Lauren Victoria Burke
+ FollowDemocrats Plan Big One-Two Punch on Voter Suppression
DCCC Chairman Steve Israel announced a major Voter ID education initiative to be headed by House Assistant Leader Jim Clyburn (D-SC).
“The DCCC will be announcing a major voter protection initiative headed by Jim Clyburn that will deal with legal, public relations and related strategies to make sure every American who has the right to vote is able to vote,” Chairman Israel said.
“If the Democrats have one scintilla of a chance of either taking the House back or keeping the Senate or retaining the Presidency we have to be as aggressive as possible to resist any of these efforts to restrict voter participation. It takes on various positions on various states but the net result is the same. Fewer people will come out if Voter ID and these restrictive measures are implemented,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) regarding the Clyburn initiative.
“I lose sleep over voter suppression. I loose sleep over the fact that the Republicans have said, and that they are embarked, in a strategy that will deny milllions the right to vote,” DCCC Chair Israel added.
In addition to the DCCC efforts, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) will be working with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) on a voter education and anti-suppression initiative.
“Every American should be ashamed at what’s going on in this country,” said CBC Chairman Emanuel Cleaver yesterday during a press conference on Voter ID issues.
“We’ve come a long way [in this country]. And what are we doing now? We are revisiting that horrible period in the history of this country,” Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Charles Gonzalez said regarding voter ID laws.
“What this law will do is disenfranchise a certain segment of our community in Texas. Need I tell you what that segment may be? It’s going to be the elderly, it’s gonna be the minorities of course,” Gonzalez added referring to the new Voter ID law in Texas.
In a meeting in the Capitol on Wednesday, Nov. 2, House Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schulz and eleven members of the Congressional Black Caucus met along with Gonzalez for a status report on all the state laws around the country and possible involvement in the issue by the NAACP. Rep. Keith Ellison, who has offered two pieces of legislation to counter the voter ID laws, said that joint strategy involving all caucuses was already underway.
Hoyer announced that a letter signed by 196 House Democrats urged all 50 Secretaries of State around the country to protect voting rights.
“Voting hours, voting sites, identification requirements, voter registration regulation and access to mail ballots should not be used as weapons to achieve a preferred electoral outcome,” the letter read.
At that announcement Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) said voting was, “the most powerful nonviolent tool we have in a democratic society. We must continue to speak up and speak out to protect this simple constitutional right.”
More details on both initiatives should be formally announced within three weeks.
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10 Responses to Democrats Plan Big One-Two Punch on Voter Suppression
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Gene says:
Absolutely agree. I question the sincerity of the leadership that brings this issue to the foreground. Their motivations are typically for politicking. I've been following Stand4Freedom's website and here is my synopsis:
Sharpton's toned down his rhetoric, that's a sign in the right direction. Ben Jealous is a tad too obese to be screaming for the oppressed (lay off the doughnuts Ben). However I think the dude's genuine on some issues.
Rangel is a politician, but we know where he stands.
At the end of the day, it's up to us to vote and make a difference. VOTE or stand up for our Voting Rights before it's too late.
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This is great We need to do all we can to stop the republicans from stealing this election I don't care what the polls say They cannot win without cheating!
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Pingback: Bookmarks for November 5th from 19:12 to 20:10 « Mark's life
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The only problem? Voter ID does suppress voter turnout:
"A study by the University of Missouri on turnout in Indiana showed that turnout actually increased by about 2 percentage points overall in Indiana in 2006 in the first election after the voter ID law went into effect. There was no evidence that counties with higher percentages of minority, poor, elderly, or less-educated populations suffered any reduction in voter turnout. In fact, “the only consistent and statistically significant impact of photo ID in Indiana is to increase voter turnout in counties with a greater percentage of Democrats relative to other counties.”
In September 2007, The Heritage Foundation released a study analyzing the 2004 election turnout data for all states. This study found that voter ID laws do not reduce the turnout of voters, including African–Americans and Hispanics. Such voters were just as likely to vote in states with ID as in states where just their names were asked at the polling place."
Stop seeing racism where there is none. When you do, you diminish all that the great civil rights leaders fought for.
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Actual election results in Georgia and Indiana confirm that turnout increased more dramatically in 2008 after their photo ID laws. If you don't believe me, just check out the results yourself. It is absurd to state that the GOP wants to suppress minority voter turnout. I can promise you that if that were true, I would not be a Republican. Voter ID laws are only about fighting voter fraud.
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Paul Stokes says:
Think, Kat!
There will be some qualified who do not have photo ID. They will be disenfranchised.
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That is great, but in the meantime make sure those disenfranchised get what they need regardless if these laws are overturned. Take them on your back if you have to! DO IT Democrats! This will show if you are really serious! and deserve our vote.