ACTION ALERT: Voter Suppression Full Court Press Continues Today

On April 13, 2009, in Liberate Your Radio from The Right, by Mary Mancini

(Background: Election fraud is a systematic effort by those with power to steal an election through vote manipulation and voter suppression. Voter fraud is when a voter attempts to vote more than once or by impersonating someone else.)

When state legislators of the Republican variety won absolute control of the Tennessee General Assembly last fall, they decided that voter suppression would be a worthy goal. Their strategy is a four-part full court press – or “war on voting,” if you prefer:

1) Repeal the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act (Paper Ballot Bill)
2) Require Proof of Citizenship to register
3) Require picture IDs to vote
4) Replace perfectly qualified election county administrators with their cronies

For more on how these four items, when combined, suppress the vote of American citizens, go to the Brennan Center for Justice and read their report.

Today at 5 p.m., both the citizenship (SB1999) and photo id SB0150 bills will come up for a vote before the full senate. Below is the summary of each bill as well as the reasons why these bills are not only not necessary but detrimental to free and full participatory democracy.

Please call your legislators before 5 PM today and ask them to vote NO on each bill. You can find your state Senator by calling the Clerk’s office at (615) 741-2730 or entering your street and zip code at the General Assembly website: http://www.capitol.tn.gov/senate/members/

SB1999 by *Norris, *Ketron. (HB1838 by *Todd.)
As introduced, requires citizenship status to be proven prior to registration to vote and requires certain procedures to ensure identity and citizenship status prior to voting. – Amends TCA Title 2 and Title 4.

  • This legislation is a solution in search of a problem
  • Existing law and voter registration cards already require that voters swear or affirm in writing that they are citizens. Lying on a voter registration card is already a felony.
  • Tennessee law provides a procedure, including due process protection, for challenging a voter.
  • Not everyone has a drivers license, birth certificate, or passport. For instance, many Tennesseans born in the 1930s and 1940s were born at home or delivered by midwives and had no birth certificate issued. Those who do not may face an undue financial burden to acquire these documents as each costs money and require time spent away from work to obtain.

Additional Bits

  • Proof of voter registration from another state or county is not satisfactory evidence of citizenship so if you’re moving to Tennessee or from one county to another within the state, ask yourself one question – do you know where your birth certificate is?
  • And just in case the next bill isn’t enough to make sure that a photo ID is required, this bill also amends the Tennessee Code to require the voter to present a photo ID:

    In addition, the voter shall present to the registrar one (1) form of identification that bears the name, address and photograph of the voter.

SB0150 by *Ketron, *Johnson, *Beavers. (HB0639 by *Maggart, *Faulkner, *Evans, *Weaver.)
As introduced, requires a voter to present qualified photographic identification before voting; voters without proper identification shall be allowed to cast provisional ballots. – Amends TCA Title 2, Chapter 7, Part 1.

  • Photo ID Laws are the modern day equivalent of a poll tax. The expenses involved in obtaining a photo ID card will prevent some individuals from voting.
  • The bills include language to allow individuals to affidavits of indigency/and religious exemption to waive costs, which begs the question, if it’s enough for some people to swear they are indigent or exempt for religious reasons under penalty of law and be allowed to vote, why isn’t it good for the rest of us to swear we are who we are and be allowed to vote?
  • This is a solution in search of a problem. Contrary to what we are being told, there is no pervasive voter fraud problem in the United States. In the last 10 years, the cases of prosecuted voter fraud can be counted on one hand.
  • Restrictive Photo ID cards disenfranchise legitimate voters. These requirements typically impact minorities, limited-income and disabled persons, and seniors. People who belong to these groups are less likely to have access to the documents required to obtain a photo ID.

Both of these bills do nothing. They address non-existent problems. “Claims of voter fraud,” the Brennan Center report states, “should be carefully tested before they become the basis for action.” I can tell you from sitting in the committee meetings and listening to the sponsors of both SB1999 and SB0150 that all that has been offered is anecdotal evidence of “voter fraud.” When asked for instances of actual “voter Fraud,” none is presented and further discussion is dropped.

