E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSLegal battles have yet to be resolved in the pivotal state of Ohio over early voting and how to deal with mishandled ballots.
The Republican-controlled state government is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to allow Ohio to have two separate deadlines for early voting – Monday, Nov. 5 for members of the U.S. military and Friday, Nov. 2 for everyone else.
Last minute legal briefs were filed over the weekend, which means the justices could deliver a decision any day now.
State Attorney General Mike DeWine must decide whether to pursue an appeal in a separate case, after federal courts ruled that the state is required to count votes cast in the wrong precinct.
Ohio, like 31 other states and D.C., allows early in-person voting in the days leading up to the general election. The Ohio legislature decided to adopt the practice after the state's disastrous experience of 2004, when voting machine breakdowns and other problems caused people to stand in line for as long as 12 hours on election day.
In 2008, roughly 1.7 million Ohio residents voted early, making up about 30 percent of the total turnout. About 100,000 of those votes were cast during the final three days before the election.
But legislative changes to Ohio's election procedures in the last two years produced an apparently unintended consequence. The deadline for early voting was changed to the Friday before the general election, barring counties from allowing in-person voting on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before Election Day.
Separate legislation on procedures for members of the U.S. military inadvertently set two deadlines for them – both the Friday and the Monday before the election. The Ohio secretary of state then ordered local election officials to honor the later deadline for military members only.
The Obama campaign and Ohio Democrats immediately sued, accusing the state of trying to suppress the turnout among older and poorer voters, those most likely to go to the polls early and improperly discriminating between military and non-military voters. The state responded that election officials needed those three days to prepare for Election Day.
Two federal courts blocked the earlier deadline for non-military voters, ruling that the state cannot value one person's vote more than another.
According to the ruling by a panel of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals:
"With no evidence that local boards of elections have struggled to cope with early voting in the past, no evidence that they may struggle to do so during the November 2012 election, and faced with several of those very local boards in opposition to its claims, the State has not shown that its regulatory interest in smooth election administration is 'important,' much less 'sufficiently weighty' to justify the burden it has placed on non-military Ohio voters."
In a separate legal dispute, Ohio officials are considering whether to appeal a federal court's insistence that the state must count ballots that, through errors by poll workers, are mistakenly cast in the wrong precinct.
The problem arises because many polling places in Ohio handle voting for more than one precinct. Poll workers are responsible for handing voters the correct ballots, but they make mistakes.
State law, however, forbids counting ballots cast in the wrong precinct -- even when the error is caused by a poll worker and not the voter. The state rejected more than 14,000 wrongly cast ballots in 2008, and turned down 11,000 more in 2010. It's an issue, a federal court found, that is "systemic and statewide."
In response to a lawsuit filed by Ohio Democrats and other groups, a federal appeals court ruled last week that the state must count the wrongly cast votes, known to election officials as "right church, wrong pew" ballots.
"The State would disqualify thousands of right-place/wrong-precinct provisional ballots, where the voter's only mistake was relying on the poll worker's precinct guidance. That path unjustifiably burdens these voters' fundamental right to vote," the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals said.
Leave a Comment:
I thought that republicans were all about states' rights and against big government! So what is with them going to big government about a matter that should be settled within the state? They feel for some reason that only the SCOTUS should be trusted with matters of republican voter suppression!
Yeah, no kidding! They want to have two different dates for early voting. That is so that people may get confused and think they have until Nov. 5th, which is for the military, and people show up on Nov 5th and told they are SOL. There is a big chance that many of those are unable to vote on Nov. 6th for work or child care issues, etc. This is just another Republican tactic to throw off the voting. Many of these tactics are also, imo, a precursor so that if things don't go the Republican way, they can call "foul" and demand recounts. I call this a bunch of bullsh!t.
Notice republicans fail to offer weekend early voting for those who have to work three jobs to make ends meet. They are screwing the 47 percenters yet again! The republican party is trying to destroy the right to vote, which many Americans over the centuries have fought and died for to acquire and preserve. There is no excuse for this inexcusable slight to hard working Americans.
Voter suppression... voter suppression... voter suppression... voter suppression... voter suppression... so goes the liberal chant... kinda like hope and change... hope and change... hope and change... hope and change... Liberals loves the chants... but really don't have anything to go with them.
It's called history liberals... it's not suppression.
What ever happened to election day? It seems the democrats want to have more than one election day so who's trying to change the rules of voting... and now because republicans and others don't believe it's needed, the liberals stand up and start chanting... voter suppression... voter suppression... voter suppression...
Would you like some cheese with that whine?
Voter Suppression!!! and its Romney's fault
AlaskaGirl-759554
This is just another Republican tactic to throw off the voting. Many of these tactics are also, imo, a precursor so that if things don't go the Republican way, they can call "foul" and demand recounts. I call this a bunch of bullsh!t.
AlaskaGirl,
This bullsh!t is a planned way for the Republicans to shave votes off not just in Ohio but other states as well. This nothing new with the Republicans in Ohio. First it was ACORN. Now it's purported Voter Fraud.
Karl Rove had to go to court for voter fraud in Ohio. Bob Fitrakis and Clifford Arnebeck, two of the most prominent attorneys for the plaintiffs, held a press conference in July 2008, three months before their deposition, to say that supporters of the suit had received multiple anonymous warnings that Connell would be killed if he proceeded with his deposition
http://justice-integrity.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=453&catid=44§ionid=1&Itemid=1
From another site -
… a federal judge has released the 2008 testimony of GOP IT guru Michael Connell, right. The Ohio resident died in a mysterious plane crash that year after anonymous warnings he would be killed if he testified about his work with Karl Rove and others helping the Bush-Cheney ticket win in 2000 and 2004.
