When an appellate court shut down Indiana's unequal mandate for polling-place voter ID, it sent a clear signal that-partisan politics aside-election laws should be assessed on whether or not all voters are given equal access to the democratic process. Yet, despite violations of law and the fact that absentee voting is more susceptible to voter fraud activity than in-person voting, other states continue to emulate what was one of the country's toughest voter ID laws.
Although there are other election reforms - good and bad - that deserve the spotlight, voter ID remains a hot button issue for legislators and the media, primarily in Southern states. These battles are drawing as much attention for their political divisiveness as for the unfair burden they put on voters.
As several states enter critical phases in their legislative sessions, the debate for one of the most controversial election reforms continues to dominate headlines and legislative hearings. This year, more than 26 states introduced legislation to go above and beyond federal election law relating to voter ID, despite near consensus among voting rights advocates that it hurts the process far more than it helps. Last week, the hysteria around voter ID reached an all time high in six states, evoking public concern from advocates and citizens alike.
(In Japan, which has much lower crime rates, much less recidivism, there's an emphasis on doing whatever possible to reintegrate convicted criminals into society after incarceration. Depriving ex-cons of the right to vote is INTENTIONALLY taking the exact opposite approach, insisting that they are NOT part of society, and that they are right to feel alienated, hostile, and at war with society. Hopefully, this diary reports on continuing progress in changing these counter-productive practices. - promoted by Paul Rosenberg)
by Erin Ferns and Donald Wine II
For the past few years, there has been a push by voting rights advocates to expand and balance the electorate in the United States. Finally, measures to help enfranchise some of the nation's least represented Americans are moving forward in several states. This past week, five states advanced bills to restore the voting rights of citizens convicted of felonies, while four states moved bills designed to facilitate voter participation among young citizens. This trend in election reform is a step in the right direction, which more states should take notice of and consider in the near future.
According to local news reports millions of yards of ashy toxic sludge broke through a dike at TVA's Kingston coal-fired plant Monday, covering hundreds of acres, knocking one home off its foundation. Coal ash can carry toxic substances that include mercury, arsenic and lead, according to a federal study.
Greenpeace is calling today for there to be a criminal investigation into the matter. "Every facility like this is supposed to have a spill contingency plan to prevent this kind of disaster," said Rick Hind, Greenpeace Legislative Director.
This is not an ordinary environmental disaster; 500 million gallons of toxic coal ash spilling into the drinking water of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama is going to kill a lot of people. Eastern Kentucky saw a similar spill in 2000 due to negligence from coal companies, and the Bush administration covered it up.
The region still hasn't recovered, with much of the waters and lakes unable to support fish or wildlife. And it may never recover. Just watch the video above, it's rather breathtaking. 500 million gallons of mercury, arsenic, and coal dust is now a permanent part of Tennessee's ecosystem, and probably part of the DNA of the people that live there and drink the water.
In the aftermath of the presidential primaries, stories of unprecedented voter registration and turnout are drifting to the back burner. But with an exceedingly imbalanced electorate, the fight to create access to the voting rolls and enforce the voting rights of all Americans continues. With historic voter registration drives underway and a preview of the types of problems that could occur in November, the focus of the media is beginning to shift towards the less sexy, but crucial elements that work to maximize voter participation while ensuring eligible voters can cast their ballots and have them counted. In Project Vote's view, this is a welcome development since many of the potential issues require more time to sort out than is available if problems are noted only weeks in advance of the election. This week, election officials, advocates and a presidential candidate worked to assist in or restore voting rights for hospitalized veterans in Connecticut, minority citizens in Georgia, and former felons in Tennessee.
There is one significant pieces of news hitting today about FISA and immunity for telecom companies. The fight is being taken directly to the voters through two complementary strategies. In the House, Steny Hoyer has been relentlessly focused on pulling a deal together, one that would probably grant some sort of de facto immunity to lawbreakers in the Bush administration and in the telecommunications industry (though it's often hard to tell the two apart). He has so far been unable to negotiate between the White House, Jay Rockefeller, Jon Kyl, and liberals in the House, but every time I make inquiries I hear that there is 'encouraging' news that a deal is possible. By the same token, the ACLU is quite aware of what is going on, and has been lobbying aggressively.
As Glenn Greenwald notes, even Speaker Pelosi is pushing for a deal. The significant news is that this issue is being taken to the voters. There are two strategies being employed to make this happen. One, the Blue America PAC has raised $75k and is blanketing freshman Blue Dog Democrat Chris Carney's district with radio, billboard, print, and cable ads criticizing him for caving to Bush on immunity for telecom companies. The extraordinary television ad they put together is here, and the theme is betrayal.
