Civil & Human Rights

Automated vote flipping for Romney: Crony capitalism at the ballot box? (video)

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Vote

by Pamela Powers Hannley

Maybe I'm stating the obvious, but the US needs serious election reform.

It should have happened after President George Bush and Florida's hanging chads stole the 2000 election. Remember, that was the year that Al Gore won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College vote by 271 vs 266, with one abstention. 

For decades, people have grumbled about the Electoral College and how out of date it is. In more recent elections, layers of complaints have been heaped on the pile– complaints about the long, drawn out campaign season; the stupid primary/caucus system; the over-reliance on the opinions of voters in two tiny white states (New Hampshire and Iowa); the unending and increasingly nasty commercials; the evil robocalls and push-polls; the lies and spin (which the current Republican presidential ticket has taken to new heights); hackable electronic voting machines; and– this year in particular– the obscene amount of secret, dirty money that is being poured into the elections. 

Is anyone ready for real reform yet? Do you need more evidence that our "democracy" has been stolen by crony capitalists and big money?

Well… here you go, then…

Rigged Elections for Romney? from The Agonist…

A group of independent researchers caught a pattern of apparent vote flipping during the 2012 Republican primaries that consistently favored Mitt Romney. A form of election fraud, vote flipping occurs when votes are changed from one candidate to another or several others during electronic voting and vote tabulation… [more]

More examples of our broken system, some reform ideas, and a video after the jump.

Maricopa County election fraud: Two official documents give Spanish speakers wrong election date (video)

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by Pamela Powers Hannley

Those pesky typos! (Yeah, right.)

The Maricopa County Elections Department has admitted to a second instance of voter suppression… er… poor proofreading. You'll remember that last week ABC 15 and Blog for Arizona reported that Spanish speaking voters were given the wrong date for the election on a document that was included with new voter registration cards.

This week, the elections department says that a bookmark with election details gives English speakers the correct date for the election (Nov. 6) but gives Spanish speakers Nov. 8 as election day.

Giving groups that you don't want to vote the wrong date is a tried and true voter suppression tactic. I didn't believe the first instance was a mistake; giving Latinos the wrong date twice is definitely not a typo oopsy. Seriously, how dumb could they be? Or how dumb do they think the rest of us are?

The Maricopa County Elections Department should be investigated by the feds– now.

Here's the story from ABC Channel 15…

PHOENIX – A spokesperson for the Maricopa County Elections Department admits they once again gave voters the wrong date of next month's election.

Yvonne Reed confirms to ABC15 that bookmarks distributed by the elections department incorrectly listed the date of the general election in Spanish as November 8.

The flip side of the bookmark correctly lists the date in English as November 6.

Reed tells ABC15 the bookmarks were distributed at the three election counters throughout Maricopa County and that the department has no way of knowing exactly how many people received the bookmarks.

Randy Parraz, President of Citizens For A Better Arizona, says the blame lies squarely with Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell.

"It shows she's incompetent and not qualified," said Parraz.

For the rest of the story, go to ABC 15 here.

What's really tragic about this suppression of Spanish speaking voters is that there have been gargantuan efforts to get out the Latino vote. This is an important election for all of us, but for Latinos in Maricopa County, it is there best chance in years to oust renegade Sheriff Joe Arpaio. 

Check out the Adios Arpaio video by Phoenix videographer Dennis Gilman after the jump.

Obama campaign ad: ‘Seen’

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The Obama campaign responds to Mitt Romney's flat-out lie
in his new ad that he has never supported banning all abortions with a new ad
entitled "Seen," which includes video of Mittens Romney saying he would be "delighted to sign" a
bill outlawing all abortion. Romney acts like he has never heard of those newfangled inventions like sound recordings and moving picture film and the "tee-vee" and the Internet. Description:

Voiceover:
"Seen this from Mitt Romney? Then take a look at this:"

Anderson Cooper:
"If
Roe v. Wade was overturned, Congress passed a federal ban on all
abortions, and it came to your desk — would you sign it? 'Yes', or
'no?'"

Mitt Romney:
"Let me say it: I'd be delighted to sign that bill."

Voiceover:
"Banning all abortions?"

Mitt Romney:
"I'd be delighted to sign that bill."

Voiceover:
"Trying to mislead us? That's wrong. But ban all abortions? Only…if you vote for him."

Video below the fold.

GOP war on voting: U.S. Supreme Court rejects petition from Ohio on early voting

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Posted by AzBlueMeeanie:

Another victory against the GOP war on voting. The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a petition for certiorari from Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted to review the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals order to make early voting available to all voters on an equal basis on the final weekend before election day in Ohio. High court won't block early voting in Ohio:

The Supreme Court sided with Democrats on Tuesday in refusing to
block a decision over disputed early voting days in the battleground
state of Ohio, giving President Barack Obama's campaign a victory three
weeks before the election.

The court refused a request by the
state's Republican elections chief and attorney general to get involved
in a battle over early voting on the three days before Election Day.

Obama's
campaign and Ohio Democrats sued the state officials over changes in
state law that took away the three days of voting for most people but
made exceptions for military personnel and Ohioans living overseas.

Democrats
in their lawsuit cited a recent study saying nearly 105,000 people
voted in the three days before the election in 2008. They argued
everyone should have the chance to vote on those days. And they said
eliminating the opportunity for most Ohio residents to vote in person on
those days, while giving military or overseas voters the chance to do
so, leads to unequal treatment.

* * *

On Oct. 5, a federal appeals court reinstated voting on the weekend
and Monday before the election and returned discretion to set hours on
those days to local boards of elections.

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court last week.

* * *

Shortly after the high court's decision, Husted ordered uniform hours
across the state. The hours are from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov.
3; from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 4; and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on
Monday, Nov. 5.

Bob Bauer, general counsel for Obama for America, praised the Supreme Court's decision.