There are three legs to voter suppression in Arizona — so far.
All initiated by Republican election officials.
First, giving the wrong date for the election in Spanish. Even if you think all voters should speak English, you cannot countenance telling people who prefer Spanish the wrong date.
Second, publicly announcing that people commit a felony when they receive ballots from other people in order to turn the ballots in. There will be tens of thousands of such ballots received by thousands of people including relatives, friends, neighbors and various organizations. And, it just is not true that receiving someone else’s ballot and turning it in for them is illegal.
The third leg of voter suppression in Arizona is aimed at students. The Supreme Court ruled that Arizona’s requirement to provide proof of citizenship in order to register to vote was unlawful. Accordingly thousands of students at ASU registered using the federal form since many do not have Arizona driver’s licenses.
Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell is holding these registrations in “suspense.” What higher court is she looking to? In the meantime, she is
not sending mail-in ballots to these students and not sending them information about where their polling places are, sample ballots, elections guides or anything else — not even a false date — and not notifying them that there is any problem with their registrations or requests for mail-in ballots.
All of this is voter suppression, it’s a very big deal and it’s all but secret.
Bob Unferth
Phoenix
chatmandu002 posted at 9:44 am on Sat, Oct 27, 2012.
Bod,
Your cry about voter suppression is false and a "red herring" to divert attention from the bad record of Obama and his incompetence. A responsible voter would know when, where and what documents were needed to vote and then produce them. Those that don't know when, where or what to provide are irresponsible and mostly like should not be voting. 70% of the public thinks it's a good idea to provide voter ID when voting. Hopefully, the only thing that gets suppressed this election will be the liberal/progressive socialist movement. Hey, what ever happened to the OWS and 99% movement? Oh yes OWS, the gang of self-righteous thugs running around the cities destroying things while supporting Obama and his big government redistribution philosophy.
Arizona Willie posted at 10:04 am on Sat, Oct 27, 2012.
How many years prison time would Purcell get if she were truly " holding " registrations and refusing to send out voter info to the registrants?
If people, students or aliens from Mars, used the Federal voter registration form it is ILLEGAL for her to require ANYTHING from them beyond their name and signature on the form.
Stupid?
No
INSANITY?
YES YES YES YES YES
It is sheer insanity to have our election system based on an " honor " system where any criminal can just lie and vote and no one can check him out.
We, the United States of America, are the only MAJOR industrialized country that does not require proof of citizenship to register to vote.
While I completely disagree with the law(s) as they stand, as long as they DO stand Ms. Purcell would be inviting much prison time if someone could prove that she is not doing her job and is, in fact, holding valid registrations and not providing the proper voter information to those registrants.
I doubt she is that stupid.
downtownresident posted at 10:13 am on Sat, Oct 27, 2012.
The tea party's motto is to use any and all dirty tricks, lies and any other subtrifuge at hand to win, at any cost.
Never mind fair play, laws, ethics and morality. It all goes out the window when these good christians want to take over government and rule you and me.
Leon Ceniceros posted at 10:59 am on Sat, Oct 27, 2012.
"VOTER SUPPRESSION" = TWO BLACK PANTHERS WITH SAWED OFF BASEBALL BATS WEARING ALL BLACK IN FRONT OF A PHILLY POLLING PLACE WHERE MOSTLY OLDER WHITE VOTERS CAST THEIR BALLOTS.
Oh, but then the Liberal Television and Newspaper Media "suppress" this story so that their ...'MESSIAH"...won't be adversely associated with a group that Obama used to get the Black Vote in Florida and the South.
Hispanic activists in California signing up Illegal Aliens by the tens of thousands who only need to flash their "FRAUDULENT CALIFORNIA DRIVER'S LICENSE" ....to vote.
How many of Obama's ......"A.C.O.R.N." ......Voter Registration People were caught, and plead guilty or were tried, and convicted of..............."VOTER FRAUD" ????
BY THE WAY....HOW CAN YOU BE A WELL INFORMED (TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION AND REVIEW...THE DEMOCRAT PLATFORM AND THE REPUBLICAN AND INDEPENDENT PLATFORMS).........IF YOU ONLY SPEAK ...."S.P.A.N.I.S.H.".....THE TWO SPANISH LANGUAGE TV CHANNELS ARE ULTRA-LIBERAL DEMOCRAT PARTY BIASED......AND SO IS THE ....SPANISH-LANGUAGE ULTRA-LEBERAL PRO-DEMOCRAT NEWPAPER.
