News
States Seek Right to Ask New Voters for Citizenship Proof
States are vowing to go to the courts for permission to ask newly registered voters to show proof of citizenship after a federal commission ruled late Friday that it's up to the national government, not states, to decide what to include on registration forms. Under the motor-voter law, federal officials distribute voter-registration forms in all of the states. Arizona, Kansas and Georgia all asked that those forms request proof of citizenship, but the federal Election Assistance Commission rejected that in a 46-page ruling released late Friday, just ahead of a court-imposed deadline.
Judge Strikes Down Pennsylvania Photo ID Law
A Pennsylvania judge on Jan. 17 struck down the state's voter ID law, which was signed in early 2012 and is one of the strictest in the nation, ruling that the statute "unreasonably burdens the right to vote." "Voting laws are designed to assure a free and fair election; the Voter ID Law does not further this goal," Commonwealth Court Judge Bernard McGinley wrote.Pennsylvania's law requires all voters to bring to the polls identification issued by the state government or the U.S. government, or another valid credential such as a student ID with an expiration date, in order to cast their vote. If a would-be voter does not have an appropriate ID, that person can cast a provisional ballot and the vote will be counted if an adequate ID is brought to the local elections office within six days. The state's Republican-led Legislature passed the law in spring 2012, saying it would help prevent voter fraud, and GOP Gov. Tom Corbett signed it shortly thereafter.
Sensenbrenner Works with Far Left Groups on Voting Rights Act
Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) this week announced his intention to pass a bill "reforming" the Voting Rights Act. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act last year. As J. Christian Adams reported: " [Sensenbrenner's bill would] radically expand federal power over state elections. It would give Attorney General Eric Holder expansive new federal powers over state elections, including the ability to barge into polling places to monitor the use of foreign language election materials. It would also give Holder the power to block election integrity measures like Voter ID and citizenship verification." Holder has earned a reputation for being one of the most partisan attorneys general in American history, litigating against states that have chosen to adopt election security reforms including voter ID. On Friday, Jan. 17, Sensenbrenner was to hold a conference call to discuss his bill. He was to be joined on the call by far-left leaders, including Nancy Zirkin of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Deborah Vagins of the ACLU, and Tanya Clay House, from the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law.
Texas Vote Buying Schemes in the Spotlight
Donna, TX -- Three women working as politiqueras in the 2012 elections in Donna were arrested by F.B.I. agents in December and accused of giving residents cash, drugs, beer and cigarettes in exchange for their votes. According to court documents, the typical payment to a voter was $10, a sign of the extreme poverty in the Rio Grande Valley, which is home to some of the poorest counties in America. Two of the three women -- Rebecca Gonzalez and Guadalupe Escamilla -- are accused of paying some voters as little as $3 for each of their votes. One voter was given a pack of cigarettes. Others were taken to buy drugs after they received cash for voting for a politiquera's candidate.
Fighting Voter ID Laws Is Part of Massive Liberal Plan
A month after President Barack Obama won reelection, top brass from three dozen of the most powerful groups in liberal politics met at the headquarters of the National Education Association (NEA), a few blocks north of the White House. ' At the end of the day, many of the attendees closed with a pledge of money and staff resources to build a national, coordinated campaign around three goals: getting big money out of politics, expanding the voting rolls while fighting voter ID laws, and rewriting Senate rules to curb the use of the filibuster to block legislation. The groups in attendance pledged a total of millions of dollars and dozens of organizers to form a united front.
Tea Party Pushing Voter ID in California
California conservatives and Tea Partiers have launched a campaign to pass a voter ID measure via ballot initiative, sidelining the state's Democratic-controlled legislature. The California Secretary of State's office announced on Dec. 31 that proponents of a measure that would require voters to present "government-issued photo-identification" can begin collecting the 504,760 signatures needed to put it on the ballot in November. They have until the end of May to gather the signatures. The campaign is being led by Elise Richmond, a southern California talk show host and conservative Republican activist.
Elections Will Test New Voter ID Law in Arkansas
LITTLE ROCK -- Three special elections in January will test Arkansas' new voter ID law that took effect Wednesday. On Jan. 14, voters in Craighead County will elect a state senator to replace Sen. Paul Bookout, who resigned in August after he was cited by the Arkansas Ethics Commission. Poll workers will be trained about the law before the election, Craighead County Election Commissioner Scott McDaniel told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The voter-identification requirement was approved by the Legislature during the 2013 session. Previously, poll workers asked voters for identification but voters were not required to produce it before casting a ballot.
Mississippi Counties Prepare for New Photo ID Law
MCCOMB, Miss. -- Circuit court clerks in Pike, Amite and Walthall counties say their offices are prepared for Mississippi's new voter ID law, which goes into effect in January. The exact date for when voter ID cards will be issued will be clearer when the clerks travel in mid-January to a training session with Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann in Jackson.
Texas Voting Rate Increased after Photo ID Law
The Economist magazine has noticed a fact that has been available to anyone who took the time to check it for more than a month: After passing voter ID, the voting rate in Texas increased. By a lot. [T]he results of the November elections in Texas surprised both sides. More than 1.1m Texans voted: turnout was two-thirds higher than in the previous off-year election. Whatever Democrats say, that hardly suggests widespread voter suppression. Republicans note that it is not hard to get a photo ID: Texans without driving licences can get voter-ID cards free from the state. Or they can use their concealed-handgun licence, naturally.
Two Women in Iowa Charged with Vote Fraud
Two women are facing charges of election misconduct in Muscatine County. The Iowa Secretary of State's Office says that Mayra Lopez Morales and Sylvia Rada registered to vote and did vote in the 2012 general election, but are not U.S. citizens.