Sometimes common sense rises to the fore, from the chambers of the Congress.
It's exceedingly uncommon though, that the entire Congress actually rises, to meet the call ...
Boxer Introduces Bill to Help Voters Avoid Long Lines on Election Day
The “LINE Act” Would Set National Standards and Require Action by States Where Voters Waited in Line for Hours
December 5, 2012 -- Washington D.C. Office (202) 224-3553
Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today introduced the LINE Act, election reform legislation designed to guarantee that all American voters can cast a ballot in federal elections without facing hours-long delays at their polling places.
Senator Boxer said, “It is unacceptable that many Americans had to wait in line for five, six or seven hours to cast their ballots. The LINE Act will help ensure that every American has an equal chance to vote without enduring hours-long delays at their polling places.”
Voters in Florida, Virginia, Ohio and other states waited in line for up to seven hours to cast ballots. Some voters were still in line in the early hours of Wednesday morning, long after the polls had closed. During his election night speech, President Obama promised that fixing the problems that led to these delays would be a top priority.
[...]
"Priorities" must be acted on,
soon. Or they are not worthy of the label.
Here's some of the fine-print, getting picked-up mostly in progressive spheres, as per usual ...
Boxer Bill Would Combat Long Voting Lines
by Ryan J. Reilly, TalkingPointsMemo.com -- Dec 5, 2012
[...]
Sen. Barbara Boxer plans to introduce an election reform bill designed to prevent long lines at polling places on Wednesday, her office told TPM. The LINE Act, short for the Lines Interfere with National Elections Act, would require the attorney general to set national standards for a minimum number of voting machines, poll workers and other resources during federal elections by Jan. 1, 2014. The goal would to be prevent voters from having to wait more than an hour to vote at any polling place in the country.
[...]
A New National Standard: One hour max to Vote in America.
Who could be against that? The answer probably depends on their party-affiliation. That or their Zip Code.
How does The-Party-of-No define "Patriotism" again?
Opportunity to Vote -- it's the nuts and bolts of Democracy -- and it ought to work!
Kudos to Barbara Boxer for bringing the wrench ...
How One California Senator Hopes To Fix Long Lines At Polling Places
by Aviva Shen, thinkprogress.org -- Dec 6, 2012
[...]
On the federal level, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) proposed a national reform Wednesday targeting the hours-long delays many Americans faced when they tried to vote.
The LINE Act (or the Lines Interfere with National Elections Act) would require the Attorney General, in consultation with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), to issue new national standards by January 1, 2014 regarding the minimum number of voting machines, election workers, and other election resources that are necessary to conduct Federal elections on Election Day and during early voting periods. The bill explicitly states that the goal of minimum standards is to prevent a waiting time of more than one hour at any polling place.
Senator Boxer’s bill also would require states where voters endured long lines to implement remedial plans to fix the problems before the next federal election. Under the legislation, the Attorney General working with the EAC would identify states that had a substantial number of voters who waited more than 90 minutes to vote in the 2012 election. Those states would have to comply with a remedial plan to ensure voters would not face similar delays in the future.
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Sounds imminently fair -- "
No more than an one hour at any polling place." Make it so, please.
WHO could be against such a thing?
I'll give you 3 guesses ...
Thing is, what excuse can they give, for continuing to block, or attempt to block, this most basic of American Rights?
Any guesses on their pathetic excuses that we about to hear, for Why they will be blocking Boxer's Bill?
Because for the GOP it kind of boils down to this ...
American "Patriotism" to many of them has only one color. The one they see in the mirror. You can hear it in their "constant excuses" ... for their own personal inaction.