Let's Look At Some of the Ways Republicans are Cheating, Lying, Passing Laws, and Ignoring Court Rulings on Laws That Have Been Ruled Unconstitutional

Let's Look At Some of the Ways Republicans are Cheating, Lying, Passing Laws, and Ignoring Court Rulings on Laws That Have Been Ruled Unconstitutional After They Sign Them Into Law

John A. Smith, Editor/Founder, November 4, 2016

 

Photo by: CartoonStoc

Gerrymandering, Voter (Suppression) ID Laws, Voter Intimidation, Posting Incorrect Information Ignoring Court Rulings, Cutting Early Voting Places in Low-Income or Minority Areas, SuperPACS Telling People To Stay Home and Vote By Texting "Hillary" to a Number (That Is Not Possible), and MUCH, MUCH, More! 

Photo by: All That Is Interesting

Gerrymandering: 

      Republican Governors and Republican-Controlled State Legislatures redraw the lines of voting districts that all but assure that Republicans will win, even when there are many more votes for the Democratic candidate. How Gerrymandering works and the current legal battles since the U.S. Supreme Court found in favor of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission in Arizona State Legislature v Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission  On June 29, 2015 the opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court was made, siding with the Independent Commission. But that doesn't, by itself, end gerrymandering. Any state that doesn't have an "Independent Commission" to redraw the voting district lines fairly have to petition and get a proposition on their General Election ballot to form, and authorize, an Independent Commission. You can be certain that the 31 states currently controlled by Republican Legislatures and Governors will not only fight this decision but in fact, like other actual laws, ignore it. Here is the latest on legal battles involving gerrymandering. And finally from North Carolina: The ‘smoking gun’ proving North Carolina Republicans tried to disenfranchise black voters.

Photo by: Madison.com

Voter (suppression) ID Laws

     The aforementioned 31 Republican-controlled State Legislatures and/or states with Republican Governors have been busy creating, passing, and signing into law so-called Voter ID laws are supposedly to combat "Voter Fraud." The problem here is that the Republicans themselves conducted an investigation that found only 31 instances out of 1 BILLION votes were found. So all these laws are to prevent/discourage a problem that DOESN'T exist. They are actually being written and passed to discourage, suppress, and intimidate voters. Voters from low-income areas, minority voters, and the like. Many have been found to be extremely racist and in fact unconstitutional. Here are articles on Texas, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and more states that have had their laws knocked down. This is just one article showing why laws were deemed unconstitutional.  This is a Google search showing numerous results on Voter ID laws being shown to be racist and/or unconstitutional. Even after laws are determined to not be valid Republican Governors refuse to stop using the tactics that they had written into those laws! Texas Voter ID Law Violates Voting Rights Act Court Rules,  Here,  GOP voting restrictions struck down in three states. And finally, In the past two weeks, judges have ruled against voter-ID laws and other limits on voting in five states. In Wisconsin the State was told to provide free-voting-ID's but choose to lie to potential voters instead. Recordings show Wisconsin DMV workers giving wrong info on voter ID cards. 

 

Photo by: The Moderate Voice

Cutting Early Voting Times and Locations

      Republican Governors are cutting early voting times and locations IN MINORITY and LOW-INCOME areas! In one instance this is how it works: North Carolina early-voting cuts could dampen black vote. "  County boards of elections have approved reducing early-voting hours in 23 of North Carolina’s 100 counties. Another eight counties plan to end early voting on the Sunday before Election Day, when a huge number of African-American voters tend to go to the polls." Republicans are closing early voting sites and limiting times specifically to disenfranchise minorities. Black Turnout Soft in Early Voting, Boding Ill for Hillary Clinton. North Carolina politicians are openly racist in their Voter (suppression) ID laws, voting restrictions and early voting changes. Dozens of North Carolina counties slash early voting weeks before Election Day. "Lenoir County near North Carolina’s eastern shore is more than 40 percent black, and there are more than double the number of registered Democrats than Republicans. But its Board of Elections is controlled by white Republicans, who recently voted to slash the number of early voting sites from four to one, and only open that location during weekday businesses hours and a couple of hours on Saturday morning."

Ignore the Trolls: You Definitely Cannot Vote Via Text

America’s electoral system is already kind of a mess. Now, Twitter trolls are doing their best to make it even more confusing by spreading disinformation about how to cast a ballot on election day. The latest example: Donald Trump supporters are spreading memes on Twitter in both English and Spanish, trying to trick Hillary Clinton supporters into thinking they can vote by text.

Don’t fall for them. There’s no such thing as voting by text. 

NO! YOU CAN'T VOTE VIA A TEXT MESSAGE!

Fake ads are being spread throughout the internet and signs to be used where there are lines to vote are being spread. Photo by: LawNewz

 

VOTE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH, AT YOUR POLLING PLACE!

