I can't wait until some old teabagger shows up at her polling place and can't prove her right to cast a vote..I'm sick of these people claiming there is widespread voter fraud...your granny is the one with the ID problems not the rest of us....

Mucker87: I, too, live in a state where "State Photo ID's" ARE REQUIRED! Anyone past 18 MUST have a State Photo ID. If you are caught "loitering" and a police officer approaches you, you'd better have a photo ID---they will tell you they can give you a ticket, but usually will only give you a "warning" the first time. MOST of the "poor" receive food stamps and other welfare benefits (housing, medical, etc), and they MUST have a "Photo ID" in order to even apply or receive these state/federal benefits! So, saying the "poor" will be disenfranchised is being LESS THAN HONEST!

Phinephancy: you say there were only 9 cases of voter fraud in the last election---were you speaking of 2008? Because there were 17 voter fraud cases in 2008, in the state of Nevada alone! NOW, we're finding out there was some "Ballot Fraud" in the state of Indiana, for the 2008 elections! There were a lot more than just the 9 cases nationwide, that you purport.

In Michigan, I have had to show some sort of ID for the past 2 presidential elections and I never found it to be discriminatory. Its a way of proving who you are. Isn't that a weird idea? But I guess I was harassed by Jennifer Granholm's adminstration according to this article.

Look up...

voter id laws disenfranchise

in fact, 21 million eligible voters don’t have a photo ID. And, because state budget cuts are resulting in DMV closures around the country, it’s getting harder (and more expensive) to get one.

2. Requiring identification at the polls affects all voters equally.

Studies show that 11 percent of eligible voters, or about 21 million people, don’t have updated, state-issued photo IDs: 25 percent of African Americans, 15 percent of those earning less than $35,000, 18 percent of citizens age 65 or older and 20 percent of voters age 18 to 29.

I question Holder's motives.

Since Republicans think that people who don't vote for Republicans is incompetent, allowing them to vote would be voter fraud. And they have to "crack down" on voter fraud, which must be rampant considering the results of the last presidential election. Republicans are what we call "bad losers", and now they want to cheat so they don't lose again.

Republicans fear and hate Democracy. They want to control every aspect of an individual's life. End of story.

Rupoohblican Big Government run a muck! Government is always in the way when it come to regulations, taxes, and medical care, religious freedom. When it comes to voting, marriage, and lifestyle, the government can never be big enough. This is a problem searching for a solution. Just because you need to have an ID to engage in commerce (which Repoohblicans believe is the bible itself) does not mean you need an ID to vote. I can see all of the felons, and illegal immigrants, who don't want to get caught by the government, running out to vote illegally. They were all over my precinct last time I voted. A scenario like that only makes sense to Repoohblicans. Only .00001% of voter fraud cases found in the US during the Bush administration (an administration that was bent on finding voter fraud). If they were so zealous they should have looked at themselves and the numerous Republicans who were out telling poor people that the election was on a different day than it actually was. The should also look at the numerous Repoohblican nonprofits contributing illegally to campaigns. Jesus said it best when he was speaking to the Pharisees (Republicans), "you strain at a gnat while swallowing the whole camel.

There is no comparison between a requirement for a photo id to vote in a general election and the literacy tests, poll taxes and grandfather clauses that were imposed after the Civil War. Those were enacted to prevent legal citizens their right to vote. The newer requirements for photo id are most definitely aimed at preventing those who do not have the legalal right to vote in US general elections.

The majority of Americans already have acceptable forms of photo id, be it driver's licenses, passports or identity cards issued for non-drivers. For those that don't and are unable to afford the cost, states should issue identification cards through Human Resources. Proper ID should be required to obtain one, such as an original or state sealed copy of a birth certificate and original Social Security Card. The State could set up kiosks virtually anywhere to accommodate accessibility issues.

For those who do not have birth certificates because of the circumstances of their birth (generally seniors), we should do what was done in the past to affirm identification - a letter from clergy, school, etc. swearing to the identity of that person, etc.