Please contact your Senator ASAP and ask them to vote NO today on SB1999 and SB0150.

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Tennessee Voter Photo ID Bill Would Disenfranchise State Senator

On March 31, 2009, in Liberate Your Radio from The Right, by Mary Mancini

This morning, the Tennessee State Senate State and Local Government Committee met to discuss a bill that would require a voter “to present qualified photographic identification before voting” (SB0150). During the discussion, Senator Joe Haynes (D-Nashville) made an impassioned plea to the bill’s sponsor, Senator Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro), to delay the bill for further study…

Senator Haynes: Senator Ketron, I know that what you’re doing is well-meaning, and I respect that. But this is something that bothers me greatly because there are people in the world that don’t have driver’s license, don’t have photo ID. There are people in the world who are 65 and older that have a driver’s license without a photo ID on it. There’s a class of peple who are not indigent but yet don’t have a photo ID. And to those people, your bill excludes them from voting in our state. I consider that enough of a problem that I would challenge you..and we do this a lot when we see there are legitimate questions that we have….we try and take public testimony and we try to study it. There’s not another election until next next year. I don’t see what harm would be done if we took some public testimony. And we studied this to try an see what we could do to improve it and work on it and come back next year and try to adopt a system that’s workable. I think you’ve done a good job of trying to patch this up and I respect you for it..but I’m greatly concerned about people that fall in the categories I just described…because what you are doing is either 1) you’re forcing somebody to lie that says in their affidavit of identity that they have a relgiosu objection or that they are indigent and nobody is going to go out and check if they are indiegent there not going to be any system for that – that would be so burdensome that there would be no way to work it out of an election commission office…I’m going to ask you if you would consider putting this in a study committee so we could look at this properly…would you consider that, Senator Ketron?

Senator Bill Ketron says, “Thanks, but no thanks”:

Sentor Ketron: *Big sigh* No, Senator Haynes, I won’t. You know, in 2007, the full Senate passed this and in 2008 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled – it was upheld in Marion Country v. Indiana – that it is constitutional..currently there are seven states that require photo IDs…all of those require photo ID. We have seven different opportunities – Tennessee driver’s license photo ID issued by Tennessee and other states in the U.S., photo ID issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety, a U.S. passport, employee ID issued by Tennessee…U.S. military ID. In 2013 the Real ID act goes into effect and my attempt here is to protect and purify the ballot. That is one of the only things we have in this country today is the ability to vote and that can’t be taken away from you unless you go to prison. So, um, I feel very strongly about that for any person who cheats and votes a convicted felon or a dead person and takes away the right of me or you or anyone else who votes you have been disenfranchised by that person voting…so that’s my purpose of bringing the bill.

Senator Haynes: You are taking away a certain class of people’s right to vote when you pass this legislation. Until everybody has an ID, required either by this bill or some bill or some national legislation you gonna find people that are going to be excluded from voting because they don’t have a voter [photo] ID…and I think that flies in the face of what you just said, Senator Ketron, that is that you don’t want to take away anybody’s right to vote…

Senator Haynes attempts to salvage his own franchise, and with it, our participatory democracy:

Senator Mike Faulk (R-Kingsport): I’ve heard comments between…there are large numbers of people vs. there are some people that fall into the category that Senator Haynes describes, that is, over 65, not indigent, but no photo ID. I feel like we’re speculating and guessing does anyone know, do we have any information, any statistical data on how many folks fall into that category.

Senator Haynes: Senator Faulk in response to that, if it’s one person, it’s one person too many. If it’s one person, it’s one person too many. And if you want to come over and check my driver’s license, I happen to be 65 or older – I know I probably don’t look it…you’re out of order – but I don’t have a photo ID. I don’t have a photo on my driver’s license. because I was in a hurry that day and I knew I didn’t have to have a photo and I didn’t get one and I checked that..and got it without one. So, if I go in I can’t get a photo ID. I’d have to go back and reapply for my driver’s license. So you’re going to force everyone to get a photo ID.