Connell’s testimony on Nov. 3, 2008 was a pre-trial deposition in a suit by Ohio voters alleging an election fraud conspiracy led by Republicans running the state government and the election.
After Obama wins this election maybe "we the people" should cease all off shore tax haven accounts from these wealthy vote suppression ceo's.......sounds like a great way to pay off our national debt!
Is this the state that Kerry "lost" in '04--either lines too long and/or a "Diebold delivery"???
I'm usually not a conspiracy person at all, but if Ohio is close, I worry. 5% difference between R&O, no worry, 0.5% difference, worry.
I think that "we the people" need to seriously stand together and fight this crap that is going on! I am so sick and tired of Republicans and their billionaire friends doing whatever they can to turn this country into their "dictatorship". Enough is Enough! The middle class, and that means you Republicans as well, is being stomped on by the elites, and we mostly sit idly by while they pocket and squirrel away trillions of dollars. This country has gone so far extreme it is mind boggling.
I smell a rat in Ohio. There are loads of republicans there that are more than willing to lie, cheat and steal to get their way. Why don't people like this find their way to prison for suppressing the sacred vote in this country?
There are loads of Republicans EVERYWHERE who are more than willing to lie, cheat and steal to get their way.
Hey Independents: Don't be fooled by the Romney/Ryan Lying duo!
Obama/Biden 2012!
Mike Dewine just can't give it up. Though he keeps going.. like the ever-ready bunny... He once claimed thousands of votes from illegals... once he actually investigated, he came up with about 200 questionable. Of those 200, all but 6 were later found to be ok... Of those 6, 2 were from illegals... So to catch those TWO, he has created all kinds of blocks for mostly dem voters... great guy...
The Republicans are attempting to steal another election with the help of the SCOTUS. They did it before, infact the are experts at lying, stealing and cheating. After all look who they picked as the candidate, "the Father of Lies." Mis-fit Mitt has no integrity whatsoever. The fact that he changes his position from crowd to crowd proves the point that he has no policies or he's a damn liar. And it's a shame that his followers are filled with so much hatred that can't even see what he believes in or I should say don't care. And Lyin Ryan, with his idiotic expressions, is supposed to be the future of the GOP, what does that tell you how far they have come.
Liberals can start screaming conspiracy theory... but only the liberals can do it... let a conservative question a decision made by Obama... and the conservative is excoriated for it... sheesh... Liberals the OWNERS of double standards.
"chad me this and chad me not" Good Laws! Will the Republican party EVER admit that their constituents can and do vote and have a brain?????
Can the GOP just admit they are SO screwed up that they need to have a convention to get their shi! straight prior to their convention?????
Obama/Biden 2012
Early voting is not required under the constitution. It is allowed because it can help alleviate the rush on election day, but altering early voting days is not unconstitutional, and is not "voter suppression." Stop dealing in lies and misleading "catch phrases" democrats, and get your act together. You wanna vote, then vote on the days you can and stop crying that you can't vote on any given day at any given hour. What next, a "change your vote option." For crying out loud, most of the childish behavior emanates from the democratic party, and its pathetic.
I'll take some salt, freshly deposited at the Bank of Sodium, owned and operated by BrianB, with branch offices next to the ditch he parks his truck in overnight. Make sure he wraps your deposit in tinfoil, you wouldn't want your deposit washed away in the next big rainstorm.
Personally, I would question the wisdom of investing in the Bank of Sodium run by a certain BrianB, who cannot decipher the difference between cutoff dates for early voting. Conspiracy me this, Senor BrianB .. why the different cutoff date for active members of the military vs. the general public? Inquiring minds want to know. Surely, the details are in the salt.
And now we have an amnesiac DOA kinda guy supporting different rules for different folks. So John Doe, you support no early voting for pale, stale, sterile males, but you DO support early voting for non-whites, limited early voting for women, and yet another set of rules for some other group you will surely define. I'll be happy to suggest a set of rules for voting by anyone with a moniker of John Doe - he gets to vote between 1:00:10 ET and 1:00:11 ET on December 19th. How's that voting rule grab ya? You going to bitch about that, or will you remember that is your special time of day to vote?
Independents should vote a straight democratic ticket just because of these GOP voter suppression tactics alone.
Independents, we need you to save our voting rights.
The people of Ohio better watch their backsides and get out and vote early. The RepubThugs are pulling the same crap in Florida except they are sending in mail in votes for the dead, comatose and local car dealers. I guess since the SCOTUS gave corporations a voice they now think they should get a vote also.
One look at the letters the Koch punks sent their workers THIS year and the letter they sent 4 years ago shows just how low the Republican pricks will go to get Robme/Lyin into the White House.
These letters also shows Continuing Racketeering activity withing a 10 year period (a requirement of RICO). Also Arthur Allen, president and CEO of Naples-based ASG Software Solutions and David Siegel founder and president of Westgate Resorts have also sent intimidating email and letters to THEIR employees THREATENING their jobs if President Obama is reelected.
So ASG employs 1,300
Westgate Resorts employs 6,500
Koch Industries employs 45,000 just in the U.S. (But RICO is available around the world).
Lets see here, $25,000 per count and 20 years per Racketeering count and if found guilty that would be $1.3 Billion fine and 1,056,000 years in prison for these 4 jackoffs. **RICO also permits a private individual harmed by the actions of such an enterprise to file a civil suit; if successful, the individual can collect treble damages. SO WORKERS UNITE AND COLLECT $3.9 Billion in damages from these 4 pricks.