Also, with identity theft so prevalent, I do not believe that voter registration via mail is such a good idea. There is no way to verify that you are who you say you are, and if you can just show up and not provide valid id when it comes time to vote, who knows who is actually casting votes?

US federal elections are for US citizens only. I question any member of Congress who doesn't see the importance of protecting this sacred right. Rather than postulating about disenfranchisement of minorities, figure out a way that those they are concerned about can acquire the required identification.

Why doesn't ACORN make it a point to ensure that every LEGAL voter has the proper ID to vote? I mean that should be easy for them right?

I agree whole heartily with the Justice department position. The reason being is that I have two elderly relatives whole have voted each year in over 60 years but will not be able to vote come November if new law in the state they reside holds firm. The reason is they are to old to have driver licenses and neither have birth certificate in that both were born at home on a farm.'

In addition as I understand it there are many that fit into this category, including the young, the poor, minorities, etc. As I see it several states want voter suppression in that they they believe that it will tilt in-favor of the Republicans. This is interesting in that both relatives that will not be able to vote are die hard Republicans.

intimidation by the New Black Panther party in Philadelphia

hahahahaha....two black guys standing around outside the poll...you must be really scared of black guys. Do you even know why they were there? Didn't think so.

And Acorn busing people in? You righties are pathetic.

The problem is not voter identification but having to have a state issued Id there are college id and other forms of id and its crazy during this time of low voter turnout the Repubs are attempting to discourage even more from voting. T

Hey! I know what we should do! Let's put it to a vote! Let people vote on whether or not we should change the voting laws, using the existing ones. Everyone screams democracy, well.. if the majority votes to change, then majority rules.

Yeah holder..why have any rules.......just let anyone vote even if they are not american citizens.....this country is going to hell in a handbasket....ANYONE BUT OBAMA IN 2012!

Furthermore, I think the AG should be worried about FAST AND FURIOUS..........maybe SOLYNDRA too!!!

"Holder criticizes states' restrictive voting laws"

Yeah, how will the democrats get dead people and illegal aliens to vote if you have to show identification.

Eric Holder should change his name to Dick.....he is such an azzhole!

Holder is the guy who refused to prosecute the Black Panthers who threatened voters at the polls in California with baseball bats. Sure, we can depend on Holder to do the right thing. ha, ha, ha, ha

NYT

Hurdles to Voting Persisted in 2008

March 10, 2009

WASHINGTON — Four million to five million voters did not cast a ballot in the 2008 presidential election because they encountered registration problems or failed to receive absentee ballots, which is roughly the same number of voters who encountered such problems in the 2000 election, according to an academic study to be presented to the Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday.

An additional two million to four million registered voters — or 1 percent to 2 percent of the eligible electorate — were “discouraged” from voting due to administrative hassles, like long lines and voter identification requirements, the study found.

The study, which draws from a survey of about 33,000 eligible voters, was conducted in October and November 2008 by the Cooperative Congressional Election Survey, a consortium of more than 150 university researchers, led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who specialize in voting issues.
The study found that the most common registration problems involved clerical errors, like entering voter information incorrectly in statewide databases, or voters who changed their address but failed to inform election officials. At least 4 percent of eligible voters surveyed said they requested absentee ballots but failed to receive them.

Black Panther Voter Intimidation in Philly?

Some local voters are calling a foul

, Nov 4, 2008

There is no connection between these men and the Black Panther party, according to the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office.

Philly DA spokesperson Cathie Abookire told CNN that this was a "non-incident."

The Philly DA also said as of 2:30 p.m. that overall voting problems in Philadelphia were down from 2004 when there were 49 incidents reported.

FOX News reported this incident to actually be Black Panthers intimidating voters by blocking the door.
No voter has been denied the vote...this is the United States of America and unless [the men standing outside] break the law or do anything, they have the right to stand out there. We don't need anybody trying to trump up anything or generate any kind of excitement," said Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter.