ANY QUESTIONS ON WHO AND WHERE TO VOTE GO TO: 

 http://www.canivote.org/

https://www.vote.org/

https://www.usa.gov/election-day

Also find actual ELECTION LAWS AT:

https://www.usa.gov/election-day

 

 

Get Involved For A Better America

is no longer published to  www.Medic3569.com/WordPress and is back at it's original address of www.Medic3569.blogspot.com

We hope you join us for truthful and balance articles on politics and human interest stories.

www.Medic3569.WordPress.com

www.Medic3569.WordPress.com

How Fair Are Our Elections? Do the Democrats Have a Chance of Winning Back the House?

 Gerrymandering, Voter ID Laws Created for a Virtually Non-Existent Problem, Voter Suppression, Disenfranchising Voters, How Fair Are Our Elections?

Original meme by www.Facebook.com/StoptheObstructionistTeaParty and www.Medic3569.blogspot.com

 Republicans have passed "Voter ID" laws in 34 states that often address things other than preventing people to vote when their not eligible. Laws that restrict early voting hours, types of ID acceptable, not extending voting hours when their are long lines, limiting the number of voting stations in particular areas (where Democrats are more likely to vote,) all suppress, and disenfranchise the vote of minorities and other specified voting demographics. 


 A twitter friend of mine @HenryStradford  tweeted this: "The only true Democracy is India...imagine that! 1+Billion people...consider the logistics of holding elections. Yet, they do.." I have to wonder if he's right.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following is from a Center For American Progress Action Fund article on January 16, 2014:

  With election administration delegated to officials and boards in more than 3,000 counties and localities in the United States, the ease with which one exercises his or her right to vote can depend on where he or she lives. Not only do state voting laws differ across the nation, even within a state, county-based election administration varies widely.

  Take, for example, Florida’s Duval County, which during the 2012 election had provisional ballots cast at a rate four times higher than the state average. This is particularly alarming given that Duval County also rejected more than 34 percent of the provisional ballots cast in the county during the 2012 election. Similarly, voters in Indiana’s Tippecanoe County cast provisional ballots at a rate more than seven and a half times the state average. While provisional ballots are legally prescribed and serve as a fail-safe mechanism that allow voters to cast a ballot when questions regarding his or her eligibility to vote arise, both examples raise questions as to why these counties issued provisional ballots at rates so much higher than their state’s average.

Read the Report: http://www.scribd.com/doc/200129107/Unequal-Access-A-County-by-County-Analysis-of-Election-Administration-in-Swing-States-in-the-2012-Election
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anything Different in the Upcoming Elections?

(CNN) -- The midterm elections are around the corner. The big question will obviously be what happens to control of the House and Senate. But control of Congress is only one part of the equation. There are a series of issues that will shape the individual races that will tell us a lot about which way American politics is heading.

 Former Ohio Rep. Steven LaTourette and the Main Street Partnership, a group with strong backing from the corporate world, are trying to counteract the power of the tea party, which they believe is damaging the standing of the GOP. "We want our party back," LaTourette explained to the The New York Times.

 The most visible battle between a mainstream Republican and tea party Republican is taking place in Kentucky, where Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is facing a challenge from Matt Bevin in the primary. In Texas, the controversial right-wing Rep. Steve Stockman is running against Sen. John Cornyn.

 There are certain must-wins for Democrats if they are to show that they are capable of taking advantage of this moment. In Florida's 13th District, Alex Sink, a well-known and well-respected Democrat, is attempting to win the seat of long-term Republican veteran Bill Young, who recently died, leaving  open this highly competitive district. If Democrats can't win this special election on March 11, it will signal trouble. Read More of CNN.COM's Five Big Questions on 2014 Elections

Retirements Hurt Democrats' House Prospects

AP Photo

 The Democratic quest to win the House majority has always been something close to mission impossible. A procession of lawmakers opting for retirement is pushing the prize even further beyond the party’s grasp.
Seventeen seats shy of the majority and confronting an electoral landscape tilted against them, Democrats have virtually no room for error in the November midterms. Yet the problems they’re encountering of late are coming from within their own ranks. Read More Politico - House Democrats Retiring

Democrats Will Need to Get Out the Vote To Have Any Chance 

 With all the Republicans efforts to tip the elections in their favor through Voter ID laws, suppressing votes, disenfranchising voters, gerrymandering, and the backing of the ultra-rich and corporations, it will be very difficult, to say the least, to keep control of the Senate, much less, to win back the House.  If the U. S. Supreme Court sides with McCutcheon in the McCutcheon v FEC, which it heard arguments for on October 8, 2013, it will be that much harder and a total disaster for our beloved country. The U. S. Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision created "Corporate Personhood" and removed limits on how much corporations could contribute to political campaigns, and donors could be kept unanimous. As you can see in the meme below top donors from the fossil fuel industry contributed  over $11M in the 2012 election cycle. If the court sides with McCutcheon those same donors could contribute over $312M, or, 27x more.