I'm no lawyer but shouldn't the Justice Department be bringing RICO charges against the Koch brothers, Allen and Siegel for intimidation, Extortion, Blackmail, Bribery, Obstruction Of Justice ( Illegal Voter Suppression and silencing another's speech) and Acts Of Terrorism? It is after all the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act. The U.S. Supreme Court has instructed federal courts to follow the continuity-plus-relationship test in order to determine whether the facts of a specific case give rise to an established pattern. Predicate acts are related if they "have the same or similar purposes, results, participants, victims, or methods of commission, or otherwise are interrelated by distinguishing characteristics (THE EMAIL/LETTERS SENT TO EMPLOYEES) and are not isolated events.
STAND UP AMERICA BEFORE CORPORATE PRICKS OWN YOUR ASS!!!
I don't care if any state has a cut off on early ballots, just as long as it is published, and they honor the votes cast by those serving in the military of this great nation, away from home, even if the service member mails their ballot on election day. This was one of the issues we used during the Viet Nam war, to give eligibility to those who were 18 years of age. If you are old enough to die for your country, you should be able to vote!
A Romney Bundler owns a portion of the company that provides the voting machines used for Ohio?
http:// www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sasfm_fTuyQ#!
I see most of the Republicans have been kicked out of MSNBC. (0% of the posters are Democrats. Not a true representation of our peoples. It does say a lot about bias in the media though. When the news is biased, and the posts are biased as well through censorship, this ceases to be a reliable news source. Stories about "social media" become null and void when this happens.
Caesar Augustus-
No. We don't blame Romney. We know he's just a go-with-the-flow reset-for-the-moment puppet kind of guy, so we wouldn't blame him for voter suppression.
But do we blame the GOP big-money calculating do-whatever-it-takes leadership? Of course we do. We have seen a pretty well organized effort coming strictly from the right to suppress legitimate voting... oops... I mean to show us the way through strict voter ID and voter timing changes.
If you can legitimately answer the question, "why now?" or "why just before an election?" or "why not just after the election" since you claim that the effort is in the interest in the electorate in general and is not partisan, we would appreciate it.
I was on the fox site the other day and you can't even discuss their articles.
IMO there should not be early voting period. We have absentee ballots for people out of state and our military. All this early voting is for is to give the lazy time to get off their duffs and go vote. If you are really concerned with our country you will make the commitment to vote on election day. Thats why we call it election day. If you need a week to find time to vote then your not taking it seriously enough. Obama has been bribing the poor with free cell phones to vote for him and he knows they need a few days to sober up or run out of dope to get to the polls.
do away with early voting and use absentee ballots for people who know they won't be home on election day.
The reason for the two different dates for military vs. non-military was a mistake in a piece of legislation. The state of Ohio took the approach of honoring the later date that was published to the military so as not to unfairly refuse military ballots because of a mistake by the state. This is not some grand Republican conspiracy, it is trying to make the best of the situation due to an honest mistake in a law. I wish that liberals would grow up and stop looking for Republican conspiracies and wrongdoing in everything that happens, it makes them sound like idiots with tin foil hats. As for not counting ballots that are cast in the wrong precinct. I think that those votes that are for statewide or federal positions should be counted. However, if this results in someone casting votes in a race where they are not in the district represented then that portion of the ballot should not be counted. It is unfortunate when this happens through no fault of the voter, but it would be equally wrong for someone to cast a vote for say a congressman or state senator when they do not live in that district.
I've noticed a disturbing pattern with the Republicans and that is they will use the power of the Federal Government to try and block individual rights and freedoms (i.e. DOMA and voter suppression in Ohio), but when the Federal Government tries to help individuals they cry foul and say the Government is overreaching and those matters should be sent to the state (i.e. healthcare). It's even more disturbing when the GOP fan boys close their eyes and minds to the obvious ruse that is being played out in front of them and try to defend and justify such despicable actions. Even a preschooler can decipher what's going on here and it is beyond shameful. Time to stand up and fight back against the GOP machine!
Interesting - these teapublicans tell us what great Americans they are yet they do everything they can to make it more difficult to practice the most basic right American is founded on -- the right to vote.
All this early voting is for is to give the lazy time to get off their duffs and go vote.
BS!!! Total BS. I've voted early since the option was offered --- not because I'm lazy but because I don't have to contend with long lines,and because my busiest day of the week is usually Tuesday.
As for the free cell phone, sober up comment --- I could build a case that people like you who believe garbage like that are too stupid to vote.
The problem was a mistake (2 pieces of legislation; 2 dates). so what's the fuss about fixing a mistake? Fix it!
It is looking more and more like the republicans are out to steal what they cannot win legitimately.
It is ironic that the ones screaming VOTER FRAUD are the ones that got busted for it in Florida.
Data shows that black voters like to vote early after church on the Sunday before election day. Karl Rove sent out orders to Republican States that voting on that day should be cancelled to garner a Republican advantage.
Voting is a duty and should be mandatory for every citizen. A fine of $100 for not voting would bring in $9 billion every 2 years at present voting levels.
Libs are keeping this in play until after the election... just another way to change the vote after Romney wins the White House
Avenger, Ohio made early voting an option because in 2004 they didn't have enough polling places and many people had to stand in line in bad weather for 12 hours just to vote. Rather than setting up more polling places (too expensive, maybe?) they legislated early voting, which resolved the problem of the lines, but resulted in a Democrat getting elected. Now they're trying to resolve that problem by reinstating the problem of too few polling places, hoping that people (Democrats) will decide it's too much trouble and stay home. (Notice they didn't decide to fix the problems right after the last election, but are doing it now, right before this election.)
Just another way that the GOP tries to intimidate voters to keep them from voting anything other than the chosen GOP candidates. Just look at all of the new reports in the past week of the CEO's trying to force all of their employees to vote Romney by threatening them with the loss of their jobs. Sounds like the 1930's Italy and Germany, doesn't it? Or the Communist dictatorships that the GOP rails against all of the time.
