Voting laws may deter 10 million Hispanics, report says

[Direckshun]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politi...2_story_1.html

Voting laws may deter 10 million Hispanics, report says
By Krissah Thompson
Published: September 22

Civil rights groups are warning that as many as 10 million Hispanics may be deterred from casting ballots because of changes to voting laws.

In a report to be released Monday, the civil rights group Advancement Project cites the potential impact of newly restrictive photo identification laws, proof-of-citizenship requirements and late efforts in a few states to remove noncitizens from the voter rolls.

“It has the impact of scaring people and reminding them of [immigration] raids and other kinds of law enforcement that have been targeted toward these communities,” said Penda D. Hair, a co-director of the Advancement Project, part of a coalition of liberal groups that oppose the new voting laws.

Proponents of the efforts to tighten voting laws, including several secretaries of state, say they want to root out voter fraud and are not targeting particular demographic groups.

“The fact is our office only compared our voter rolls against DMV records where individuals showed proof of non-citizenship,” Rich Coolidge, spokesman for the Colorado secretary of state’s office, said in an e-mail. “To insinuate anything else is absolutely false and reckless. Unfortunately, some partisan groups attempt to leverage this effort for their own political gain.”

In-person voting fraud is rare, studies have shown, but there have been recent cases of absentee ballot fraud, and small numbers of noncitizens are registered to vote. In Colorado, the secretary of state’s office estimated last year that as many as 11,000 noncitizens were registered to vote. But after checking a federal immigration database, the state announced this month that 141 noncitizens were registered and as few as 35 had cast ballots.

Several of the states with more restrictive laws and procedures, such as Colorado, have large Hispanic populations. As the deadline to register voters approaches in many states, the Advancement Project’s report warns that the new rules are working against efforts to register Hispanics, the nation’s fastest-growing demographic.

Both President Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney are working hard to appeal to Hispanics, who could be key to winning important swing states if they turn out to vote in large numbers.

Advocacy groups have been trying for several years to increase the number of Latinos who vote. In 2010, 6.3 million Latinos who were eligible to vote reported that they were unregistered and 10.8 million said they did not vote, according to census figures cited by the report.

“At the end of the day, voting should be free, fair and accessible, and these barriers are standing in the way of an increasing demographic in this country,” said Judith A. Browne-Dianis, a co-director of the Advancement Project.

A dozen state legislatures passed rules last year requiring voters to present state-issued photo IDs, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, although in four states the laws were vetoed by Democratic governors.

Pennsylvania’s governor signed a voter ID bill in March that is still being litigated, with opponents presenting studies showing that blacks, Hispanics and others in urban areas are less likely to have the required ID.

In addition, 16 states — including Colorado, Florida and New Mexico — have attempted to “purge” noncitizens from registration lists. The Advancement Project cited examples of purges incorrectly flagging the names of naturalized citizens, putting them at risk for having their voter registration invalidated.

Florida halted an effort to remove noncitizens from lists when it became known that the database used by the state to check citizenship was out of date.

Denver resident Veronica Figoli, who immigrated from Venezuela in 1999, was among the legally registered voters in Colorado whose name was flagged for removal from voter rolls. The letter that she received said it was “extremely important” that she affirm her citizenship or withdraw from the voter rolls, which she said made her feel like a “second-class citizen.”

“To get this letter was kind of insulting,” said Figoli, who became a citizen in 2011 after what she said was a costly and stressful process. “There are so many steps and it is so confusing, and it’s expensive. And you are dealing with government and that makes you uncomfortable.” When she got the letter, she said, “I questioned myself.”

Figoli returned the required paperwork but said that others might be more fearful.

“I have a friend who said, ‘I wouldn’t do anything. . . . What if they revoke my citizenship?’ ” Figoli said. “The fear is there.”

Melinda Aguirre, who was born in Denver, also received a letter in English and Spanish questioning her citizenship. “I don’t even speak Spanish,” she said. “It’s just a bunch of [bull] what they are doing with certain people. My mom didn’t get this letter. My brother didn’t get this letter. Their last name is Roybal. But the Aguirres did.”

