Watchdogs decry 'no match, no vote' law

Voter advocates are incensed that Secretary of State Kurt Browning this week announced he would enforce a law that says a person is ineligible to vote if his or her identity does not match a Social Security or driver's license number.

"It's going to needlessly keep a lot of people off the rolls," Elizabeth Westfall, an attorney for the Washington-based Advancement Project, said in an interview. The law was challenged in September 2007 (story here) by groups representing African-Americans and Haitians.

"They want to keep throwing out this stuff that we are evil and that we're in the business of disenfranchising voters," Browning told the Buzz. "That's a bunch of crap."

He called the critics "sore losers" and said the state has taken every step to make sure any mismatch is carefully reviewed. "I don’t know where they get off thinking that thousands of Florida voters could be disenfranchised," he said. "What basis do they have to make that claim?"

Often times, Westfall said, clerical errors with African-American or Hispanic names can result in mix-ups during the confirmation process. Clerks can also insert wrong ID numbers.

Westfall said 16,000 people have already been affected in Florida and she fears "tens of thousands" more will be given the intense focus on the upcoming presidential election.

"That's the scary part," she said.

But Browning spokesman Jennifer Krell Davis said a 2008 law allows a person to correct any misinformation after being contact by a supervisor's office. They have up until two days until after the election to do so, she said.

And Davis noted that the plaintiffs, who lost the case in June, decided not to appeal and the window closed in July. Browning said at the time: "This law makes Florida a leader in preventing voter registration fraud so that every legitimate vote is fairly counted."

On Friday, Browning notified county elections officials he would be enforcing the new standard for the general election. (notice here) He decided it was unwise to pursue it for the primary because it would require a change in election computers.

"We don’t have a choice which laws we can and can’t enforce," Davis said.

Comments

The democrats have done an amazing job in increased voter registration in Florida. With the polls showing McCain and Obama close, looks like the crookedness has begun to prevent new voters from being able to vote. lawyers, time to do your thing.

[Donald Lance]

Voting should be like purchasing liquor. Show an I.D. if your registered. What's the problem with that?

I am so glad to hear this voting law is going to be enforced. I am sick and tired of crooked voting, allowing illegal aliens to vote etc.

Since it's the law, I have no problem with it at all.
We should not have a free-for-all for voters fraud.

ARE DEMOCRATS OFFICIALS SUPPORTING VOTING FRAUD?

I also want to see voting fraud criminals prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

[Screw the Laws]

I worked hard for those fake id's. you are violating my rights by making me prove that this is not a false id!!!!

[Screw the Media]

If Barack Obama's past had been subjected to one tenth the media scrutiny during the full year of his candidacy, to which Sarah Palin has been subjected during the last 11 days, Obama very probably still would be junior senator from Illinois, and Hillary Clinton would be the Democratic nominee.

Deny it though she will, this galling reality cannot have escaped Hillary's awareness. As she watches the media devote its considerable resources to a smear and destroy attack on Governor Palin, Hillary must be seriously annoyed. And rightly so.

For during the last week-and-a-half we have been treated to an astonishing affirmation of how thoroughly our nation's impartial media can bird dog the tiniest, least relevant fact fact about a candidate, how quickly it can penetrate through the fog of time back to the beginnings of a politician's career, all with the laudable goal of testing whether the image the candidate projects accords with the record.

Where was this frenzy of journalistic zeal and competence when Barack Obama was building up an insurmountable delegate lead over Hillary?

Where were the media articles, digging into the earliest days of Barack Obama's political origins in the corrupt Chicago machine and the far left fever swamps of Hyde Park? Where were the articles explaining Obama's long, close and deep connection to unreformed Marxist revolutionary and proud domestic terrorist Bill Ayers?

Where was the in-depth series on how Obama came to his first prominent job in 1995 as Chair of Ayers' $100 Million plus Annenberg Challenge grant? Just what was it about Obama's views that made Obama attractive Ayers, so attractive that Ayers not only picked Obama to chair his grant, but gave Obama's kick-off party for the Illinois state senate in 1996?

Where were (are?) the articles on just how closely these two men worked together for at least four years (1995-2005)? On who received the grant money, what they did with it and to what effect?

And, even more crucially, where are the deep and nuanced media analyses of Ayres' views -- about education and other matters -- and how congruent Obama's are with his?

Where were the probing analyses of Obama's improbable claimed shock at his minister's racist and hate-filled ravings? Where were the mainstream media's interviews of parishioners (and others) in Chicago who could affirm or contradict that Obama was asleep during the Reverend's worst rants? Or the reverse -- that Obama in fact agreed with some or all of them?

