Like other GOP-led states, Ohio is wasting no time putting up hurdles and confusing roadblocks, to what used to be our customary and necessary duty. Ohio is building NEW roadblocks to Voting.
You know your Democracy is in trouble, when they're more concerned about your photographic memory, and keen attention to bureaucratic details, than they are actually enabling citizens to fulfill their Constitution responsibility.
Federal court lawsuit alleges absentee, provisional ballot process is discriminatory
by Alan Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch, The Daily Briefing -- Oct 31, 2014
[...]
“Ohio Republicans have resurrected Jim Crow in the form of red tape,” said Subodh Chandra, one of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit.
[...]
The suit charges that Ohio Senate Bills 205 and 216 violate the federal Voting Rights Act and the Constitution "risking the disenfranchisement of thousands of Ohio voters who may cast absentee or provisional ballots, and intentionally making it more difficult for many African-American, Latino, and Democractic Party member Ohioans to vote."
Chandra said Republicans have created an unconstitutional "two-tiered voting system in Ohio." People may be forced to cast a provisional ballot for a number of seemingly minor errors, including writing less than the voter’s full address or using partially cursive handwriting on the voter signature.
S.B. 205 and S.B. 216 also allow Ohio’s 88 county boards of elections the discretion to reject absentee ballots cast by qualified, registered, and eligible voters for:
• Writing a shortened form of the voter’s name on the absentee envelope, even if election officials can identify the name (e.g., “Bill” or “Wm.” for “William.”);
• Writing less than the voter’s full current address, such as omitting an apartment number or zip code, even if election officials can identify the address;
• Using partially cursive handwriting if the signature on file is fully cursive;
• Not signing the voter’s name exactly as it appears in the voter’s registration, even if the signature is substantially similar.
-- as posted
on Facebook:
The Chandra Law Firm LLC -- www.ChandraLaw.com — MEDIA RELEASE
October 30, 2014 -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
In Ohio, and elsewhere, the once simple act of Voting is now becoming the emotional equivalent to taking the S.A.T.'s. One mis-marked bubble -- and GONG! -- and there goes your future ...
Here's a bit more on the confusing NEW "Red Tape" that ChandraLaw wants you to know about -- and that the state of Ohio hopes you never read -- and even more never understand, when it comes time to performing your most basic of "Citizen Obligations" -- Voting:
[...] Ohioans who are qualified, registered, and eligible to vote will have their absentee and provisional ballots invalidated for immaterial reasons, including:
• Failing to thoroughly read, completely understand, and fully and correctly fill out their absentee envelopes, even though county boards of elections verified the very same information that is missing, incomplete, or incorrect on the absentee envelopes when they reviewed and approved the absentee applications, and there is no real question as to the identity and qualifications of the voter.
• Providing information on the absentee-voter envelope that does not exactly match the information entered into the State Voter Registration Database, even if government workers erred in entering the voter’s information.
• Failing to notice, read, or understand that they, rather than the election official, must now check a box on the Provisional-Ballot Affirmation Form next to the type of Voter-ID Document that they showed the election official when casting their ballots. (Checking this box had previously been the election official’s responsibility.)
Those new "gotchas" are just waiting
to get ya, Ohioans.
And that's just Ohio. Several other GOP-led states are also wasting no time -- in setting up bureaucratic roadblocks with goal of WASTING YOURS, and ultimately getting you to JUST QUIT on Democracy ... and just let the GOP have its Members-Only way.
Meteor Blades has an excellent summary of these various state efforts to dismantle your Democracy, piece by vital voting-piece, right here:
This week in the war on voting: Yes, some muckety-mucks still don't want certain people to vote -- by Meteor Blades for Daily Kos -- Nov 01, 2014
It is unbelievable that they can take away this basic American right so easily -- on what amounts to trivial "Technicalities."
And it's funny that similar ID-scrutiny is NOT exerted when it comes to accepting our Tax Payments. "Bill, William, or Billy-Bob Jr." -- long as the check clears -- your OTHER "Citizen Obligation" is as right as rain.
These GOP-led states, won't be rushing to send you a Tax Payer duty "cancelled notice" anytime soon -- whether or not they LET you Vote that easily in the near future -- well that's a whole 'nother hurdle-strewn, go to the back of the line, GOP story.