An exchange between Senator Thelma Harper (D-Nashville) and election coordinator Mark Goins addresses the process for notification of voters of the new system. Mr. Goins said they would do everything they could to get the word out. For free – since doing it any other way would add another fiscal note. And I’m sure they will. Except when, you know, they don’t.

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Voter Hater: Photo ID Bill to be Heard in Senate Committee Today

On March 30, 2009, in Liberate Your Radio from The Right, by Mary Mancini
Seriously worth the click to embiggen.

Seriously worth the click to embiggen.

This Tomorrow morning at 8:30 am, the Senate State & Local Government Committee will hear SB150 by Senator Bill Ketron (the companion bill is HB0639 by Rep. Debra Maggart) which would require voter to show “qualified photographic identification” before being allowed to vote.

When last we left our bill, Senator Lowe Finney’s (D-Jackson, the Fightin’ 27th!) asked the sponsor, Senator Ketron (R-Murfreesboro), if there had “been any other instances of ‘voter fraud’ in the state of Tennessee?” Senator Ketron said he would get back to him on that. Tune in tomorrow morning for the thrilling conclusion!

While on the surface this bill may seem like a good idea, it is really a solution in search of a problem and will actually do more to disenfranchise voters than maintain the integrity of our elections.

Photo ID laws are the modern day equivalent of a poll tax – The expenses involved in obtaining a photo ID card will prevent some individuals from voting. While the bills include language to allow individuals to file paupers’ oaths and accompanying affidavits of indigency to waive costs, it could be uncomfortable and even humiliating to request the waiver. In addition, it is unclear how the information about the exemption will be shared and it is more likely that individuals will not go to the polls because they do not have a photo ID card.

There is no credible evidence that photo ID laws prevent fraud – The Brennan Center of Justice has studied the issue of voter fraud extensively and have concluded that someone is more likely to be hit by lightning than commit voter fraud. They also analyzed the more than 250 claims of fraud in the Supreme Court’s photo ID case and found that there was “not one proven case of a fraudulent vote that the challenged law could prevent.”

Restrictive photo ID cards disenfranchise legitimate voters – Bills like these have the potential of disenfranchise between 13 and 22 million people in the United States who do not have a photo id. A disproportionately large number of these are minorities, seniors and limited-income and disabled persons. Examples of disenfranchisement of the elderly, and poor, elderly nuns in other states who have these laws is well documented.

We should be making it easier, not harder, for people to vote – Nothing is more fundamental to our democracy than the right to vote. But bills like this one restrict, not increase, access to the voting booth. So, don’t be a voter hater. Rather than preventing Tennesseans from voting, why not ensure that every eligible voter is allowed to vote, and that every vote counts?

Please email the members of the Senate State & Local Government Committee ASAP and urge them to oppose SB150: Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro, the fightin’ 13th), Chair, Lowe Finney (D-Jackson), Vice Chair, Joe Haynes (D-Goodlettsville), Secretary, Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville), Mike Faulk (R-Church Hill), Thelma Harper (D-Nashville), Mark Norris (R-Collierville), Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville), Ken Yager (R-Harriman).

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Walk a mile in a Man’s Shoes and Then Require Photo IDs to Vote

On March 4, 2009, in Liberate Your Radio from The Right, by Mary Mancini
The Original Rock the Vote

The Original Rock the Vote

Despite the best efforts of Senator Joe Haynes, Senator Lowe Finney, and Senator Thelma Harper, a bill requiring photo IDs to vote (SB0150) was passed out of the Tennessee Senate State and Local Government Committee. The final vote was 6-3 along party lines.

I couldn’t have covered the committee meeting any better than Woods at the Scene. Tom Humphrey of the Knox News Sentinel and Cara Kumari of WSMV have more. And as always, there’s big discussion going on over at a Kleinheider Joint.

