinton called for federal legislation that would automatically register Americans to vote at age 18 and would mandate at least 20 days of early voting ahead of election days in all states. Making her most fiercely partisan political speech since her first, failed run for president in 2008, Clinton attacked Republicans for what she characterized as a calculated attempt to turn back the clock on voting rights -- and called out several potential 2016 opponents by name for backing voter restrictions as governors.
Rasmussen Poll: Nearly 8 in 10 Back Voter ID
Despite Democratic charges that conservative states and politicians are engaging in discrimination by demanding that voters show identification, more than three-quarters of likely voters believe photo ID laws are needed. A new Rasmussen Reports poll out Wednesday found support for photo ID laws at 76 percent, nearly exactly the 78 percent support registered in 2006 when the latest movement to scrap the laws kicked off. President Obama and several top Democrats have accused Republicans of attempting to keep minorities from the polls with the photo requirement, but even their own party faithful don't agree. Rasmussen found that 58 percent of Democrats believe a photo ID must be shown before voting. Ninety-two percent of Republicans and 78 percent of voters not affiliated with either major party support photo ID rules.
Majority Rejects Counting Illegals When Districting
The U.S. Supreme Court has just agreed to hear a case challenging how Texas sets up state legislative districts. The filed a friend of the court brief in that case. Texas currently counts everyone in the state, including illegal immigrants, before carving up districts of proportional population size, but the challenge argues that only eligible voters should be counted because the current system creates some districts with much larger numbers of eligible voters than others. Sixty-six percent (66%) of voters in a Rasmussen survey agree with the legal challenge and say states should only count eligible voters when setting the size of legislative districts for voting purposes. Just 23% favor the current system in Texas that counts all residents including illegal immigrants. Eleven percent (11%) are not sure.
Most Democrats Think Illegal Immigrants Should Be Allowed to Vote
Are voters ready to let illegal immigrants vote? A sizable number, including most Democrats, are. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that one-out-of-three Likely U.S. Voters (35%) now believes that illegal immigrants should be allowed to vote if they can prove they live in this country and pay taxes. Sixty percent (60%) disagree, while five percent (5%) are undecided. Fifty-three percent (53%) of Democrats think tax-paying illegal immigrants should have the right to vote. Twenty-one percent (21%) of Republicans and 30% of voters not affiliated with either major political party agree.
Crucial Texas Voting Case to Be Heard
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 26, 2015) -- The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to states giving more political power to areas with high illegal alien populations. In a brief filed in March, the (ACRU) argued that Texas and a U.S. District Court erred in approving state senate districts based on "total population" rather than on eligible citizen voters. "Total population" includes illegal aliens. Counting non-voters, including illegal aliens, when assessing the size of senate districts, gives citizens living in areas with high numbers of illegal aliens more senate seats than areas with mostly U.S. citizens, the ACRU says in the brief, filed on behalf of the plaintiffs in Evenwel and Pfenninger v. Abbott et al. The ACRU brief notes that even the United States Department of Justice uses only citizen population in allocating legislative seats in redistricting litigation. "The current Texas method violates the one-man, one-vote concept that ensures fair elections," said ACRU President Susan A. Carleson. "We're pleased that the Court is taking the case."
New Hampshire Supreme Court Strikes Down Voter ID Law
CONCORD, N.H. --The New Hampshire Supreme Court on May 15 upheld a lower court ruling that struck down a 2012 voter registration law, saying language that links voting to getting a driver's license is unconstitutional and could discourage some people from casting ballots. The court, in a unanimous decision, said because the language is confusing and inaccurate, and because it could cause an otherwise qualified voter not to register to vote in New Hampshire, "the burden it imposes upon the fundamental right to vote is unreasonable."
New Hampshire Bill Would Require 30-day Residency
A bill has been passed by the New Hampshire state Senate that would require voters to reside in the state for 30 days before becoming eligible to vote. Senate Bill 179 was passed by the Republican-controlled state Senate in a party-line vote, and is currently in committee in the House. New Hampshire law currently permits same-day voter registration. The legislation would amend the way the state defines "domicile" to require that a voter reside in the Granite State for "no less than 30 consecutive days" before they become eligible to cast a ballot. Supporters argue that a residency requirement would reduce voter fraud.
Dems Push for Same-Day Voting
Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) want every state to offer same-day voter registration for federal elections. The Democratic senators have reintroduced the Same Day Registration Act, which would require states to allow voters to register on the day of an election. Ten states, plus the District of Columbia, currently allow eligible voters to do so, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In addition, the group notes that Illinois is expected to implement statewide same-day voter registration later this year. Advocates argue it can help increase voter turnout, while opponents say it increases the chances for voting fraud. Klobuchar said the legislation would help "foster" the right to vote. "The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy," she said in a statement. "We should be doing everything we can to foster this right."
The Obama Administration Blocks Efforts to Stop Non-Citizen Voting
Approximately 6.4 percent of non-citizens voted in the 2008 presidential election, according to a study released last year by professors at Old Dominion University and George Mason University. The figure for the 2010 midterm elections was 2.2 percent. The Obama administration doesn't care. In fact, it is trying to stamp out state-led efforts that would help ensure that only American citizens are electing our leaders. The latest bureaucratic roadblocks have been erected in Arizona and Kansas, which simply want people to verify their citizenship before voting. To implement their commonsense measures, Arizona and Kansas asked the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) -- a small federal agency that exists primarily to assist the states in creating the federal form citizens use to register to vote by mail -- to add the proof-of-citizenship requirement to the registration instructions specific to Arizona and Kansas. Their request was denied because of the decision of one federal employee in Washington, D.C. Arizona and Kansas sued. A commonsense victory at the district court was overturned by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the fight to restore election integrity has now arrived at the Supreme Court, which is being asked to reverse the decision by the EAC and allow Kansas and Arizona to ensure that only citizens vote in their states. Last week, the Public Interest Legal Foundation filed a brief, on behalf of the , supporting Supreme Court review. The brief explains to the Supreme Court that the so-called safeguards of the federal registration form have unequivocally failed to prevent non-citizen registration.