Two, the following radio ad, and one similar to it, are running in the district of Blue Dogs John Tanner in Tennessee and Bud Cramer in Alabama.
You can hear the radio ad in Cramer's district here.
These ads are put together by They Work for Us, an organization sponsored by Moveon and SEIU designed to hold representatives accountable to their constituents. I consult for this organization, and we are experimenting with some issue-based advocacy around core progressive values. This strategy is designed to be a positive encouragement to Congressional representatives to refuse to give immunity to the phone companies. The script is at the bottom of this post.
By moving FISA and civil liberties out of the activist space and educating voters through broadcast media, They Work for Us hopes to demonstrate to Congressional representatives that when Democrats stand up to the lawless Bush administration, voters will be supportive. At the same time, the Blue America action is designed to show that betraying progressives carries substantial costs. Glenn puts it well:
That is true particularly if there continues to be no incentive for Congressional Democrats to pay attention to their base and do anything other than support the right-wing agenda, because they perceive that they only pay a price when they oppose the Right. That is the incentive scheme that has to change.
I first noticed this problem in August, 2007, in a piece about the Working Conservative Majority, in which I traced both how the Democratic caucus has become substantially more progressive in the last six years and that it is still controlled by a swing group of conservative Democrats that mostly reside in the Blue Dog caucus (we call the worst ones part of the 'Bush Dog' caucus). Electing more Democrats - exceptional ones like Darcy Burner, Eric Massa, Leslie Byrne, and Martin Heinrich (who spoke out eloquently on FISA here), is part of the solution. Subsequent to August, progressives have defeated a reactionary Democrat - Al Wynn - in a primary and seated a progressive, Donna Edwards, in his place, but at the same time, added three new Blue Dogs to Congress: Bill Foster, Don Cazayoux, and Travis Childers. It's clear that an incentive system designed around rewarding Democrats, Blue Dog or otherwise, when they oppose radical right-wing policies, and criticizing them when they cave, is necessary. And that's what is happening, with Blue America and They Work for Us.
(I've written about the need to unstack the deck, but don't forget that Republicans are working even harder to stack it even further. See the list below of vote suppression legislation - every single bill sponsored by a Republican. - promoted by Daniel De Groot)
Requiring proof-of-citizenship in order to register to vote is the latest addition to voter suppression arsenal. Spurred by Arizona's 2004 implementation of proof of citizenship requirements and the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to uphold Indiana's strict voter ID law, proof of citizenship bills - often coupled with voter ID - are gaining traction across the country. With more than 13 million Americans lacking ready access to citizenship documentation and scant evidence of voter registration fraud by non-citizens (or any voter for that matter) leading to illegal votes, proof of citizenship requirements could have a significant impact on the electorate. Wasting no time after the high court's decision, the neighboring states of Kansas and Missouri have swiftly moved forward with efforts to pass such legislation that could take effect in the November election.
Oh God, now Ford is kissing his ass, congratulating him on his activism. And he's trying to talk unity. What an asshole.
...Markos has said 'it's not about him' but about millions of passionate activists.
...Ford is now talking policy, a clean energy future and health care. Ford does not want a fight, and is talking about 'merging factions'.
...Markos and Ford both agreed that fighting the war on terror. Oh good, finally they are slashing at each other about John Breaux, tax cuts, and the war in Iraq.
...David Gregory is saying that the base is very liberal, and he's going to let Ford respond.
...Ford is now saying that the DLC is anti-big money and an anti-establishment group. He's going down the litany of Clinton's accomplishments. And Ford says 'we're not going to win if you and I are arguing with each other'.
...David Gregory is now asking about Iraq, and that the Democrats aren't advocating for a full withdrawal. He also asks about gay marriage.
...Whether it's three months, six months, or a year, getting out of Iraq in terms of polling is semantics.
...Markos is slashing at Clinton, saying that Clinton never won more than fifty percent of the vote. And he keeps coming back to the fact that Ford would be a Senator if his political strategy.
...Markos criticizes Ford for going on Fox News and attacking Harry Reid. Ford then goes after Markos for his site being antisemitic and a forum for Cindy Sheehan.
...Markos talks about Clinton being able to speak to activists even though he criticizes her, while Ford keeps emphasizing a 'merging of factions'.