In light of the party line vote, and recent on air discussions we’ve had about empathy, I have a few questions for those out there sitting in their ivory towers:

  1. Have you ever had to take time off work and been told “no” repeatedly by your boss?
  2. Have you ever not been able to take time off from one of your jobs because you’re paid hourly and you desperately need every dollar you make from every hour you work to be able to take care of your family?
  3. Do you get a scheduled lunch that lasts 30 minutes?
  4. Are you in a wheelchair for any reason? Confined to your home or your bed, perhaps?
  5. How’s your moms? Is she ambulatory? Does she have a driver’s license? A photo ID? Can she locate her birth record?
  6. Do you know any nuns? What about any elderly nuns who have taken a vow of poverty?
  7. Have you ever needed to use public transportation because you didn’t own a car? Have you ever noticed that it sometimes takes almost twice as long to get from point A to point B if you ride the bus? (refer to questions 1, 2 & 3)

If you want participatory democracy to be equitable and still require Photo IDs to vote, then make them free and easily accessible for everyone. Perhaps we can put a voter registration and picture booth in every grocery and convenient store in town and staff them 24/7 (for you know, people who work the third shift – oh, by the way, have you ever had to work the third shift?).

Huh. Voter registration booths in every grocery and convenient store. Now that’s a fiscal note I’d like to see attached to ol’ SB0150.

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Not the Good Kind with the Marshmellow and the Nuts

On March 2, 2009, in Liberate Your Radio from The Right, by Mary Mancini

Evangelical movement leader and conservative think tank co-founder, the late Paul Weyrich, on voting:

Ew.

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Tennessee Senate Republicans Block the Vote

On March 2, 2009, in Liberate Your Radio from The Right, by Mary Mancini

The Tennessee State Senate State and Local Government Committee meets tomorrow, Tuesday, March 3, at 8:30 am, in Legislative Plaza, Room 12, to discuss eight Voter ID bills that will in effect place a poll tax on voting in Tennessee.

Excuse me, sir, did you show your ID before you got that purple finger?

Excuse me, sir, did you show your photo ID before you got that purple finger?

These eight bills were all introduced by Republicans – the Party of preventing the vote – in an effort to fulfill Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey’s post-election day promise to give “new life” to certain issues including “‘pro-business issues’, 2nd Amendment issues, abortion issues, and illegal immigration issues… voter ID specifically and SJR 127.”

SB0150 and SB1681 by Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro), as well as SB0587 by Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) and SB0191 by Dewayne Bunch (R-Cleveland) would make showing”qualified photographic identification” at the polls before voting mandatory. SB0173 and SB0886 by Senator Ketron, and SB0194 by Senator Bunch “requires citizenship status to be proven prior to registration to vote and requires certain procedures to ensure identity and citizenship status prior to voting.”

While on the surface these bills may seem like a good idea, they are really a solution in search of a problem and will actually do more to disenfranchise voters than maintain the integrity of our elections.

The Brennan Center of Justice has studied the issue of voter fraud extensively and have concluded that someone is more likely to be hit by lightning than commit voter fraud. They also analyzed the more than 250 claims of fraud in the Supreme Court’s photo ID case and found that there was “not one proven case of a fraudulent vote that the challenged law could prevent.”

In 2007, the Election Assistance Commission, the federal panel responsible for conducting election research, altered their findings so they could report that “the pervasiveness of fraud was open to debate.”

From October 2002 to September 2005, the Justice Department indicted only 40 voters for registration fraud or illegal voting, 21 of whom were noncitizens and during the same time period, only 95 defendants were charged with federal election-fraud-related crimes in the whole country.

Remember the U.S. Attorney General scandal? All because the justice department tried to force State AG’s into ferreting out non-existent cases of voter fraud.

And take Texas’ Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott who “declared war on what he claimed was rampant vote fraud in Texas” and “set up a special vote fraud unit and got a $1.4 million grant from the feds for the work.” That was in 2006. In 2008, the Dallas Morning News reported on the results of his efforts – 26 cases, all involving Democrats, and almost all involving minorities.

Even the federal court of appeals judge who wrote the majority decision upholding an Indiana voter identification law enacted in 2005 said, “As far as anyone knows…no one in Indiana, and not many people elsewhere, are known to have been prosecuted for impersonating a registered voter.”

Between 13 and 22 million people in the United States do not have a photo id. A disproportionately large number of them are elderly and in poverty. These bills have the potential of disenfranchising thousands of people in this state alone.

It’s already happened to the poor, the elderly, and the poor, elderly nuns in other states.

Members of the Senate State and Local Government Committee:

Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro, the fightin’ 13th), Chair, Lowe Finney (D-Jackson), Vice Chair, Joe Haynes (D-Goodlettsville), Secretary, Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville), Mike Faulk (R-Church Hill), Thelma Harper (D-Nashville), Mark Norris (R-Collierville), Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville), Ken Yager (R-Harriman)

Please call and email to tell them to just say no to these bills.

UPDATE: Goldni asks a great question over at a Kleinheider joint. Will the act of obtaining a photo create even more barriers:

Here’s an honest question–I would guess that most people do not register to vote at a central office, at an election commission or DMV. In election years, voter registration is often done by campaign volunteers, who distribute the forms and then mail them to the election commission. It’s convenient for voters to be able to register on the spot. Does this mean that voter registration will now have to be done in only a few locations so that pictures can be made?

That’s where I’m worried about the suppression, not so much the monetary cost. It makes it more difficult to register to vote, if there are only a few places to do so.

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The Next First Woman President

On May 19, 2008, in Uncategorized, by Mary Mancini

Yesterday’s Sunday Times had an interesting piece about the next first woman president. “She Just Might Be President Someday,” offers up a profile of Hillary Clinton’s successor (just in case she doesn’t win the nomination):

That woman will come from the South, or west of the Mississippi. She will be a Democrat who has won in a red state, or a Republican who has emerged from the private sector to run for governor. She will have executive experience, and have served in a job like attorney general, where she will have proven herself to be “a fighter” (a caring one, of course).

Names bandied about include Sarah Palin, the Republican governor of Alaska, as well as democratic Governors Janet Napolitano of Arizona and Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas.

Well you can sign me up for Governor Sebelius’s 2016 campaign (or Senator Obama’s Vice President?) because today this friend of democracy vetoed a bill that would have required Kansans to show photo identification to vote. Said Sebelius, “HB 2019 seeks to solve a problem of voter fraud which does not exist in our state due to the tireless efforts of our local elected officials” and “will only work to disenfranchise many of the electorate and serve as a barrier to their participation in the democratic process.”

You go, girl! Er, I mean, Governor Sebelius. M’am.

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You Can Lead a Nun to a Polling Place, But You Can’t Let Her Vote

On May 6, 2008, in Uncategorized, by Mary Mancini

Way to prevent voter fraud, U.S. Supreme Court! Someone with the intials S-C-A-L-I-A is going to a very hot place when he dies. Really. Taking away what could be the last pleasurable act of participatory democracy from a 98-year-old nun? Tsk, tsk, tsk.

About 12 Indiana nuns were turned away Tuesday from a polling place by a fellow bride of Christ because they didn’t have state or federal identification bearing a photograph

Sister Julie McGuire said she was forced to turn away her fellow sisters at Saint Mary’s Convent in South Bend, across the street from the University of Notre Dame, because they had been told earlier that they would need such an ID to vote.

The nuns, all in their 80s or 90s, didn’t get one but came to the precinct anyway.

“One came down this morning, and she was 98, and she said, ‘I don’t want to go do that,’” Sister McGuire said. Some showed up with outdated passports. None of them drives.

They weren’t given provisional ballots because it would be impossible to get them to a motor vehicle branch and back in the 10-day time frame allotted by the law, Sister McGuire said. “You have to remember that some of these ladies don’t walk well. They’re in wheelchairs or on walkers or electric carts.”

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