How about those DVDS being passing out in Ohio?
An anti-Obama movie claiming — without evidence — that President Barack Obama's real father is an obscure African-American communist has been mailed to 1.5 million voters across the country, its creator told BuzzFeed Friday.
A reader in Ohio emailed this photo of his free copy of the film Dreams From My Real Father, which claims that the Chicago activist Frank Marshall Davis is actually President Obama's father. He received it in the mail this week.
The film's director and producer, Joel Gilbert, said that the film was sent out to more one million voters in Ohio; 200,000 after a mid-summer conference, and a million after that. He said that 50,000 copies had been sent to voters in Nevada and 100,000 to voters in New Hampshire.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/anti-obama-movie-mailed-to-1-million-ohioians
4 more 4 44
Obama/Biden 2012
Bev - those
cockKoch Brothers will stop at nothing. Thankfully, they have their own DVD about their mass manipulation of the TeaParty dolts that buy into their supposed think tanks. At least we know they have billions to spend on corralling the easily duped masses. Well worth watching the documentary "Koch Brothers Exposed".Intimidation works in the south. Take for instance in Mississippi during the Presdidential electionMcCain/Obama. Only 30% of the black electorate managed to vote when they had a chance to vote for the first black ever nominated for the Presidency. Down there they send out hoods to watch and note who comes to the polls. If you do in certain areas you lose your job! Want to see voter fraud? Add the good old http:// in front o f the following.
justice-integrity.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=453&catid=44§ionid=1&Itemid=1
@Giantego, NICE site... Goog looking out.......
Thanks
If it is illegal to threaten to fire someone unless they provide sexual favors to their boss, why isn't it illegal to threaten to fire someone if they don't vote the way their boss wants them to?
Election night is going to run into wee hours and beyond - probably back in the Supreme Court because of disputes like this.
Thats what Rove wants since they own the court. Rove started out changing Texas to a solid Republican camp by ligning up donations from rich folks and he change the courts first then the Senate down there and then all of their government which is now a rubber stamp for right wing radicalism. You are not voting for Romney you are voting for Grover Norquist who is a lobbyist and has every republican candidate by the short hairs because they signed his pledge to never raise taxes. Of course they can on regular folks just not rich people. Norquist has said all they need in the WHite house is somebody who can sign the stupid ligistlation they have passed in the house. Even he thinks Roney is a loser.
Campaign funds are used for one purpose only: to get their candidates to win. If the Obama campaign is hiring lawyers to sue over Ohio's voting laws, it is only because they believe that disenfranchising military members will help Obama win.
I notice FR is silent on Wisconsin. unless that happened over the weekend on FR.
I wish FR would change their motto from this below to
This: The first place for Obama and DNC cheering, all day every day, 24/7 - 365
How is this disenfranchising military voters? Don't they still get the same amount of time to vote as non-military?
It seems to me that providing them (and understand that I truly respect their service) 3 extra days to vote actually diminishes the value of and disenfranchises non-military voters when true comparisons are made.
Flip Flop Romney KIlling votes and OUTSOURCING
Police have arrested three people for blocking the removal of equipment from the Sensata Technologies plant in Freeport, Illinois. Workers at Sensata have set up an encampment called "Bainport" across the street from the facility to protest plans by Bain Capital to close the plant and move operations to China, taking 170 jobs with it. Sensata is owned by Bain Capital, the private equity firm co-founded by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. We hear from two of the detained protesters: Karri Penniston, 16, whose mother works at Sensata, and Debi Kempel, a Bainport supporter from nearby Pearl City
President OBAMA 2012
Inexperienced Romney 1040
If the Republicans are trying to DISENFRANCHISE the entire state of Ohio, EXCEPT a few hundred Active duty military and several thousand RETIRED military, they have a problem. If eliminating voting on Saturday, Sunday and Monday is good enough for every other Ohio resident, it is good enough for Active Duty and retired Military. They can ensure their absentee ballot is received by Friday or get a leave and show up at the polls on Tuesday.
Careful, Matthew!! You are equating fairness and common sense into the same statement, something not tolerated by the GOPTP, and something they will rabidly fight. They seem to only endorse elitism as evidenced by Romney's telling 47% comment.
As a matter of fact, it does disenfranchise military service members. Those who have served in overseas operations know this all too well. You can't always just run down to the APO or mail room and send something off, you might just be doing what you are getting paid for...to write a blank check payable to the People of The United States of America, in the amount of up to and including your life! Then add to that, getting a ballot sent to you in the first place. It is bad manners to speak poorly of the farmer, with your mouth full!
Andy - http://www.longdistancevoter.org/ohio . Ballots can be requested 11 months in advance of the election.
Further, I never spoke poorly of the military, nor will I. I respect what they do and the price they pay for all of us. This price is paid to support our Constitution, laws, and freedoms -this includes the idea of "equality under the law" which is the concept referred to in the courts decision to value votes equally.
How in the hell is it disenfranchising anyone to let EVERYONE vote the last 3 days before the election. They are not suing to change anything for the military, just keep the rules the same for everyone.
The "disenfranchising the military" excuse is the best the GOP spin machine can come up with to justify their despicable actions in Ohio. They change the law then try to blame the Obama administration. It is truly unbelievable. The Democrats are not suing to stop the military from voting up to the last three days before the election; they are suing to allow ALL Ohio voters to do the same thing which is exactly what the law allowed UNTIL the GOP controlled legislature changed it!! The only change that has occurred is in shortening the time allowed for non-military citizens to vote early. Change the law back as there is NO reason to change it; especially this close to an important election. The GOP is guilty as sin on this and you cannot make excuses for them.