There Is No New Black Panther Party:

An Open Letter From the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation

In response from numerous requests from individual's seeking information on the "New Black Panthers," the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation issues this public statement to correct the distorted record being made in the media by a small band of African Americans calling themselves the New Black Panthers. As guardian of the true history of the Black Panther Party, the Foundation, which includes former leading members of the Party, denounces this group's exploitation of the Party's name and history. Failing to find its own legitimacy in the black community, this band would graft the Party's name upon itself, which we condemn.

Firstly, the people in the New Black Panthers were never members of the Black Panther Party and have no legitimate claim on the Party's name. On the contrary, they would steal the names and pretend to walk in the footsteps of the Party's true heroes, such as Black Panther founder Huey P. Newton, George Jackson and Jonathan Jackson, Bunchy Carter, John Huggins, Fred Hampton, Mark Cark, and so many others who gave their very lives to the black liberation struggle under the Party's banner.

From CBS

2012 election: Disenfranchised voters, hacked machines?

October 3, 2011

Will the 2012 elections reflect the will of the American people?

That question seems increasingly relevant today in the wake of a new report suggesting many Americans will have a harder time casting ballots next year - and a finding last week that voting machines can be hacked with "just $10.50 in parts and an 8th grade science education."

The report, from the liberal think tank the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, found that new laws put in place this year could "make it significantly harder for more than five million eligible voters to cast ballots in 2012."

The study points to GOP-driven voting reform efforts that Republicans say prevent fraud - but which some Democrats suggest are specifically designed to disenfranchise the young, minority and low-income voters who largely vote with their party.

"Some states require voters to show government-issued photo identification, often of a type that as many as one in ten voters do not have," reads the Brennan Center for Justice report. "Other states have cut back on early voting, a hugely popular innovation used by millions of Americans. Two states reversed earlier reforms and once again disenfranchised millions who have past criminal convictions but who are now taxpaying members of the community. Still others made it much more difficult for citizens to register to vote, a prerequisite for voting

The most significant change, the report suggests, is the fact that new laws will be in effect in five states - Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin -requiring photo identification at the polls, something the Brennan Center suggests could make it harder for 3.2 million Americans to vote.

Republicans say it is ridiculous that Americans must routinely show photo identification in their daily life but have not been required to do so when casting ballots. Democrats say that more than 21 million Americans don't have such identification and that Republicans are seeking to disenfranchise them while claiming concerns about voter fraud, which Democrats say is a relatively minor concern. At least 34 states have introduced voter identification laws this year, according to the Brennan Center.

Among the other new laws are measures eliminating early voting on Sundays in Ohio and (on the Sunday before Election Day) in Florida, when some African-American churches organize voters to go to the polls. A ban on election-day voter registration was instituted in Maine, which will likely reduce the number of new, largely-young voters casting ballots.

Meanwhile, for those who do cast ballots, new questions are being raised about whether they will be recorded accurately. Last week Salon.com reported that experts at the Vulnerability Assessment Team at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois found that people can hack Diebold voting machines using a remote control and leave no trace that they changed votes.

The researchers demonstrated that for a total cost of $26, it was possible to hack the machines by inserting a piece of "alien electronics" into the voting machine - without tampering with the microprocessor or software in the machine. (It does require a decent amount of knowledge and access to the machine, however.) They said such a hack was possible "on pretty much every electronic voting machine." You can see a video demonstration below.

This is a national security issue," Roger Johnston, leader of the assessment team, told Salon. "It should really be handled by the Department of Homeland Security."

If you research the amount of Voter fraud over the last decade it is less than 1000th of one percent. So what is the issue. Other words at best one may have one illegal vote out of 100,000. And that is documented. My guess is that if we required a manual count of all ballots the error would be substantially more.

In my opinion it is an attempt to suppress poor and minority voting which some suggestvotes democratic. And by the way I am a life long Republican. Pretty soon we will revert back to only land owners can vote like it was in the past in that it will not be to terrible long until white Anglo Saxons are a minority.