What about the deep articles describing "community organizers", what they do, who they revere, etc? The nation has never had a President whose principal job before entering politics was "community organizer." One would think at least some people would be interested to learn a bit about that profession before voting a "community organizer" into the Oval Office. If Sarah palin had been a "community organizer" would we see such articles?

Hillary would like to have seen a lot of such such stuff back in December, 2007, and the cold days before Super Tuesday in February of this year. If she -- and the public -- had, she very probably would have a different status now.

All of which brings me to my simple point: McCain/Palin supporters do not object to proper media scrutiny of Palin's past (though they do object to many of the irrelevant subjects of recent inquiry).

Measuring whether a candidate is in fact who he/she claims to be by digging into the candidate's record is the core function of the media in our electoral democracy.

The complaint, rather, is that the media never for a moment, let alone a week, scrutinized Barack Obama's origins in Chicago at all, let alone to the extent it already has Sarah Palin's in Alaska. And Obama wants to be President on January 20. At least Governor Palin expects to wait several years after the election before the possibility of sitting at the big desk arises.

McCain/Palin supporters, I am certain, would take the following bargain from the mainstream media in a heartbeat:

Decide how many reporters, smut-mongers, detectives and investigators you intend to send to Alaska in an effort to discredit Governor Palin. Then take that number --be it 20, 200 or 2000 -- divide in half, and send one battalion to Chicago to find out how Obama rose from total obscurity to great heights in record time, who his closest associates were, what portion of those associates' beliefs he shares, and what he really believes.

In short, send a team to Chicago to find out and tell us who Barack Obama is.

[Liberals are idiots]

I was talking to the little girl of a friend of mine, and she said she
wanted to be President some day.

Both of her parents, liberal Democrats, were standing there, so I
asked her, 'If you were President what would be the first thing you
would do?'

She replied, 'I'd give houses to all the homeless people.'

'Wow...what a worthy goal.' I told her, 'You don't have to wait until
you're President to do that. You can come over to my house and
mow, pull weeds, and sweep my yard, and I'll pay you $50. Then I'll
take you over to the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs out,
and you can give him the $50 to use toward a new house.'

She thought that over for a few seconds while her Mom glared at me,
then she looked me straight in the eye and asked, 'Why doesn't the
homeless guy come over and do the work, and you can just pay him
the $50?'

And I said, 'Welcome to the Republican Party.'

Her folks still aren't talking to me.

begone troll, I banish you from local issue blogs

Amazing, isn't it? Making a ruckus that the Department of State is following the law. What a bunch of inept morons. I do like how Browning is not taking any crap from these people...

[Demo crats create own poo that they will then step in. lol]

Democrats understand Sarah Palin is a formidable political force who has upset the Obama victory plan. The latest Washington Post/ABC Poll shows John McCain taking a 12-point lead over Barack Obama among white women, a reversal of Mr. Obama's eight-point lead last month.

It's no surprise, then, that Democrats have airdropped a mini-army of 30 lawyers, investigators and opposition researchers into Anchorage, the state capital Juneau and Mrs. Palin's hometown of Wasilla to dig into her record and background. My sources report the first wave arrived in Anchorage less than 24 hours after John McCain selected her on August 29.

The main area of interest to the Democratic SWAT team is Mrs. Palin's dismissal in July of her public safety commissioner. Mrs. Palin says he was fired for cause. Her critics claim he was fired because he wouldn't bend to pressure to get rid of a state trooper, Mike Wooten, who had been involved in a bitter divorce battle with Mrs. Palin's sister. Mr. Wooten is certainly a colorful character. He served a five-day suspension after the Palin family filed a complaint against him alleging he had threatened Mrs. Palin's father. They also accused him of using a Taser on his 10-year-old stepson, drinking in his patrol car and illegally shooting a moose.

Mrs. Palin will return to Alaska for the first time in nearly two weeks on Wednesday night, when she is scheduled to arrive in Fairbanks. Local Republicans will hold a "Welcome Home" rally for her. You can bet some of the Democratic opposition research contingent will be in the audience taking notes. They'll be the ones arriving in rental cars and wearing fancy dress shoes from back east.

7:03 - that would have been perfect for my son who was in public school. The indoctrination starts in the 3rd and 4th grades... and that is a wonderful way of explaining personal initiative.

The dims can't win unless the dead vote early and often.