This crap of the military being hurt is old school right wing milarky as usual. How can you say they are hurt in anyway when stupid Dewine wants to let them vote right up to election day and cut off working people who usually vote over the weekend before the election. When the Democrats wer in we got an honest count and with our population there is no way the republicans can win Ohio without cheating.
The RWNJs are worried about losing the election, and will do whatever it takes to get this hostile takeover completed so the Koch Brothers can install their puppet CEO, Wrongme.
If not Ohio, they figure they can fix enough other states to get Willard in there so he can sign papers for Grover Norquist. These cheating bastages must be defeated. Get out and vote. Georgia is lost. They have enough dumb sheets indoctrinated via Clear Channel(owned by Bain Capital, not surprisingly) that the state is locked up before early voting even begun.
BTW, Koch Brothers have told their employees to vote for Romney or lose their jobs. They have invested close to half a billion in Rob-me, and they want a return!
America is now for sale, if you didn't already know.
Actually Mitt has already signed away his right to govern to Grover Norquist. He would not be getting the money if he had not.
IR12 - Norquist has already admitted all he needs in a president is a hand to sign the legislation placed on the desk of the oval office. Romney is thrilled to be the hand of the GOPTP. He has already placed an order for a prosthetic replacement so he can spend his leisure days steering cars into La Jolla elevators.
And if Obama loses, will he do an Al Gore?
@starderup, do you happen to know how many dollars George Soros invested in the Obama campaign against Bush? it was upwards of $40M.
Do you happen to know how many companies Soros owns that spread the bull you liberals love to quote? Or do you know how many dollars George contributes annually to liberal talk radio and other liberal media outlets?
Google Soros.
Yeah, Obama is going to invent Public Roads and velcro
And if Romney loses?
Hey, safecracker: if you are going to pull that, then you should take a real hard look at Adelson and the Koch Brothers. The three of them are basically funding Romney's little campaign.
Typical Republican tactic. What you can't legitimately win, steal.
So, safecracker: since you are "new" and all that:
Riddle me this: how much money do you suppose the Koch brothers, traitors to this country, have poured into defeating their President?
And provide sources for what Soros has given.
REPUTABLE sources.
Dumbass "safecracker"
President Obama never ran against Bush you idiot!
Obama/Biden 2012!
safecracker,
that 40 million is piss in the ocean compared to what Obama's grassroots has donated. Where as most of Romney's money is coming from billionaires. The Koch's just donated another 60 million to him this month.
Cynthia - where you been? You and Jon Stewart are the best at deconstructing the obvious. Keep posting - I miss your views!!
Thank you again, NDD; glad to see you're on the ball as usual.
Once again, and oh so predictably, the minions of the Forces of Darkness are trotting out George Soros, the favorite boogeyman of the right (and he's a Jew, ya know! Oh, the horror!). It would appear that the legions of tycoons shovelling out money to the Republican Party are all selfless patriots, who want nothing more than to help their fellow Americans out in these dark and confusing times; once this election is over, they can all wash their hands of politics and go back to their life's work of knitting socks for war veterans and rescuing abandoned puppies. On the other hand, if a leftist millionaire wants to give a little back to his country for all it's given him, why, he's a filthy corruptionist, a disseminator of lies and propaganda, and an enemy of Capitalism (and a Jew, don't forget)!
Have any of you on the Right ever once, for even a moment, asked yourselves just what the Koch brothers and others of their ilk expect in return for the stupendous investment they've made in Romney Inc.? Look at it this way: These guys don't spend a dime unless it'll make them back a dollar... and a brief review of their records on workplace safety and enviromental quality should suffice to allay any lingering suspicion that they're doing it out of the kindness of their hearts. (Their whats!?)
Are you that afraid that we're heading down the road to- gasp!- Socialism? Well, first of all, I seriously doubt most of you would recognize Socialism if it fell in your lunch, and we should all be so lucky anyway.
It's the Forces of Darkness that are making the most meaningful strides toward turning this country into the totalitarian dictatorship of my grandparent's nightmares: enforcing uniformity of thought, using intimidation and threats of violence against religious and ethnic minorities, promoting an extremely narrow view of who is and who isn't a patriot, stirring up war fever (against whoever's handy- if there's no credible threat, invent one!) and restricting the roles and freedoms of women.
The thousands of Ohioan votes that were either discarded or just plain never counted in the first place in 2004 somehow all came from precincts that were expected to lean heavily Democratic. In Republican areas, the brand- new Diebold machines all functioned perfectly. The fraud was as obvious and as effective as in a banana republic, and the Democratic Party of '04 was too whipped to even utter a squeak of protest.
Lastly: Why haven't any of you right-wing mouth- breathers brought out the New Black Panther Party? I thought that was one of your favorite scare-the-kids bedtime tales.
er um... Obama didn't run against Bush.
Also the case was Bush v. Gore meaning that Bush filed the suit.
I'm just saying
Obviously the GNOP doesn't believe in facts....but does try and re-write history...as they said....We don't need no fact checkers...we just make 'em up as we go....
GNOP WE CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!
C'mon Myther - show us the 1040's....What ARE you hiding@?!
And to think that I used to live in that state 17 years ago. So glad I'm no longer a resident of that dictatorship of the GOP run state.
Their waiting to see if the Ohio KKK can recruit enough new members to station for intimidation at the polling centers, except in the rich and cons neighborhoods.
The headline to this post is inaccurate. The courts have decided that having two deadlines is illegal, but the state Republicans refuse to accept their ruling.
The Supreme Court will not take up this case. So everyone will get until Monday to vote early. I just hope President Obama does well enough tomorrow night to fire up early voters everywhere.