DO YOU THINK THAT IN MEXICO OR GUATAMALA OR HONDURAS OR EL SALVADOR..........THAT THEIR POLITICAL BALLOTS ARE ALSO PRINTED IN...........E.N.G.L.I.S.H................[wink]
truth posted at 2:22 pm on Sat, Oct 27, 2012.
Republican Christians, some parents are objecting to the teaching of yoga in schools. Tim Baird says yoga poses provide a " healthy workout" and a way to reduce student's stress, but some insist it's a sneaky way to promote Eastern religion. "Their's really a lot of unease among a lot of parents," said Mary Eady, from the twice-weekly lesson.
truth posted at 2:53 pm on Sat, Oct 27, 2012.
Romney backing away from his previous harsh criticism of Obamas policies and of his handeling of the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libia. Romney said he would only consider military action in Iran if "all the other avenues" were blocked, praised the President's use of drone warfare against al Qaida and his killing of Osama bin Laden, and backed the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan by 2014.
Romney proved in this debate that he has "no original ideas of substance on most world issues. On Syria, Iran, and Afghanistan, he merely parroted what Obama" has already done, or plans to do." The New York Times
If Romney "is going to convincingly complete the transition from severly conservative to agreeably moderate, he needs to get better at explaining himself."
Bloomberg.com
Suddenly, the neoconservative warmonger of the Republican primaries is "Milquetoast Mitt," The Washingtom Post
Romney spent the debate "Etch A Sketching away" his hawkish statement of the spring, assuring" war-weary voters" that he was no Bush-style interventionist, and mentioning "peace," or some variation of it, a dozen times. It may be a flip flop to far. Shifting to the center on domestic issues may reasure swing voters, but Romney's 180 degree reversal on almost every foreign policy issue makes him look "rudderless and adrift," instead of a safe alternative to Obama. TheNewRepublic.com
Liberals are just disappointed that Romney didn't "conform to their stick-figure caricature of him" as a neocon itiching for war. WSJ.com
Cerulean posted at 3:44 pm on Sat, Oct 27, 2012.
I would say that Republicans are desperate. They see the state turning away from them and they will do any dastardly deed to avert that inevitability.
When Republican Ken Bennett (the person in charge of Arizona elections) first threatens to keep President Obama’s name off the ballot, to Hellen Purcell’s unfortunate mistakes including printing fallacious information to a particular voting group; Republicans are desperate.
Arizona Willie I disagree with you!
You said, “It is sheer insanity to have our election system based on an " honor " system where any criminal can just lie and vote and no one can check him out.”
If a criminal is convicted of a crime he/she pays for that crime through the justice system. Once the criminal process is over, that person can file the appropriate paperwork and vote, period. Being a criminal should not mean relinquishing your citizens’ rights in perpetuity.
Mike McClellan posted at 5:03 pm on Sat, Oct 27, 2012.
A. The mixup on the bookmarks -- with the incorrect date in Spanish but not in English -- is not part of some conspiracy. It was only on 2,000 of them, and not all were distributed, and the County Recorder's going to blanket the Spanish language media with the correct date.
Which means that the mistake might even increase Hispanic turnout here in Maricopa County.
B. The new voter registration requirements around the country are clearly an attempt to suppress minority voting. It's concerted, the same type of requirements, and there is no proof of voter fraud.
C. Except . . . with Republicans, who've been caught registering over 200 fictional people in Florida, and maybe more, and now investigations are taking place in four other states for false voter registration.
D. As usual, Leon is not only wrong, but if he'd actually read the accounts instead of blindly parroting Fox News, he'd know that the two Black Panthers stationed themselves outside a black majority precinct, and no voters were dissuaded from voting. But Leon likes the fiction.
E. Unlike the Republican groups that have gone into specific high-minority precincts to "purge" the voting rolls of unregistered voters, almost all of whom were correctly registered voters.
F. It's clear that the Republicans have decided to suppress the minority vote as much as they could, figuring that the election could be so close that suppressing that vote could lead to a Romney victory.
G. Which leads to this: The new Jim Crow, courtesy of the Republican Party.
samkat posted at 6:59 pm on Sat, Oct 27, 2012.
