I hate cheating and that’s what Republicans do every election cycle by purging voters they don’t like.
Cross-posted at Immizen.com with links to sources. A related diary was published in Daily Kos yesterday.
When it comes to preventing American citizens to exercise their right to vote, it is always the Republicans who have their hands in the jar. Why not the Democrats? Because the Republicans know that the less people vote, the better their chances at winning, especially if they can prevent Democratic voters from going to the polls. For Democrats it is the opposite, they need more voter turnout, especially among those that support the Democratic party, such as blacks and nowadays Latinos (and nowadays also women and LGTB members). That is why the voter purge always disproportionately target low income and minority citizens. And thanks to Bush and the Republicans trickle-down economics, the proportion of low income Americans is as large as it has ever been since the great depression.
And now to Florida. The Huffington Post reports today that:
Florida officials made it clear Friday that the state will continue to purge as many as 182,000 suspected noncitizens from the state’s voter rolls -- despite a coalition's call to stop the process or prepare for court.
“Florida has a very shameful history of purging minority voters based on false information before presidential elections,” said Katherine Culliton-Gonzalez, director of voter protection projects for the Advancement Project, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that works to protect voter rights.
I obviously don’t support allowing illegal immigrants to vote in US elections, but unfortunately, that is not what this is. The “suspected noncitizens” justification is just an excuse to purge those type of voters who are more inclined to vote for the Democratic party. It happens every election cycle.
“What’s happening now, is not only illegal but it’s inaccurate, Culliton-Gonzalez said. “There are actual citizens on these lists. So, what’s happening is completely counter to the fundamental principals of our democracy.”
On May 7th, the state started sending out letters to Florida residents who may not be legally allowed to vote. In the weeks since the first letters hit Florida mailboxes, several newspapers reported on citizens who received a letter.
In 2011, Florida Governor Rick Scott, a Republican, asked the former Secretary of State Kurt Browning, to determine if noncitizens were voting in Florida. Browning’s efforts uncovered the 182,000 possible names, but he was unconvinced of the list’s accuracy. But Scott moved ahead anyway. The main problem with this voter purge list is that, as the Miami Herald reported, nearly 60 percent of the people on the list were Latinos. Hispanic voters constitute just 13 percent of the state's electorate, according to federal data.
Hey, maybe my name is on the list, even though I am legal citizen, but my name is foreign and I was not born here. Who knows how they create their list, based on what criteria. What if they send me a letter and I don’t pay attention to the letter since I am in the midst of moving and throw it in the trash with all the advertisement I get. What if I don’t get it, since I am moving next week? What if I get it but forget to act on it?
Well, that is the point. Republicans know that many people will not go through the hassle of clearing up the mistake and going through the usual proceedings of producing and filing the required paperwork. Republicans hope these particular hand-selected individuals will just opt to stay at home come Election Day. Great strategy. And they go at it every time there are elections.
“In 2000, thousands were purged [from the rolls] in Florida and thousands couldn’t vote,” said Massey, a spokesperson for Project Vote about the election that pitted former President George W. Bush against then-Vice President Al Gore”
And they don’t stop at voter purge. Republicans in Florida halved the early voting period in the state from two weeks to eight days, and cut out the Sunday before the election, a day when many congregants in black churches would vote.
And Republicans don’t just do it in Florida. There are efforts at voter suppression via new voter ID laws that make it more difficult to vote in Michigan and South Carolina. Texas, Kansas, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Indiana, Florida, Louisiana, Alabama and Michigan all have voter ID laws. What do these states have in common? A Republican led state government.
Click here for links to sources.