Obama is ahead by 28 points with early voters nation wide already. But yeah, never hurts to further your numbers. Frankly tomorrow I think will make or break the psychological aspects of this election. If Obama fails I do not see the Left/Obama supports recovering mentally from it.
If Romney loses the next two debates same happens with the Right. Although there is more going against Romney like Bainport. Stuff is moving quickly and it is still anyone's election. This may go down as the closest election we have had in a while.
Did you just make these numbers up or are they official numbers from the Obama campaign?
hell the closest election we ever had was in 2000 and the then fla. gov. jeb brother bush and the rightwing S.Court refused to wait for the count of votes that the fla. republican party election officals so skillfully lost then found then had to recount and recount and in the end Gore won but the rightwing republican S.Court already ruled and had Bush sworn in as POTUS and now they are trying to do it again just this time they don`t care if you know what thier plan is. its come right out of thier own mouths. mitts just a puppet for big corp. and the rightwing neo cons of the Bush admin.
No, the tie breaker was decided by congress as prescribed by our constitution. You Libs always want to change the rules when you don't get your way. I had a friend like that when I was young. If she couldn't win, she would cheat, if you stopped her from cheating she would accuse you of something else. She kind of reminds me of the Democratic party today.
The rules were followed to the letter under the watchful eye of the nation, and when Republicans won, Democrats still cried foul. Brats should be spanked and sent to bed without dinner.
No Flame Thrower you need to read the courts opinion in Bush v Gore., "Counting the votes would be detrimental to the Plantiff, George W. Bush." and also comment that, "This decision does not set a president." Meaning they will just rule infavor of which parties appointies have a majority on the court. The Supreme court members that made this terrible decission need to be impeached!!!
This is LESS an issue than allowing employers to "INTIMIDATE" employees into voting for whom they are told to vote. This creates a HOSTILE work environment. And anyone that is going to criticize and side with those f'd up empoyers, STFU you sacks O sheeeet!
But you think it's fine for unions to intimidate voters?
Pot, meet kettle...
As unethical as I think it is to tell employees how to vote, there is no way an employer can force them one way or another.
Hey Tammy! Examples? I mean from within the last two decades.
I've got a book to read while I'm waiting for you to get back to me.
@FoxTrotsky
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQjh3mv0w14
http://townhall.com/columnists/meredithturney/2011/08/10/california_unions_intimidate_voters_to_maintain_power/page/full/
http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/watercooler/2010/oct/31/nv-poll-worker-union-intimidation-its-not-theyre-g/
hey tammy you righties just have to have a big ole scary boogie man like unions for all the blind racist wingnuts in your party to hate. so that all those poor idiots will vote against thier own best intrest everytime. Mitt & Ryan now thats who you should fear.
albo-knows
ROTFLMAO First you talk about boogie men and then you admit you've fallen for the same BS coming from your puppet masters. Too funny!
Real Clear Politics is consistently cited by both FOXNEWS and NBCNEWS as a current source for reliable averaged polling data at every level of American politics.
Real Clear on Saturday reduced the number of total 'toss-up states' still in play at the national level from twelve to eleven, having returned Missouri to 'leaning Romney'.
As a result, the eleven states of Florida (FL), Pennsylvania (PA), Ohio (OH), North Carolina (NC), Michigan (MI), Virginia (VA), Colorado (CO), Wisconsin (WI), Iowa IO), Nevada (NV) and New Hampshire (NH) are the only states yet to be placed in either the Obama or Romney camps.
Beyond that, of the thirty-nine states no longer considered toss-up, Obama can lay claim with relative certainty to receiving 201 electoral votes to Romney's 191, with 270 winning the Presidency outright.
At present, with only 21 days left in the 2012 presidential campaign, Obama leads in eight of the eleven
remaining toss-up states and Romney leads in three.
In descending order of percentage of lead in favor of Obama, followed in ascending order of percentage of lead in favor of Romney, here are the averaged polling numbers from Real Clear Politics for Monday, October 15:
In PA, with 20 electoral votes, Obama's lead is 4.8%.
In MI, with 16 electoral votes, Obama's lead is 4.4%.
In IO, with 6 electoral votes, Obama's lead is 2.7%.
In WI, with 10 electoral votes, Obama's lead is 2.3%.
In OH, with 18 electoral votes, Obama's lead is 2.2%.
In NV, with 6 electoral votes, Obama's lead is 1.6%.
In VA, with 13 electoral votes, Obama's lead is 0.8%.
In NH, with 4 electoral votes, Obama's lead is 0.7%.
In CO, with 9 electoral votes, Romney's lead is 0.6%.
In FL, with 29 electoral votes, Romney's lead is 2.5%.
In NC, with 15 electoral votes, Romney's lead is 4.7%.
For Obama to win re-election, the easiest route would appear to be through maintaining his existing lead in the five toss-up states where his current leads are widest: PA, MI, IO, WI, and OH. Doing so would bring his electoral vote total on Election Day to 271.
Should Obama lose the critically important and highly-contested toss-up state of OH, the loss could be overcome by simultaneous victories in two of the remaining toss-ups where he presently holds a narrow lead: VA and NV. This alternative non-OH route would bring his electoral vote to 272.
For Romney to unseat Obama, he not only would have to capture the three states in which he presently leads, NC, FL, and CO (bringing his electoral vote total to 244), but also steal victories in NH, VA, NV where Obama's current lead is most narrow (raising his total to 267), plus add one final victory in any single state from among the remaining five where Obama presently leads by his widest margins of 2.2% to 4.8%: OH, WI, IO, MI, or PA.
A tougher road for Romney to get to the White House, to be sure, but not an impossible task.
Several other trackers have not put New Hampshire in Romney's hands. A couple of EV count sites have Virginia and Florida already in the bag for Romney.
Several trackers put Colorado in Romney's hands.
