Thread: Republican Efforts to Suppress Voting

The GOP has relentlessly acted to suppress voting, knowing that their would hurt Democratic turnout. Their greatest impact will be to reduce turnout among African Americans, Latinos and the young--which is their intention.

Yesterday the Big Dog took note:

Former President Bill Clinton Wednesday compared GOP efforts to limit same-day voter registration and block some convicted felons from voting to Jim Crow laws and poll taxes.

In a speech to liberal youth activists Wednesday, the former president called out proposals in battleground states like Florida and Ohio that could limit the voter rolls.

“I can’t help thinking since we just celebrated the Fourth of July and we’re supposed to be a country dedicated to liberty that one of the most pervasive political movements going on outside Washington today is the disciplined, passionate, determined effort of Republican governors and legislators to keep most of you from voting next time,” Clinton said at Campus Progress’s annual conference in Washington.

“There has never been in my lifetime, since we got rid of the poll tax and all the Jim Crow burdens on voting, the determined effort to limit the franchise that we see today,” Clinton added.

The more we can turn the spotlight on this underhanded and un-American effort to suppress voting, the better.

Republicans are concerned that such voter-registration practices facilitate fraud and emotional-spur-of-the-moment voting rather than properly considered and reflective voting.
(Though admittedly probably only because both tend to favor the Democrats; if it worked in their favor, they'd support it 100% like the Dems do.)

the disciplined, passionate, determined effort of Republican governors and legislators to keep most of you from voting next time

BS - If they want to vote, they can register 30 days in advance, or whatever the usual requirement is, just like the rest of us. Such efforts only keep the uninformed and irresponsible from voting, which I consider a good thing!

If we can manage to cut through mounds of red tape and years of precedent to enable 'same day voter registration', why can't we manage to do the same to get open ballot access and/or acceptance voting?
(A: 1) Because neither one provides any benefit to either major party, and 2) both stand a good chance of loosening their stranglehold on power.)

Originally Posted by Evil_inKarlate

Republicans are concerned that such voter-registration practices facilitate fraud and emotional-spur-of-the-moment voting rather than properly considered and reflective voting.
(Though admittedly probably only because both tend to favor the Democrats; if it worked in their favor, they'd support it 100% like the Dems do.)

BS - If they want to vote, they can register 30 days in advance, or whatever the usual requirement is, just like the rest of us. Such efforts only keep the uninformed and irresponsible from voting, which I consider a good thing!

If we can manage to cut through mounds of red tape and years of precedent to enable 'same day voter registration', why can't we manage to do the same to get open ballot access and/or acceptance voting?
(A: 1) Because neither one provides any benefit to either major party, and 2) both stand a good chance of loosening their stranglehold on power.)

If you wanted to keep the uninformed and irresponsible from voting, you wouldn't give ballots to Republicans....

I mean anyone who thinks cutting taxes is the way to balance a budget, should be barred from voting.....

Originally Posted by jpn

The GOP has relentlessly acted to suppress voting, knowing that their would hurt Democratic turnout. Their greatest impact will be to reduce turnout among African Americans, Latinos and the young--which is their intention.

Yesterday the Big Dog took note:



The more we can turn the spotlight on this underhanded and un-American effort to suppress voting, the better.

Felons already don't get to vote. That's not a new thing.
Personally I think we should have some sort of basic civics knowledge/intelligence test to be allowed to vote. Basic things like the amendments to the constitution, separation of powers that kind of thing. Easy basic algebra or word problems. Something to make sure the person does something more than sit on their fat duff watching episodes of maury povich all day.

First... this is the nightly bile dump from our friends on the left. This is clear in both posts #1 and #3

Second... it is established as fact, that illegal voting takes place in almost every large city. St Louis, Chicago New York, Philadelphia, and that this illegal voting only goes to the Democrats and in some races can swing the outcome.

If we actually had a fair legal election in this country the Democrats would lose

And they know it.

Voting is not a right, its a responsibility.

If you can't register in advance, you don't belong in the ballot box.

Originally Posted by Evil_inKarlate

Republicans are concerned that such voter-registration practices facilitate fraud and emotional-spur-of-the-moment voting rather than properly considered and reflective voting.
(Though admittedly probably only because both tend to favor the Democrats; if it worked in their favor, they'd support it 100% like the Dems do.)

BS - If they want to vote, they can register 30 days in advance, or whatever the usual requirement is, just like the rest of us. Such efforts only keep the uninformed and irresponsible from voting, which I consider a good thing!

If we can manage to cut through mounds of red tape and years of precedent to enable 'same day voter registration', why can't we manage to do the same to get open ballot access and/or acceptance voting?
(A: 1) Because neither one provides any benefit to either major party, and 2) both stand a good chance of loosening their stranglehold on power.)

I disagree. I believe that many voters don't vote on the basis of considered thought behind their vote - htey vote out of emotion, or other factors. Let's look at some facts: most African-Americans vote Dem (around 90%), and a majority of hispanics (around 65-70%) vote Dem, so it's in the interests of the GOP to limit the votes of these groups. One of the reasons I strongly believe that same-sex marriage initiatives appears on state ballots every election is not because the states want to support/ban it (although certainly some do) - I think it's more a get-out-the-vote initiative; if same-sex marriage is on the ballot, then it's more likely to result in a higher turn-out of conservative voters. I suspect that's why California had a marijuana initiative on the ballot in 2010 - it wasn't so it could be legalised, it was to encourage a higher DEm voter turnout in what was supposed to be a tough year.

Because voting is voluntary, parties are beocming smarter in how they get voters to the polls - or conversley, can disenfranchise voters who don't support their politics or party. I believe BOTH sides are guilty of this, it's just the GOP have been doing it smarter, for longer.

Yeah i have to agree with you on the gay marriage issue - its a huge turn out the vote issue...Bush would have never won in 04, not for that.

In fact even Laura Bush felt very annoyed that the GOP used the issue for political gain at the detrement of gay Americans.

May be interesting if a majority of hispanic voters turn to the Republicans, whether a lot of the voter registration issue disappears.

Originally Posted by tsquare

First... this is the nightly bile dump from our friends on the left. This is clear in both posts #1 and #3

Second... it is established as fact, that illegal voting takes place in almost every large city. St Louis, Chicago New York, Philadelphia, and that this illegal voting only goes to the Democrats and in some races can swing the outcome.

If we actually had a fair legal election in this country the Democrats would lose

And they know it.

LOL, You guys say the stupidest things, I mean, you haven't got a shred of credibility. But you've been brought up on this nonsense, stupid in, stupid out...

All that crap about Kennedy stealing the election from Nixon, except of course the FBI actually investigated and found no evidence of voter fraud. Never mind the fact that even if Nixon had won Illinois, he still would have lost the election.

So why not show us an election where the outcome was changed by voter fraud?

Oh, I know, because you can't.........

Originally Posted by Commodore

Voting is not a right, its a responsibility.

If you can't register in advance, you don't belong in the ballot box.

The people own the government, where do you get off trying to put artificial barriers between them and their responsibility to vote?
They have a constitutional responsibility to vote, that would argue that minimal hardship should be put on them in the exercise of that responsibility.