John Fund, a conservative columnist and author of “Stealing Elections: How Voter Fraud Threatens Our Democracy,” said recent polls show that advocates of cleaning up the voter rolls have public opinion on their side and that they are being unfairly accused of racism. “It is very unfortunate that this issue has been used by groups who want to yell racism in a crowded political theater,” Fund said. “This is not the way to debate these issues.”

Still, the National Council of La Raza, which has been working with a network of groups to register Hispanic voters, was one of a dozen civil rights groups that said last week that voting rights are in a “state of emergency.”

“Part of our frustration is that the debate over the voter integrity process has become a polarized thing,” said Clarissa Martinez De Castro, the group’s director of immigration and national campaigns. “It’s almost like voters have become guilty until proven innocent.”

Ana Navarro, a Republican campaign consultant in Florida, said she doesn’t expect Hispanics there to be dissuaded from registering or voting.

“I don’t get the sense that the average voter is out there ready to set their hair on fire over the voting law changes,” she said in an e-mail. “Political campaigns are in full swing in Florida and there’s just too many substantive issues like the economy, high unemployment, Medicare, and housing, that Floridians are worried about. . . . Ready or not, whether you like or dislike the changes to the process, voting is upon us.”

Floridians start getting absentee ballots in a couple of weeks, and in most states, voter registration closes 30 days before the election.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by jjjayb

Isn't requiring registration an additional step? Why require registration? Why can't I just show up and vote? Why put that extra burden on me to actually take the time to register?

Uh, registration is what prevents fraud, and registers the proper accounting the government can expect on election day.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by jettio

A possibly interesting fact about these voter ID laws is that the SCOTUS has been, according to most observers, primed to declare that the section of the Voting Rights Act that requires automatic DOJ review and approval for changes to voting laws in certain states determined to have a prior history of disenfranchisement is no longer needed since so many years have passed since there were intentionally discriminatory voting laws and election rules.

The lawsuits regarding these Voter ID laws give the judges hearing the challenges the opportunity to make factual findings that the GOP lawmakers had discriminatory intent when passing these laws. I think that is a real possibility in the South Carolina case since "smoking gun" e-mails and testimony is in the record before that court.

That would be very interesting and ironic if it turns out that the GOP's overreaching on these voter ID laws for obviously discriminatory motivations ends up disrupting the conservative justice's planned direction on the Voting Rights Act. It would be hard to say that no discrimination has happened in 50 years when federal judges hearing evidence make factual findings that we have present day case(s) of intentionally discriminatory disenfranchisement.

It'd be an interesting case to bring before the SCOTUS.

Local and state courts have been disagreeing on these issues.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

I'm comfortable with our current tapestry of requirements. It's been reliable and has resulted in nearly zero national contests contested due to fraud in modern political history.

Yeah, okay, but as has been pointed out, you/we don't KNOW that fraud hasn't taken place.

So, let's take a random state and look at the requirements, and see if you agree with the requirements.

Missouri law states that a current utility bill is sufficient means to verify that one is a US citizen.

Do you agree with that?

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by Donger

Yeah, okay, but as has been pointed out, you/we don't KNOW that fraud hasn't taken place.

Experts are in wide agreement that it's incredibly unlikely any significant amount of it occurs.

I'll go with them over either of us. As I usually do.

Originally Posted by Donger

So, let's take a random state and look at the requirements, and see if you agree with the requirements.

Missouri law states that a current utility bill is sufficient means to verify that one is a US citizen.

Do you agree with that?

I am in favor of the current registration laws.

The current registration law that you're citing provides that you have to provide a utility bill with the name and address of the voter. At that point, the evidence will get processed and the government, once they verify you, will send out verification.

I am in favor of it.

For the rest of this questioning, I want you to ask yourself: is it current registration law?

If it is, then Direckshun will say yes.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Experts are in wide agreement that it's incredibly unlikely any significant amount of it occurs.

I'll go with them over either of us. As I usually do.