[George]

Hmmmmm. It would seem that this rule could effect republicans just as much as democrats. It is just as wrong no matter who it happens to. You show up to vote and the state record for your DL # is wrong and you are denied your right to vote. As long as they can identify the voter, they should not be denied their right to vote. We still live in a democracy, don't we? or have we evolved into something else? I sure hope they have my numbers right, but thay could mix up the numbers "by accident" on alot of registered democrats and oh well. It wasnt on purpose or anything. This is pretty scary and is a device for mischief by any party in power.

[Frank]

I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact Florida is 48-48 in most recent poll. Florida is a tossup and if you get rid of a couple hundred thousand democrats, then they can steal the election. Noone should be denied their right to vote based on a number. If they can prove their identity, that is what should count. I support anyone"s right to vote, republican or democrat.

I think you can stop wondering.

It is what it is!
The law is the law!
Do you want them NOT to follow the law?
I'm confused!

Hey Elizabeth Westfall... Suck it!

Hey Elizabeth Westfall... Suck it!

[Frank]

The legislature can't just pass any law to interfere with a constitutional right, like the right to vote. Remember the poll tax? The constitution gives us the right to vote, whether the state has the right Number or not. If the voter can be identified, why would they be denied their rights? I hope the courts uphold our rights and invalidates this "law" which should be unconstitutional.

[get-smart]

What's the matter George? You can't figure out how to vote? You forgot your voter number? It's to difficult to do? The bus you came off of is ready to go to the next voting precinct? Don't worry, there will be a nice kind police office with face detection equipment and a K-9 to assist you. If you are language challenged, a nice INS agent will help you learn English. Remember: Voting is a Right!

[George]

Get smart..They must have taught facism 101 at your school instead of civics so you never got smart. I know alot of people dont care about our constitution and about civil rights. I watch Fox news sometimes too. But the right to vote is essential to a democracy and for those of us left who believe in the constition, we can never stop fighting to preserve these rights.

10,000 people in Pennsylvania to see Sarah Palin & John McCain in a field house. They were yelling " Sarah, Sarah, Sarah"

http://www.kansascity.com/445/story/789706.html

CAN YOU SAY THE PARTY'S OVER FOR OBAMA?

Palin is a Pentecostal and speaks in tongues.

Do your Jewish friends know that!

my Jewish friends are just fine with Palin regardless of what her religious practices are because they are not bigots like most democrat fascists

Crowds are going crazy for SARAH.
One lady shook her hands and then placed one of her hands on her heart and almost fainted.

Pretty incredible that anyone would find fault with this one. If one cannot follow this simple law, one does not deserve to vote. Voter laws are not rocket science; their purpose is to protect every person's right to vote against the fraud attempts of others. Who would not want their own right to vote protected?

Only people wanting to break the law or adversely affect the election in an illegal fashion...

The Brennan Center is a self-righteous, left-wing organization based in Washington, DC, devoted to the advancement of liberalism, not a nonpartisan "watchdog" group, as it pretends. They achieve their objectives through lawsuits and through the constant, careful cultivation of frienships with the press, which continues to believe that the Brennan Center is sonething other than a partisan interest group.

What better way to achieve their objectives than by their constant attacks on Florida's voter registration laws? They have lost three cases in court against Secretary Browning this year and still have the temerity to induce their contacts in the press to write stories about their allegations of disenfranchisement.

If they believe the law should be repealed, they should lobby the Legislature.

That is true about press relations. When the Brennan Center makes accusations or sues the Secretary, it is always on the blogs. When the Secretary WINS those suits and sends out a press release, it is never on the blogs.

Another proof of media bias.

Instead of lobbying the legislature why not just put their left wing fascist agenda before the people and let us decide.

Oh that is right we are about to decide on their agenda and Barack Hussein Obama will not be our first White Arab American President not because of his genetic and religious background but rather because of his Anti-American and socialist associations and views.

[Lipstick and Swine]

i find it comical that blacks are super sensitive and cry racist when people say rather innocent things---like someone using the word niggardly (swedish origin meaning cheap/stingy) and when Obama makes a lipstick statement after it was so associated with Palin and he basically called her a pig--and then to say they didn't do it personally. Such hypocrites these swines are.

[Democrats losing it because Palin is Reagan where the bushes were not.]

It is pretty obvious that the liberal media's reaction to Sarah Palin is driven by their two camps: those who don't understand her, and a small but growing number who do and are scared to death. Either way, their shallow analysis that Sarah Palin was picked as a calculated decision to "appeal to the base" and to "disaffected Hillary supporters" is to miss the point of the relationship between thermometers and thermostats.

Palin clearly does appeal to the base, and an opportunistic appeal to Hillary voters is wise, since a flip of merely 10% of her primary voters means a net gain to McCain of the margins of the 2000 and 2004 elections combined.

