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Kansas, Arizona Seek to Have Feds Require Citizenship on Forms

(CNSNews.com) - The Secretaries of State of Kansas and Arizona are trying to force the federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to change federal voter registration forms, which do not require documented proof of U.S. citizenship, to match their state forms, which do. Their lawsuit (Kobach, Bennett v EAC) is scheduled to be heard next week in U.S. District Court in Wichita.

Voting Machines Installed in All 75 Arkansas Counties

Arkansas Secretary of State Mark Martin recently announced that the implementation of the state's photo-ID system is complete. The Secretary of State's office provided Voter ID systems to each of Arkansas's 75 counties, allowing each county clerk's office to produce photo identification cards at no charge for voters who don't have them. "This project has put counties in compliance with the requirements of Act 595 of 2013. It also provides additional integrity to our electoral system," Martin said. Act 595 requires that, as of Jan. 1, 2014, voters show photographic proof of identity.

Virginia Rushing to Get Ready for Voter Photo ID Law

With implementation of Virginia's new voter ID law seven months away, state election officials are scrambling to affordably create a photo ID card that will be provided to voters for free. They also are gearing up to educate the public about the law that will take effect July 1.

Effort to Reinstate Preclearance for Election Laws Stalls

WASHINGTON -- When the Supreme Court struck down a key part of the Voting Rights Act in June, Democrats and civil rights activists vowed to breathe new life into the landmark law. Six months later, they haven't gotten very far. Efforts in Congress to restore preclearance, the process by which the Justice Department reviews state election law changes for their effect on minorities, have stalled. And though a lawsuit aims to restore review of Texas based on allegations of recent discrimination, it's months away from a hearing.

West Virginia County’s Vote Fraud, Political Corruption Yield Convictions

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said he believes the epidemic of political corruption in Mingo County has probably been stopped as a result of recent efforts by his office and others. Goodwin was in a federal courtroom on Dec. 2 when former Mingo County Magistrate Dallas Toler pleaded guilty to federal vote fraud. Toler is the fourth now former Mingo County elected official to plead guilty to various charges in recent months.

Drugs, Vote Fraud Led to Corruption in Eastern Kentucky

There was a time when vote fraud was so pervasive in Clay County that a lot of honest people saw no reason to vote, said Ken Bolin, pastor of Manchester Baptist Church. "They knew it was already bought and paid for," Bolin said of local races. Vote-buying is deeply rooted in Eastern Kentucky's political culture, helping to make the region a hot spot for federal public-corruption cases. From 2002 through 2011, there were 237 public-corruption convictions in the federal Eastern District of Kentucky, compared to 65 in the western district, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. It wasn't the first decade in which the eastern half of the state had one of the highest rates of corruption convictions per capita in the United States. Read more here: https://www.kentucky.com/2013/11/30/2963131/decades-of-poverty-and-vote-buying.html#storylink=cpy

Wisconsin House Passes Another Voter ID Bill

MADISON -- The Wisconsin Assembly approved the new voter ID measure by a 54-38 vote, with all Republicans supporting it and all Democrats opposed. The measure requires that voters without a photo ID could still cast ballots if they bring a sworn statement to polling places stating they are too poor to afford a photo ID, could not obtain a birth certificate or other necessary documentation, or have a religious objection to being photographed. The Republican-controlled Legislature previously approved a voter ID law in 2011, but it was blocked by judges in two different cases.

Wisconsin Trial over Voter ID Law Underway

A federal trial began on Nov. 4 over Wisconsin's voter ID law. The trial involves two cases and is expected to last two weeks. A Dane County judge in a different case has already blocked the law, but opponents of voter ID are pursuing the federal litigation in an attempt to ensure the requirement never goes back into effect. Minorities and senior citizens testified Monday about costly and time-consuming difficulties they faced in getting photo identification as they pressed their case to permanently invalidate Wisconsin's voter ID law. Assistant attorneys general defended the law in court, saying requiring IDs was a reasonable way to curb fraud and maintain public confidence in the way the state runs elections.

Five More Plead Guilty in Kentucky Vote Fraud Case

LEXINGTON -- Five former officials in Clay County have pleaded guilty to charges in a case that alleged widespread vote fraud, bringing the case to a close. Three others charged in the case previously pleaded guilty. All eight were charged with being part of a racketeering conspiracy that used the county Board of Elections as a tool to buy or steal votes in 2002, 2004 and 2006.