  

Fixing a Big Part of the Problem - Taking Money out of Politics

Overturn Citizens United

 There is a growing movement across the country that is calling for the U.S. Supreme Court's decision, in the 2010 Citizens United v FEC case to overturn it through one or more amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

 There are currently Constitutional amendments pending in the Congress that would overturn Citizens United by (1) making it clear that corporations do not have constitutional rights, such as "free speech," which are only for natural persons; and by (2) restoring Congress' and the states' authority to limit campaign gifts and spending. See H.J. Res 20 and  H.J. Res 21.

Overturning the disastrous Citizens United decision is NOT a partisan issue, it is an Across-the-Aisle effort. In a 2010/2011 Peter Hart poll 79% of Americans, including 68% of Republicans, 82% of Independents, and 87% of Democrats "support a Constitutional amendment that would overturn the Citizens United decision and make clear that corporations do not have the same rights as people."

Furthermore, a 2012 Associated Press poll found that 83% of Americans, including 81% of Republicans, 78% of Independents, and 85% of Democrats believe "there should be limits on the amount of money corporations, unions, and other organizations can contribute to outside organizations trying to influence campaigns for President, Senate, and U.S. House."

Free Speech For People has compiled:

• 111 Republicans who have called for an amendment to overturn Citizens United;
• 9 Republicans who have criticized Citizens United for it's claim that corporations have constitutional   rights; and
• 10 more Republicans who have criticized Citizens United in more general terms.

Information in this section of the post, some which has been reprinted was provided by Free Speech For People. 

More than 120 National Organizations -- have endorsed the United for the People collaborative's unified Call to Action for a Constitutional amendment. For information click the link above or go to www.United4ThePeople.org.

 Find an organization operating in your area. Get involved For A Better America and make your voice heard by contacting your;

U.S. Senators and Congressmen and women through GovTrack.us. and

State Assemblymen/women and State Senators at VoteSmart.org

Organizations involved in the effort that you should look at are:

Democracy is for People                        and as a resource: Siena College Moreland Commission poll


Move To Amend                                                                Huff Post Politics - Pearl Korn: Mission is Clear   

United For The People

Democratic Push for Reform in All Fifty States...

Democratic Push for Reform in All Fifty States Has GOP Frothing at the Mouth

  by Deborah Montesano of Addicting Info, August 22, 2013

An issue we should all be motivated to get involved in is voter suppression, disenfranchising voters, and the hijacking of the democratic process. Addicting Info's Deborah Montesano wrote "The GOP may have out-foxed itself on the voting rights issue," and we should jump on it!  With the Republican party fractured and able to do nothing but obstruct, they have a problem. Remember the "autopsy" by Chairman Reince  Priebus after the 2012 election that said that the party's main problem was how they were reaching out to, and communicating with, people?  He said they must widen their base and learn how to communicate better with certain demographics. . He said they had an initiative and would spend millions of dollars to go into communities to better communicate with people. How's that working out Reince?What with all the infighting in the party on immigration and a plethora of other issues, they seem to not be doing well with their goals.

So, what to do. It's possible they had this discussion: Ah! we did successfully steal a presidential election, or two, what say we go that route? We could try to fix the vote! Let's enact voting rights legislation that will disenfranchise voters, block others and we could even go absolutely crazy like they are now doing in North Carolina! http://medic3569.blogspot.com/2013/08/republican-voter-suppression-must-be.html

Last week, a 50-state initiative was rolled out by a new nonprofit organization run by Michael Sargeant, the executive director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. The group takes back language co-opted by conservatives, naming itself American Values First. The intent of the group is to push voting reforms that will make it a whole lot easier for all who are eligible to vote.

Read the full article here http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/08/21/democrats-take-charge-push-in-50-states-for-voting-reforms/ and then let's GET INVOLVED FOR A BETTER AMERICA!

Voter Suppression in North Carolina

Republican Voter Suppression MUST be STOPPED

Look at this video clip of the Rachel Maddow Show, what is happening across the entire state of North Carolina. 

 

The Governor has signed the most restrictive voter suppression bill in the country into law. But that isn't even the beginning. A student entering his senior year at a STATE university, who has voted the last three years was planning to run for City Council. The now Republican Election Committee has determined he is ineligible because he is now determined NOT to be a resident. Oh yea, he can't vote either. They now are encouraging ALL counties to challenge the residency of students across the state. It just gets worse, take a look.

PLEASE ALLOW THE VIDEO TIME TO APPEAR ON THE BLOG PAGE AND LOAD. YOU WANT TO SEE THIS. IF YOU EXPERIENCE A PROBLEM PLEASE USE THIS LINK:

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/rachel-maddow/52769481#52769481

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy