This item did not surprise me in the NY Times yesterday. The Republican efforts to take advantage of, bend, or circumvent election rules to disenfranchise opposition voters continues unabated.
In Ohio, the Courts and the Justice Department are having none of it, but they are not giving up for a moment the effort to steal the election in battleground states.
Some choice bits.
"Federal law requires states to verify voter registration applications with a government database like those used for driver’s licenses or Social Security cards. Names that do not match are flagged for further verification. But the law provides little guidance on how these flagged registrations should be handled and discrepancies corrected.
Ohio Republicans had sought the lists to challenge voters, but the Ohio Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat, refused the request, saying that numerical errors or misspellings are the probable reason for most of the discrepancies. Forcing these voters to cast provisional ballots would possibly disenfranchise thousands of eligible voters, she said, since these ballots are easier to disqualify.
Republicans then took their request to court, but were unsuccessful. The Justice Department has been in contact with Ohio election officials since early October and this week its lawyers determined they would not pursue litigation before the election, according to the sources familiar with the discussions. ... "
"Ohio Vote-Challenge Effort Hits Another Roadblock" – NY Times
But THIS is the bit that just blows my mind and raises the blood pressure.
"...The Ohio GOP remains unconvinced, however, and on Tuesday, it stepped up its public relations campaign on the issue. In a radio advertisement it accuses [Ohio Secretary of State] Ms. Brunner of ignoring the problems with voter registrations and "concealing evidence."
The ad opens with the sound of a ticking clock and asks, "Could Ohio’s election be stolen?" [ emphasis mine - sag ]
** :: JAWDROP :: **
Oh My GODS, the frakkin' STONES of these people! But no lie seems to work better than a BIG HAIRY KNEED GODS-DAMMED AUDACIOUS LIE, and accusing the opposition of your own crimes.
These people so richly deserve to be tossed out of power, and they are NOT going to go quietly or plan to play fair about it.
Stay AWAKE, people!
Banzai!