I am in favor of the current registration laws.

The current registration law that you're citing provides that you have to provide a utility bill with the name and address of the voter. At that point, the evidence will get processed and the government, once they verify you, will send out verification.

What if the would-be voter doesn't have a utility in their name? Would we need to set up a government paid utility for them?

[Donger]

I don't see the utility bill deal on Missouri's registration documentation. I see:

1) Are you a citizen of the USA?

2) Will you be 18 on or before the election?

And then either a DL number or last four digits of an SSN.

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

200+ cases of other kinds of voter fraud occur for every recorded instance of voter impersonation. Which is already mind-bogglingly rare.

Based on what you KNOW OF. There simply aren't any reliable systems in place to assess accurate figures because the system that you are comfortable with is so completely open to abuse. There could be 200,000 cases of voter impersonation or voting in two states or whatever. We simply don't have the reliable means to check it in place. You're simply guessing.

The FACT is, the system can be abused without detection. that alone is enough to warrant change. If you don't think so, you are either flying by blind faith or you want the system to be abused because it helps your party.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by Donger

I don't see the utility bill deal on Missouri's registration documentation. I see:

1) Are you a citizen of the USA?

2) Will you be 18 on or before the election?

And then either a DL number or last four digits of an SSN.

http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/voterid/

That's what you need to register.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/voterid/

That's what you need to register.

No, that is what you need to vote, not to register to vote.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by Donger

No, that is what you need to vote, not to register to vote.

http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/faqs.asp#a1_1

1. How do I register to vote?

In order to register to vote, Missourians must submit a completed voter registration application to their local election authority. This can be done in person or by mail.

A voter may register in person at one of the following locations:

• The office of their local election authority
• At a drivers licensing office while applying for or renewing a driver's license
• At a designated state agency while the applicant is obtaining services from the agency. Examples of state agencies providing registration applications to their clients include Division of Family Services, Military Recruitment, or WIC.
• A library

When registering in person, applicants are required to present a form of personal identification. A voter can also register to vote by mail by completing a post card voter registration application. You can request a voter registration application from the local election authority or from our website.

Within 7 days of receiving your registration, the election authority should mail verification that your registration has been received and processed. If you do not receive this verification, you should contact your local election authority to ensure that you are indeed registered to vote.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/faqs.asp#a1_1

1. How do I register to vote?

In order to register to vote, Missourians must submit a completed voter registration application to their local election authority. This can be done in person or by mail.

A voter may register in person at one of the following locations:

• The office of their local election authority
• At a drivers licensing office while applying for or renewing a driver's license
• At a designated state agency while the applicant is obtaining services from the agency. Examples of state agencies providing registration applications to their clients include Division of Family Services, Military Recruitment, or WIC.
• A library

When registering in person, applicants are required to present a form of personal identification. A voter can also register to vote by mail by completing a post card voter registration application. You can request a voter registration application from the local election authority or from our website.

Within 7 days of receiving your registration, the election authority should mail verification that your registration has been received and processed. If you do not receive this verification, you should contact your local election authority to ensure that you are indeed registered to vote.

Yes, I know. And that application requires either a Missouri driver's license number or the last four digits of the SSN.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by Donger

Yes, I know. And that application requires either a Missouri driver's license number or the last four digits of the SSN.

An application requires a form of "personal identification."

As follows: http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/voterid/

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

An application requires a form of "personal identification."

As follows: http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/voterid/

Are you feeling okay? Why do you keep giving the URL for the types of ID required to VOTE instead of the type of ID required to REGISTER to vote?

You realize that they aren't the same thing, right?

[Direckshun]

Do me a favor.

Go up to post #115.

And click on "personal identification."

Tell me where it takes you.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Do me a favor.

Go up to post #115.

And click on "personal identification."

Tell me where it takes you.

To an error:

Acceptable IDs to Vote

Registered voters need to present ONLY ONE of the following types of ID (examples only):

Here's the actual application:

http://www.sos.mo.gov/forms/election...169_042007.pdf