We’ve been reporting on the GOP’s October “Surprise” over the last few days (challenges to Democratic voter registrations in a number of states, and, perhaps more notably, their bogus PR campaign to charge that ACORN, a community organization that heroically registers millions of low-income voters who nobody else bothers to, is committing “voter fraud.” See here, here and here, for example.)
But the November Surprise, as we’ve been trying to warn for many months (if not years), will undoubtedly be the thousands who show up to the polls to vote on November 4th, only to find out that they have somehow “fallen off” the voter rolls.
We’ve urged folks to check their registrations, even if they recently voted in a primary election, to make sure they haven’t been purged (info on how to do that quickly in all 50 states, right here).
Late last month, CBS News reported on voter purges occurring in at least 19 states across the country, many of them swing states, naturally.
Today, the New York Times has published a scathing report, based on a detailed investigation revealing that “Tens of thousands of eligible voters in at least six swing states have been removed from the rolls or have been blocked from registering in ways that appear to violate federal law.”
We’ve got to run out to host an hour of “Election Year Special Coverage” right now on KPFK/Pacifica, (guests to include filmmakers Patty Sharaf of Murder, Spies & Voting Lies: The Clint Curtis Story and John Ennis of Free For All!: One Dude’s Quest for Democracy), so here are some very notable, must-read excerpts from the Times full report for the moment. So, we may have more thoughts on all of this later today, but for now, please read on!…
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[B]ecause Democrats have been more aggressive at registering new voters this year, according to state election officials, any heightened screening of new applications may affect their party’s supporters disproportionately. The screening or trimming of voter registration lists in the six states “” Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina “” could also result in problems at the polls on Election Day: people who have been removed from the rolls are likely to show up only to be challenged by political party officials or election workers, resulting in confusion, long lines and heated tempers.
Some states allow such voters to cast provisional ballots. But they are often not counted because they require added verification.
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Michigan and Colorado are removing voters from the rolls within 90 days of a federal election, which is not allowed except when voters die, notify the authorities that they have moved out of state, or have been declared unfit to vote.
Indiana, Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio seem to be improperly using Social Security data to verify registration applications for new voters.
In addition to the six swing states, three more states appear to be violating federal law. Alabama and Georgia seem to be improperly using Social Security information to screen registration applications from new voters. And Louisiana appears to have removed thousands of voters after the federal deadline for taking such action.
Under federal law, election officials are supposed to use the Social Security database to check a registration application only as a last resort, if no record of the applicant is found on state databases, like those for driver’s licenses or identification cards.
The requirement exists because using the federal database is less reliable than the state lists, and is more likely to incorrectly flag applications as invalid. Many state officials seem to be using the Social Security lists first.
In the year ending Sept. 30, election officials in Nevada, for example, used the Social Security database more than 740,000 times to check voter files or registration applications and found more than 715,000 nonmatches, federal records show. Election officials in Georgia ran more than 1.9 million checks on voter files or voter registration applications and found more than 260,000 nonmatches.
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In three states “” Colorado, Louisiana and Michigan “” the number of people purged from the election rolls since Aug. 1 far exceeds the number who may have died or relocated during that period.
States may be improperly removing voters who have moved within the state, election experts said, or who are considered inactive because they have failed to vote in two consecutive federal elections. For example, major voter registration drives have been held this year in Colorado, which has also had a significant population increase since the last presidential election, but the state has recorded a net loss of nearly 100,000 voters from its rolls since 2004.
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In Michigan, some 33,000 voters were removed from the rolls in August, a figure that is far higher than the number of deaths in the state during the same period “” about 7,100 “” or the number of people who moved out of the state “” about 4,400, according to data from the Postal Service.
In Colorado, some 37,000 people were removed from the rolls in the three weeks after July 21. During that time, about 5,100 people moved out of the state and about 2,400 died, according to postal data and death records.
In Louisiana, at least 18,000 people were dropped from the rolls in the five weeks after July 23. Over the same period, at least 1,600 people moved out of state and at least 3,300 died.
The secretaries of state in Michigan and Colorado did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesman for the Louisiana secretary of state said that about half of the numbers of the voters removed from the rolls were people who moved within the state or who died. The remaining 11,000 or so people seem to have been removed by local officials for other reasons that were not clear, the spokesman said.
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On Monday, the Ohio Republican Party filed a motion in federal court against the secretary of state to get the list of all names that have been flagged by the Social Security database since Jan. 1. The motion seeks to require that any voter who does not clear up a discrepancy be required to vote using a provisional ballot.
Republicans said in the motion that it is central to American democracy that nonqualified voters be forbidden from voting.
The Ohio secretary of state, Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat, said in court papers that she believes the Republicans are seeking grounds to challenge voters and get them removed from the rolls.
Considering that in the past year the state received nearly 290,000 nonmatches, such a plan could have significant impact at the polls.
From the sidebar graphic included with the Times story:
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Put them back on the voter rolls. Is this really so hard?
Since I had not yet received a sample ballot, I called the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder today. I was on hold for 30 minutes but was finally able to confirm my registration. I was told that sample ballots were being mailed from September through October 14. If you live in LA County and do not receive a sample ballot by next week, call 562-466-1323. Also, you must be registered 15 days before the election.
