Stealing the Vote: GOP Voter Suppression is McCain's Last Chance to Win
This man wants your vote, and he'll stop at nothing to get it.
Republican voter suppression efforts are underway nationwide in a last-ditch attempt to head off what is expected to be a big win for Democrats on Nov. 4. With only eight days left to go until Election Day, thousands of voters across the United States are now being illegally purged from voting rolls, new voter registrations are being rejected, and deceptive or intimidating information is being fed to likely Democratic voters by Republican operatives and election officials anxious to prevent them voting for Barack Obama. This is John McCain's last chance to win on Election Day, and Republicans are leaving no stone unturned in the effort.
The Brennan Center for Justice has documented incidents of voter suppression in Ohio, Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, Colorado, Georgia, Mississippi, Montana, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Texas, North Carolina, and California. These include illegal purges of voters as reported also by the New York Times and CNN, rejection of new voter registrations, and deceptive or intimidating information given to voters in the hope of stopping them from voting. The New York Times also names Indiana and Nevada among swing states in which illegal or improper voter purges are taking place, often due to minor errors or mismatches which should not prevent eligible citizens from voting, and including improper use of Social Security data to purge voters. CNN likewise reports eligible US citizens being purged from voting rolls on the basis of errors and technicalities, often so close to Election Day that it is impossible for them to be reinstated, and in spite of federal laws prohibiting such purges within 90 days of Election Day. Republicans are aggressively pursuing methods such as these for disenfranchising likely Democratic voters across the United States, including lawsuits and appeals for partisan intervention by George W. Bush's Justice Department.
The Brennan Center also documents widespread cases of voter deception and intimidation by GOP operatives and even election officials. Election officials in Virginia and Colorado have provided incorrect and misleading voter information to students, and deceptive fliers have been distributed by GOP operatives to students and African Americans in Pennsylvania. In Bakersfield, California, conservative radio host Jaz McKay of station KNZR told listeners that Democrats should vote Nov. 5 instead of Nov. 4 because of expected heavy turnout - a favorite trick among Republicans trying to stop Democrats from voting. Asked by the county elections chief to stop misleading voters, McKay claimed it was a joke (see Bakersfield Californian). Many such incidents of voter deception and intimidation, too numerous to mention here, are documented by the Brennan Center.
Facing likely defeat on Nov. 4, desperate Republicans are pulling out all the stops in a last-ditch effort to steal the 2008 election.
Mark C. Eades
http://www.mceades.com






You make no mention -- Huffington reports it -- of the NM GOP finally being sued by ACORN.
This is a pushback which needs high profile.
October 27, 2008 4:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
UNITED STATES DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN. THE WHOLE WORLD IS A STAGE, AND EVERYBODY,AND THE WORLD IS WATCHING AND WAITING TO SEE IF YOU MAKE THE RIGHT MOVE.DO NOT LET THIS ELECTION GET STOLEN AWAY FROM OBABA LIKE IT WAS STOLEN AWAY FROM GORE. BECAUSE IF THAT HAPPENS, IT'S GOING TO BE HELL TO PAY. WE'LL LOSE ALL RESPECT IN THE WORLD,AT A TIME WE SHOULD BE SEEKING TO GAIN RESPECT. AMERICA DO THE RIGHT THING,RESPECT THIS PHRASE,ONE VOICE ONE VOTE.
October 28, 2008 3:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
This election is so close to requiring U.N. supervision that it makes me ill.
October 28, 2008 3:14 PM | Reply | Permalink