Sulfolk University pulled out of Florida, North Carolina and Virginia last week. They say that Romney has them locked up, no further need to run polls. Since them almost every poll has come in with Romney up 1 - 7 points in Florida, North Carolina and Virginia.
Romney now needs only 12 EC's to tie, 13 to win.
The last 3 polls in New Hampshire, including a new Sulfolk poll, show a tie to Romney leading by 4.
New Hampshire is .5% in favor of Obama and likely to go to Mitt in when the next poll comes in.
Iowa is now 1 point in favor of Obama
Nevada is now at 1.6 points in favor of Obama
Ohio is now at 1.67 point in favor of Obama
Wisconsin is now 2.33 points in favor of Obama
Mitt is only releasing his commercial barrage starting this week.
Supreme Court Won't Do the Right Thing:
The Supreme Court should rule on federal election having supremacy over 10th Amendment States Right deference. The States having proven incapable of conducting federal elections fairly, due to avarice do and continue to engage in voter suppression, by public announcement, by deed, by delay, confusion and obscuration and seeding private messaging intended for intimidation. The Court should order cease and desist, and recommending enforcement by police officers, court offices, National Guard and federal troops to cease arrest all State Officers and any and all obstructers not conforming to this ruling immediately, and detaining them until after the election.
But then do Americas Care?
Since the 2012 Election is going to be predetermined by the Supreme Court, to enable States 'at whim voter suppression', and that Congress will move to impeach the President anyway for show, we might as have good look at what the plans are really about after these donors purchase the 2012 elections. America In Name Only.
Following Romney's business plan will a consolidation of the various states, provinces of North American.
The economic practicality is obvious in combined state and province government, the with business legislative branch reducing state worker overhead and pensions by 75%. The legislators will be chosen for the Senate by big business and for the House by small businesses, the penniless general public will not be represented unless they become a small businesses.
Some detailed examples, MS, AL, GA and SC will have one business capital, but retain 8 Senators and the total numbers of Representatives. On the whole 91 states and provinces (50 US+10 CA+31 MX) will be apportioned to 12 Business states. Across the border associations WY, MT, NK, SK, Alberta will make the Shale/Tar Oil States. While CA will be split, with the bottom combined with Baja and Baja Sur. ID, WA, OR combined with British Columbia make Tree States. NE, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI will make up Educated states. NV, AZ, UT, and CO will be the made into Gaming Ski Business. The rest of the business plans will be done by Bipartisan Congress, excluding democrats, allowing each member to maintain a strong donor base.
The Energy Production outlook will follow the 2006 Energy Summit on NA reserves to provide a guide for economic modeling, i.e. drain North America First. The warm Southern states will agriculture states, pecan, peanuts, cotton, and onions. Texas will remain except to be expanded by territories, to make it into the shape of a star. The States around the Great Lakes will become the Water Franchise Businesses. Areas having common business interests, resources of exclusive monopoly, or mining potential will be balanced by shares. New California time shares will be made available, as part of lowering cost of elder care, as air conditioning in New CA will be lower cost than in Florida.
The new population of 330,000,000 or so will allow the per capital national debt to be reduced to $50,000, however it will then be redistributed to each person as individual personal debt therefore wiping the national debt completely clean.
Under this plan no taxes will be collected and no government bills will paid. User fees and business in kind trades will provide for major investments, private firms will be provide all police and security services. You must by provide insurance for all conditions ahead of having any condition, except for any organ donations you can make in lieu of emergency treatment.
Rich - weathy
m-money
Jones- keeping up with the Jones'
RNC.com - A Democrat posing as a thoughtless wealthy Republican folks.
Another of their dirty tactics.
safecracker123 @starderup, do you happen to know how many dollars George Soros invested in the Obama campaign against Bush? it was upwards of $40M.
I think you are a little confused. President Obama NEVER ran a campaign against Bush!!!!!
Don't -
You are the one who is confused. Senator Obama ran a campaign against McCain and Bush in 2008 by comparing McCain's possible candidacy as 'just another Bush'.
Even today, Obama is still running against Bush every time he refuses to own up to his own failures and blames Bush.
Tammy - you're right. McCain was NOT just another Bush. McCain shows the capacity to make independent decisions and he did not hire a bunch of GWB and Cheney cronies to be his advisors.
By contrast, Romney has shown NO capacity to act independently or stand up to the most extreme in his party and I don't think that would change in a Romney administration.
What you should be alarmed about - Romney has chosen a majority of GWB advisors, and not just ANY advisors, but the most hard right neocons like John Bolton and Dan Senor. Worse - there's no mitigating "voice of reason" like Colin Powell. Just super hawkish foreign policy guys, and super delusional "trickle down" will work THIS time, we PROMISe. Right.
Romney is NO McCain. But Romney WOULD be a third term of GWB, no question.
As Powell's Cheif of Staff Wilkerson said: "these guys scare the heck out of me." Ditto for me.
Boy oh boy, talk about going all in? And talk about a very-well orchestrated plan to increase Mitt's chances of winning, what legitimate reason other than pure racism can the Attorney General offer that makes his need to separate early voting so critical? He should be ashamed of himself, but he's not. Just like all of the other unethical, immoral, and non-sensical, racist, conspiratorial antics being made all over this country -- to suppress votes. They -- including the Koch Brothers and their Plutocrat Pals, have gone to such extremes to prevent the President from being reelected, it's downright scary. I'm starting to understand what the deep south must have been like in the 50's and 60's. It's scary what they're doing. Bush caused this mess and did they try to crucify him? Not even close. Which is one reason why you don't hear his name so much as uttered by Mitt or Paul or ANY Republican. Not an ounce of shame for their mean-spirtedness and dare we add up the lies.
