Why do people proudly say they are Republican?
Just low-income black people being told they can’t vote early…no biggee, I’m sure the GOP had an awesome reason. Oh and Mike Castle is a Republican by the way….
A judge in Lake County, Indiana ruled today against a GOP effort to shut down early voting centers set up in predominantly low-income African-American areas of the county.
As we reported earlier this month, county Republicans had sued to have the centers shut down, on the grounds that the law required a unanimous vote of the county election board to set up early voting centers. (The Lake County board had voted 3-2 to open them.)
Without the early voting centers, which were set up in the northern Lake County cities of Hammond, Gary, and East Chicago, residents of those cities would have had to travel over an hour to vote early in the county seat of Crown Point, which is in the southern part of the county. Barack Obama needs a strong turnout in northern Lake County if he’s to have a chance of winning Indiana, a state where he’s been running almost even with John McCain.
The centers have already been open for several weeks, and the court ruled that valid votes already cast will count.
From the ruling by Judge Diane Kavadias Schneider, which was obtained by TPMmuckraker from the Lake County Superior Court:
The Lake County Board of Elections and Registration is hereby enjoined from terminating the operation of in person absentee voting currently being conducted in the offices of the Clerk of the Lake Circuit Court in the courthouse buildings in Gary, Hammond, and East Chicago and the offices of the Lake County Board of Elections and Registration in Crown Point.
It is further ordered that all ballots that have already been cast at the early voting locations in Gary, Hammond, East Chicago, and Crown Point shall not be invalidated except for instances of voter fraud.
The GOP may yet appeal to the Indiana Supreme Court. But for now, early voting continues in the Democratic stronghold of a key county in a key state.
Taking away voting rights while loudly claiming “voter fraud!” is the GOP game plan now because they know full well that people HATE conservatism having tasted the fruit of it.
http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/
Taking away voting rights while loudly claiming “VOTER FRAUD!” is the GOP gameplan now that it is clear to even them – that people hate conservatism.
Also from TPM:
“When Kavadias-Schneider asked, “What of those who have already voted?” R. Lawrence Steele, a GOP lawyer, replied, “Maybe those votes should be discarded.”
Yeah, let’s toss them.
President Clinton said it best: “Never vote for a political party that wants to stop you from voting.”
then he looked down and said, “You got that Monica?”
rimshot….
It’s been a fascinating election. People are no longer buying what the Republicans are selling.
Oh Donsquishy.
Donquishy:
Clinton’s sexual transgressions don’t invalidate his statement, which is about the importance of free and fair elections. I trust that free and fair elections are also important to you.
I may be slow. But my biggest concern about this election season is not the ideological differences between Obama and McCain – they are pretty finite. My biggest concern is that we demonstrate the ability to hold an election that is free and fair.
Instances of voter fraud are vanishingly few in this country.
The only reason you are worried about it is because the right wing noise machine has been effective promoting their garbage.
Check that. You are talking about Republican voter disenfranchisment. Sorry. That is a very valid concern.
culver:
thanks for commenting! I’m joking, I do that a lot here. Sorry if you misunderstood me… 🙂