As usual, Mike is espousing his expansive far left liberal views. Requiring positive ID is only sound policy. How do those "minorities" sign up for social security, welfare, collect their welfare benefits, cash their welfare checks, etc. without proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate or picture ID? I recently took an elderly friend of mine to DES to see what benefits he might be eligible for since he lives on his Social Security and they asked for the basic proof of ID even though he is as white as you.
If you are so concerned about minorities lacking basic identification, why aren't you pinging on the democrats to work with La Raza, NAACP and all of those supposedly downtrodden groups to work on education and support for every individual in need to obtain the necessary documentation as opposed to screaming intimidation and suppression? Heck, all of you could volunteer to pick up every individual in need of transportation and not only drive them to the appropriate government office(s) and to the polls but even assist them monetarily with their expenses.
Heck, even my gym recently required all members to have their picture taken and provide finger scans that are used at every check in. Last week, I required a medical test and the testing facility required a picture ID as well as my insurance cards. It is amazing as to how many places now require positive ID to do business.
What the heck are they going to do next year when the IRS Obamacare enforcement kicks in and the government digs down even one more layer of big brother surveillance to see who has insurance and who doesn't? I suppose those requirements could be considered intimidation in your eyes.
By the way Mike, you have got to start actually watching Fox News if you are going to parrot the democratic/pro illegal immigration play list. My guess is that you get most of your news from MSNBC. I watch NBC, CNN and Fox for a fair and balanced overview. That way, I get more than one side of the story. Unfortunately, you lefties are selective in what you watch and even then distort the rest of the story to match your ideology.
Now, as far as the date mix up, and since you are a retired teacher, why is there a need to print all ballots in English and Spanish? All citizens attend school where instructions are in English and all naturalized citizens must pass an English proficiency test with few exceptions. Therefore, the practice of concurrent printing in English and Spanish should be discontinued as a cost saving measure. If I was "King for a Day," I would require anyone seeking a ballot in other than English to sign a statement that they cannot comprehend the English language under penalty of perjury.
Abstract01 posted at 10:22 pm on Sat, Oct 27, 2012.
Mr. McClelland,
I was pleased to read your informative explanation of an error in printing, but I am disappointed in the "low-brow" attitude as you continued your post.
As you are a former school teacher, and a guest columnist, I hoped to see a reasoned discussion, rather than blaming everything on the "other guys" and throwing mud.
But I have been away for a while, and didn't realize that the postings had degenerated into internecine squabbling.
JNelson posted at 9:40 am on Sun, Oct 28, 2012.
Samkat......very good post. There seems to be no end to the left's claims of victimization on nearly every issue that exists these days. But perhaps we should give people like Mr. McClellan a break; after all, being indoctrinated in leftist ideology and apparently swallowing it whole cloth isn't an easy habit to break with facts, logic and reason alone. Just the ID scare over voting the left keeps trying to drum up is a prime example, as you pointed out. Good work.
Mike McClellan posted at 8:56 am on Mon, Oct 29, 2012.
Well, when you don't have an argument, attack the person.
Anyway, Abstract, if you'll look at the facts, some conclusions become apparent:
1. No one can find any evidence in any state of widespread voter fraud, either in registration or in actual voting. In fact, in this cycle, the only suspected (and in Florida, verified) instances of voter fraud have come from Republican-hired companies turning in hundreds of phony registration forms.
2. There have been repeated attempts by Republican-sponsored groups to go into high-minority precincts and do voter purges. The vast majority of those purges have proven to be incorrect, purging legal, live, registered citizens from voting lists . Look it up.
3. Despite no proof of widespread voting fraud, state after state -- in this cycle -- has imposed new voting requirements, in many cases most directly affecting minority or young voters. In Pennsylvania, the AG even conceded that he had "zero instances" of voter fraud in his state, said in defense of new voting requirements that the state courts repealed. Look it up.
4. Leon's claim of voter suppression by the two idiot "New Black Panthers" in the last election is factually inaccurate. Look it up.
5. So . . . . no proof of voter fraud but new voter id requirements that tend to affect minority voters more than whites, and repeated instances of voter purge brigades descending on minority precincts to remove voters from voting lists, none of which have ever been done to this degree in our history.
What do you conclude from that?
VofReason posted at 1:10 pm on Mon, Oct 29, 2012.
Wait I think the evil Tea Party Republicans are also trying to prevent illegals, ala undocumented Democrats, from (gulp) getting Library cards. I mean I think they also ask you for an ID there to, to know where to send the fine if you don't return books. Scandalous.
bobunf posted at 1:40 pm on Mon, Oct 29, 2012.