Early voting up till the election worked in Ohio primary earlier THIS year and now that Obama's on the ballot there's a problem??
Looks like Obama is trying to suppress the military vote.....
How so? And please give a non-fox answer. We are waiting .......
HopeisGone is really just another Empty Hopeless. Suppression of the military vote is how the Koch Brothers and Norquist hats tell him what to think. Understanding the issue is beyond comprehension - and I have to admit, it seems to work on a segment of the population, which are oddly always GOPTP.
There are stiff penalties for election fraud: multiple year jail term and thousands of dollars in fines for each count. The Republicans who are trying to defraud people of their votes should be convicted, fined and jailed.
They`ve already been caught for getting people to sign up to vote but only turning in the ones that vote republican. you have one saying the new voter I.D. law done which is going to allow Romney to win the state of Penn. another state A.G. saying the font size was to small. and one saying that 47% of us usless and he doesn`t care about them until the debate and whos also a birther, an outsourcer, a tax cheat, a draft dodger, a job destroyer, a lier, a poor little rich kid that never had to worry about anything, an out of touch flip floppin peice of @##@ who will say or do anything to become what his father couldn`t POTUS
Exactly. The same goes for the thousands of Democrats committing voter fraud as well.
Show us the proof Flamer...
Flamethrower cannot show you the proof. BUT, we can show proof of the Republicans, the ones shouting from the rooftops that the Dems are committing voter fraud, and solid facts that support it, that they are indeed committing voter fraud. What's his name Republicans? Nathan Sproul? You know, the guy you guys hired. The same guy who was fired by you guys back in 2004 for the same crap. He changed the name of his company. Republicans are disgusting people.
Yeah the RAT is Mike Dewine. Voter suppression! Who could vote for Mitt and all his billionaire friends. Look out it he wins. He's lying to everyone now just go get your vote.
What kind of friends do you think Barak has now. He doesn't exactly go to church bar-b cues on the south side of Chicago. He only hangs with 1%'ers now.
Check out his connection with Bill Gates, it is quite interesting.
If your vote does not count, this is the only way Romney/Ryan will WIN!!
Find your precinct and VOTE!!!
How far will the Republicans and RICH go to win!!! Sounds like a hostel take over be the RICH!!!!
Isn't it strange that Democrat Voters are being targeted!! No one has said anything about Republican Voters!!!!
The Republicans are destroying Votes!!!!!!!!
Sounds like WWII when the Germans destroyed 3,000,000 Jews just because they were Jews!! I was there!!
How SAD!!!
If you were there you should know that it was 6 million Jews and an estimated 3 million other people for other reasons, such as Artists, Gays, Gypsies etc. etc.
And on the subject of Hitler, He passed an executive order giving himself total power in the event of a financial crisis, then proclaimed a financial crisis and set himself up as dictator.
Obama passed the same executive order, why didn't you use the same analogy then?
You were there ? Lets say you were 20 years old, and the average age in WW II for American soldiers was 26.
That means you are 86.
The Germans are said to have killed 6,000,000 Jews as well.
What I am saying is that I don't believe you.
Voter suppression ... say anything ... do anything ... WIN at all cost! The TRUE Republicans have to really be saddened of what their party has become.
"If a party has to stop people from voting to win elections, their political platform obviously SUCKS!?" Sen Daylin Leach of Pa.
It wouldn't surprise anyone if the Republican governed swing states don't destroy Democratic mail-in votes and early Democratic votes. I just hope some of them get caught and spend some quality time in their state prisons.
These ReThuglicans ought to be made to wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers so we could tell who their corporate sponsors are.
Flip Flop Romney Killing votes and OUTSOURCING
Police have arrested three people for blocking the removal of equipment from the Sensata Technologies plant in Freeport, Illinois. Workers at Sensata have set up an encampment called "Bainport" across the street from the facility to protest plans by Bain Capital to close the plant and move operations to China, taking 170 jobs with it. Sensata is owned by Bain Capital, the private equity firm co-founded by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. We hear from two of the detained protesters: Karri Penniston, 16, whose mother works at Sensata, and Debi Kempel, a Bainport supporter from nearby Pearl City
President OBAMA 2012
Inexperienced Romney 1040
Wait a second. How can a person go to a precinct where their name is not on record and cast a vote - and even if they are given a ballot, expect it to count? This actually sounds like voter fraud to me.
Talking Democrats here. They don't know any other way.
The democrats need to stop. It makes them look bad. If a person is going to vote and really wants to they will make to the polls . There is no reason not to . If they can do everything else they can vote. This is to get Obama re-elected . Just like we need ID for everything we do but for some people that is too hard for voting. Another idea from the democrats
Ohio had this early voting in place for awhile. Why do anyone need to change it. Its giving everyone a chance to vote it gives less time restraints. If Ohioans want to vote Mitt Romney in here is their chances to do that and vice verse. At the end of the day this is a Democratic society and everyone should get a opportunity to vote whether you are Republicans or democrats.
TooBad, the only ones making anyone look bad the GOPTP. Election fraud, election coercion, these are the GOPTP tactics that stink to high heaven. Voting is a right, and the methodologies employed by the GOPTP to stop that right is FRAUD.
The real problem is that the intent of the Ohio legislature was to stop early voting for most people on the last weekend of the election - when most of the early votes were cast in 2008. I really think that the Dems should just go to a vote by mail strategy. All Democratic friendly voters should get help with their vote by mail requests. Those vote by mail applications should be dropped off at every registered Democratic voter's house. In California, we can request permanent vote by mail status, which means by checking a box on a form registered voters can always receive a vote by mail ballot. That's the best way for working people to vote without missing work. As the country gets more computer literate, voters can be educated about the ease of starting the process on line.