Hi Brad:
Arizona SOS Jan Brewer has not released the final totals as of today.
Jan Brewer Co-chair 2004 election for Bush.
This time Brewer is the Honorary Chair for McCain in Arizona.
The last STATE OF ARIZONA REGISTRATION REPORT was released 8/27/08 just before the September 2, 2008 primary.
Every morning I check the SOS site for the new REGISTRATION REPORT.
I fear a big purge is coming in Arizona.
The day it comes out I will have numbers within 24 hours.
Site to where the report will come from:
http://www.azsos.gov/election/v...counts2008.htm
On a very powerful am radio station that covers 38 states in the evening & streams reported today that voter rolls were purged by “ACCIDENT”.
What BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLSHIT !!!
We desperately need emergency congressional legislation to assess very large penalties for “voter fraud” but we must include the same penalties for ELECTION fraud. If this puts two or three ballot stuffers in jail – so be it: They deserve it. But it might deter some of the voter purge artists from their mass disenfranchisement projects. I think there would be a net gain in election integrity.
Since when is T. Boone Pickens a fan of BradBlog . . .
Boggles the mind . . . . . . What’s left of it . . . .
I’m Impressed !
If you’re stupid enough to vote, bring a gun to challenge the challengers.
I’m being very naive, but why can’t they just be put back on…
I read this article yesterday, also NYTimes, on the purges. they are very quick to say that no one is to blame, in fact that the mistkaes are coming from compliance with the HAVA act.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27093919
The actions do not seem to be coordinated by one party or the other, nor do they appear to be the result of election officials intentionally breaking rules, but are apparently the result of mistakes in the handling of the registrations and voter files as the states tried to comply with a 2002 federal law, intended to overhaul the way elections are run.
And then they rationalize the appearance of a skew towards Dem voters being purged by saying its because there are so many new Democratic registrations. Which may be true, actually, but it sure seems like a “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” tactic.
There’s your liberal media for you.
DON”T COUNT ON COLORADO GOING FOR THE OBAMA/BIDEN TICKET, FOLKS!!
Mike Coffman, the FIXER, is hard @ work & since the NYT 9Oct08 expose article, is today denying that he is committing ELECTION FRAUD by his actions!
This is the same lying, stealing Mike Coffman who conducted the fraudulent, illegal election in IRAQ(remember Bush’s “purple fingers”?) which all international elections observers characterized as hopelessly corrupt (even President Jimmy Carter – also an observer- deemed it so)!
Coffman’s handiwork led to the installation of the ENTIRELY UNPOPULAR Al-Maliki government, the ensuing spiral downward & the bribery-fueled US “surge” which was, of course, preceded by over a year the various “Awakenings” that the local clans began in order to resist Al Qaeda’s destructive depredations upon Iraq’s citizens, as the US sure couldn’t prevent it!
In ’06 I was truly concerned, then incensed when Coffman – R won the CO SOS office over the always superior State Sen. Ken Gordon – D – Golden, who was THE pointman who got SB05-198 (which I helped to write) passed into law, which FINALLY GAVE OUR STATE A VERIFIABLE, MAIL-IN BALLOT WHICH WILL FACILITATE AN OBAMA & BIDEN VICTORY THIS YEAR AS IT DID A NEAR-COMPLETE DEMOCRATIC SWEEP IN COLORADO IN ’06!!!!!
My lesson learned: WISE, THO’TFUL CITIZENS MUST NEVER ELECT A REPUBLICAN, NO MATTER HOW INNOCUOUS/LOW-KEY/OBSCURE THE OFFICE MAY “SEEM” TO BE!!!!!
OR, ALWAYS THINK BETTER OF IT BEFORE DOING SO!
CALL BOTH OF COFFMAN’S #S: THE (Sec’y Of State) ELECTIONS OFC. 303-894-2200×6307 (CHECK YOUR VOTING STATUS) & HIS HOUSE CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN OFC. 303-791-6453 (he thinks he deserves Tom Tancredo’s – R, seat – support Hank Eng, his Dem opponent!) & PROTEST HIS ACTIONS ‘TIL 11/4 – THAT’S THE LEAST OF WHAT HE & HIS TERRORIST PARTY DESERVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
See also: the Greg Palast website & the always excellent Bev Harris’ WS: blackboxvoting.org!
PS: I received 2 IDENTICAL (same barcodes, etc.) mail-in ballots on 6Oct08 & showed my county election officials (who’d issued it in the 1st place) who tho’t my situation was OK & thanked me for letting them know.
They then tore up the duplicate & I voted on the other ballot in their ofc.!
ANOTHER LESSON LEARNED: TRY TO VOTE EARLY TO ENSURE THAT YOU’RE STILL ELIGIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!
Stalin needs revising…
“Those who want to vote decide nothing, those who control the vote decide everything.”
We DON’T need another HERO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKVBq4VbC6w
Oooh # 11, there’s an IRI connection !!!
I think that if Democratic voters are being purged then we will have to beat the ref. I dunno, I’m worried – and I’ll continued to be worried. My stomach is churning about all of this.
Why is this not being picked up by mainstream electronic media? I plan on calling my senators tomorrow, and congresswoman. Other than that, does anyone have an idea of how to stop these thieves?