No non-citizen has voted in the US anytime in the last 236 years. Well, maybe a few dozen crazy people, or some who were confused. The voter ID requirements do not solve an actual problem. Use a little common sense: would a non-citizen, or anyone not entitled, want to vote? BIG trouble and ZERO benefit.
But the voter ID requirements do discourage some, mostly, Democrats from voting. When the Democrats are in control, I'm sure they could make it tough for some Republicans to vote.
Is that the way you really want our Democracy to work.; the party in control makes it tough for the other guy to vote? Think about that; it is not a pretty picture.
Engaged Voter posted at 3:28 pm on Mon, Oct 29, 2012.
Bobunf, you make a good point.
This is the kind of thing you'd expect to see in a theocracy. We are SUPPOSED to be better than that.
Arizona Willie posted at 8:48 am on Wed, Oct 31, 2012.
bobunf, you said " Use a little common sense: would a non-citizen, or anyone not entitled, want to vote? BIG trouble and ZERO benefit. "I have to disagree vehemently.
There is LITTLE trouble involved at all. All an La Raza has to do is give their illegal aliens Federal voter registration forms and they just have to lie and swear they are citizens.Why would that bother them? They have already committed crimes just being here and working. Most have committed identity theft or Social Security fraud.La Raza KNOW that it is ILLEGAL to check the citizenship of someone who registers with a Federal voter registration form.THERE IS VIRTUALLY NO WAY TO GET CAUGHT because no one can check on them.So there is very little bother -- just fille out the form and give it to your LaRaza representative and they will get them filed with the Registration office.You also claim there is ZERO benefit and it call BS on that too.Illegals have EVERY reason to vote illegally for someone who wants to pass laws letting them remain in the country illegally.Illegal aliens have one reason to vote illegally for every dollar they make in this country.
VofReason posted at 1:27 pm on Wed, Oct 31, 2012.
No no, why would people dependant on Government benefits with a desire not to get evicted have any ambition to vote for someone who would promise them both. Boy that is a headscratcher. Maybe the expert on 236 years of voting trends might help us try to get to the bottom of that quandry.
sockratties posted at 5:12 am on Thu, Nov 1, 2012.
There have only been 6 convictions of voter fraud in the last 10 years yet as many as 40,000 ballots were left uncounted in Arizona in the 2008 elections. These ballots were held pending proof of residence, signature validation, etc. When the bureaucracy wants to gum up the works, it's not hard to do.
sockratties posted at 5:40 am on Thu, Nov 1, 2012.
This from a CBS5 investigation:
According to records obtained from the Maricopa County Elections Department, more than 40,000 votes went uncounted in the past two election cycles. The main reasons were voters showing up at the wrong polling places, voters not having the required identification or identification with an old address and signatures that don't match the ones on file.
Citizens who live in the rural communities or in more dense urban centers often don't have the ID that the Arizona politicians have selected. First-time voters, including high school seniors and college students, are also unfairly affected by the requirements, because many of them don't drive or have utility bills in their own names. Those are two of the documents that may be used for identification at the polls.
A nationwide organization of journalism students and professors, based at Arizona State University, conducted a painstaking study of voter fraud. They found just six cases of in-person voter fraud that were prosecuted in Arizona in the past 10 years.
bobunf posted at 7:30 am on Thu, Nov 1, 2012.
Willie, you should learn to use paragraphs.
You constructed a rather feverish fantasy about illegals voting.
Reality check:
1. No illegal has ever been convicted of voting in an American election. NEVER. Never, ever.
2. The National Council of La Raza is the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States. It is rather conservative, sponsored by McDonald’s, Bank of America and oodles of other big name American businesses. La Raza has never been charged with any kind of voter fraud in any of the 41 states, including Arizona, in which it has operated since 1968. NEVER. Never, ever.
How could this be what with Governor Brewer, Attorney General Horne, Sheriffs Arpaio and Babeu and County Attorney Montgomery on the job?
I’ll tell you how. It’s easy. Illegals never vote. NEVER. Never, ever.
These facts, in such stark contrast to your visions of hordes of illegals openly voting, should give you some pause. Your understanding of the world suffers from agitated delusions, apparitions worthy of Halloween.
Willie, you seriously need to seek help before it is too late. Remember J.T. Ready.
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