Sarah Palin, however, is more than a pawn in a one dimensional chess game to figure out where the electorate tailwinds are and help the McCain ticket get in front of it. The choice of Palin is a potential reboot of the political thermostat. She has turned the heat up on conventional political wisdom across the country as she has done at every level of her new but accomplished political career.

The Alaska Governor is far more than someone who appeals to the base, she is someone who can make the base appeal to America. She is more than a token to take advantage of disaffected Hillary voters, she can replace Hillary as the authentic female role model and more in line with how the base lives. That's why the base is beyond happy. They are electrified. And fear of this game-changing dynamic is panicking some on the left (and in the center, too.)

Mrs. Palin believes and lives what she says, and that is why her story and her opinions are so authentic and compelling. It seems like she was doing all she could to live a life free from government influence and interference when corruption, regulation, schools and bad energy policy made that impossible. So she joined the political game to change it, not to play at it. To get government out of the way for Track and Piper and the gang, she took the season off as team mom.

She changed the PTA. She changed Wasilla. She changed the powerful and entrenched Oil and Natural Gas Board. She changed Alaska. Quickly and demonstrably, to the overwhelming approval of the citizens of Wasilla and Alaska. When she says that the opinions of the pundits and reporters and insiders are not of concern to her, it is more than a good line. It is reflective of her history. The public gets the impression of someone who would rather be back in Wasilla at the snow machine races than live the compromised life of a DC politician.

The Alaska insiders are in her political prop wash in one form or another. No one who has crossed her has been the better for it. The state of Alaska is, however.

Many of those political carcasses littering the landscape behind her are Republicans, a fact that the McCain campaign is mentioning endlessly. That is supposed to appeal to the part of the electorate which hates Republicans, as well as placate the unfathomable part of McCain that also seems to hate Republicans from time to time.

But make no mistake about it: Sarah Palin is the base, as in those who believe in the basic principles of smaller government, lower taxes and a strong national defense. She is more of the base than George Bush 41 or 43. She lives a Reagan life. She lives a Contract with America life. She lives the life the Founding Fathers envisioned when they crafted a Constitution to guarantee everyone a shot at such a life.

The base instantly recognized her as one of them and fell in love. No one has done this since Reagan. Bush was never this loved or considered "one of us," but next to Al Gore and John Kerry he was positively adorable. He was a diluted representative from the start and continued to go out of his new tone way to "de-base" himself, causing a substantial fraction of the country not to like him and more importantly, distorting what it means to be part of the base in the process.

Palin's appeal to Americans who for various reasons would not consider themselves conservatives is obvious. Be they Reagan Democrats or independents or undecideds or disaffected Hillary voters, many will like what she says, does and is and want to be a part of it.

And it won't be because she built a bigger tent, either. It's because she is living proof that her tent is where the principles that have made America great and singular in world history are held dear. She doesn't care what middling moderate temperature the pundits think the political temperature is. She is not interested in adjusting. She knows what the temperature should be and has lit the fire in this campaign to reach it. We can only hope she'll level her moose rifle at any pundits or consultants foolish enough to attempt to adjust her thermostat. If they can't stand the heat, they should get out of her kitchen.

Reagan won nearly 60% of the vote and no one has come close since. Those principles are still valid but got watered down by trying to be "kinder and gentler" (Bush 41) and a "compassionate conservatism" (Bush 43). That is to accept the liberal premise that true conservatism is not compassionate. That's the kind of screwy idea you get in the Ivy League or in Washington focus groups, not in Wasilla Alaska.

The base is not deceived. McCain is not one of us. He won't run like Reagan and he won't get 60% of the vote. If he gets a tad over 50%, he won't govern like Reagan. But what we do know is with Palin on the team, reaching 50% is suddenly possible in 2008. With her youth and authenticity, the days of 60% are at least worth dreaming about again.

Watchdog my butt!!!! This is clearly a Democrat plan to rig the election by using Chicago ward politics to inflate the voting roles. What is to stop duplicate voting or voting by non residents? What a bunch of crap. I have a belly full of Obama. Keep Chicago politics out of Florida.

Don't you just love it when the Republicans use political correctness to bash the girlie boy democrats? I can't stop laughing. But think about it, the democrats express their disdain for lipstick lesbians. (Republicans love lesbians who wear lipstick). So this is nothing new.

11:23 -

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/14/AR2008011402083.html

So, as a Jew, I'm not afraid of Sarah and I am TERRIFIED of Obama.

Funny how all the agregious cases of voter fraud happen in Democrat areas, the most infamous being Chicago, which is where that socialist empty suit Obama hails from.