Why Does Mitt Romney Want To Restrict Voting Rights For More Than 900,000 Ohio Veterans? (UPDATE)

[SunsetDreams]

Last edited Mon Aug 6, 2012, 04:53 PM - Edit history (1)

Our guest blogger is Jon Soltz (@jonsoltz) is a two-tour Iraq veteran and Chairman of VoteVets.org.

When I read stories this weekend that said the Obama campaign was suing to restrict the voting rights of military in Ohio, my blood got boiling. Of course, Think Progress has already documented that story, inflamed by the Romney campaign, is patently false. In fact, the Obama campaign was suing to block an Ohio law which restricts a very successful early voting program in the state. The President’s campaign was trying to keep expanded voting rights in place for everyone, military included. So, why am I still so disturbed?

Because Mitt Romney, by supporting the Ohio law that would do away with three days of early voting for all but those covered under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voter Act (‘UOCAVA’), is supporting the restriction of voting rights for as many as 913,000 Ohio veterans. This includes military retirees with over 20 years of service and multiple deployments. In short, Mitt Romney supports efforts to make voting more difficult for the very people who have put their lives on the line after swearing an oath to uphold our Constitution and democracy.

Once you leave the military, you are no longer covered by UOCAVA. Your voting rights are the same as any civilian. That means the early voting law which Mitt Romney wants to undo, provided hundreds of thousands of Ohio veterans with more of an opportunity to vote. By all accounts, Ohio voters liked and used the early voting law. In 2008, nearly one-third of all ballots was cast under the early voting measures, surely many of them veterans.

Interestingly, the press reported that 15 military and veterans’ groups supported Romney’s position. That isn’t the case. Those groups actually petitioned the court to be involved in the case, because of their concerns that the end result, whatever it was, might hurt troops’ ability to vote. On Friday, the Obama Campaign actually signed a brief to the court that backed the petition of those groups – welcoming them into the case, because the Obama campaign says it wants to ensure that military voters aren’t kept from early voting. Now that we know the truth, I hope those groups will come out and fully support the President’s campaign, in court. Because if they don’t, the change in law will hurt so many who have served in uniform.

http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/08/06/641891/why-does-mitt-romney-want-to-restrict-voting-rights-for-more-than-900000-ohio-veterans/



Romney gets caught lying about Obama, military voters

After spending the last several months paying attention to Mitt Romney's habitual dishonesty at a granular level, I've become largely inured to his more routine, casual lies. Some of the deliberate falsehoods are just too common to get upset about.

But once in a while, Romney tells a lie so blatant and offensive that it raises questions anew about the candidate's character and what standards of decency he's prepared to abandon to advance his ambitions.

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/08/06/13144744-romney-gets-caught-lying-about-obama-military-voters?lite


Veterans: Romney Lying About Obama Suit’s Effect On Military Voters

Several veterans slammed Mitt Romney on Monday for opposing and mischaracterizing an Obama campaign lawsuit which would expand early voting rights to veterans, cops, firefighters and all Ohio voters.

Romney had claimed — falsely — that the Obama campaign opposed allowing members of the military and their families to vote in-person in the three days before the election. Actually, the Obama campaign wants all people in Ohio — including, for example, veterans, cops and firefighters — to be able to vote during that period.

The Romney campaign has not responded to TPM’s multiple requests for comment on whether they believe Ohio firefighters and cops are worthy of early voting rights.

“When it comes to Mitt Romney, I feel like he lives in bizarro world,” Iraq veteran and former Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) told reporters in a conference call organized by the Center for American Progress on Monday. “He’s suppressing millions of votes across our country in this election, and then he lies and says that President Obama is trying to do the same thing, when it couldn’t be further from the truth.”

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/08/veterans_romney_lying_about_obama_suits_effect_on_military_voters.php


Here is Obama & the Ohio Democrats complaint which is public record
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/files/husted-complaint.pdf



My previous posts about this are here:

Beware: Romney and The Right's New Lie: Obama Suing to Keep Soldiers from Voting (Update)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021073202

SNOPES Fact Check Romney Claim "Obama Restricting Military Voting in Ohio" FALSE
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021073570

OMG LOL Romney Campaign totally unable to back up their candidate’s claim against Obama RE: Military
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021074034

Romney uses Facebook to spread another debunked lie about Obama
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021074501



As you can see I was a bit "obsessed" with this story when it first started trickling out. I first became aware of it when a person who with their very first post on DU tried this, and was PPR'd. That peaked my curiosity and here we are. This story has grown legs. It's been reported on ABC, CNN, Faux (they also refuted Romney's claim, surprisingly), MSNBC has it now, as well as countless online news organizations. It's also being reported in Ohio in a few of the newspapers, which probably is not good for Romney. Basically he used our Military in a blatant lie in order to score political points.

Petition: Petition: Tell Mitt Romney To Stop Restricting Veterans’ Ability to Vote

VoteVets created this petition. You can sign it at the link:

Mitt Romney is trying to restrict voting rights for over 900,000 Ohio veterans (along with every other Ohioan). We need to fight back, to protect our democracy against this horrific move.

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6676/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=11428

[freshwest]

1. Answer is in the picture of service members loving on Obama there. Thanks for following this.

I hope this means that the Ohio law is going to be struck down soon. And PA and TX and FL. Great picture there, too.

[SunsetDreams]

2. Romney still hasn't taken down his FB entry

https://www.facebook.com/mittromney/posts/10150981967501121

That pisses me off to no end. He is still doubling down even though this story has proven to be false. There are many openly refuting his claims on that facebook entry with a few of his supporters of course who believe his lies and are slamming Obama. I hope that it is going to be struck down too. Basically the Ohio Republicans hurried and passed a law before the voters in Ohio could vote on a referendum in November. They didn't want the people to have a choice apparently.

[SunsetDreams]

3. Blatant Disgusting Lie From Romney

He disgusts me. Pandering Pinocchio!

[SunsetDreams]

4. kick with update

[progressivebydesign]

5. I posted the Snopes link on my own FB page, in a very "informative" style

I figured I wouldn't politicize it, so that the people on the right wouldn't automatically shut down on it. I did it as a "public service" the way I've done when someone reposts one of those stupid email of fb chain things. We have to keep the awareness going, so that it's accepted as a gentle debunking.. which is is. WE know that it's a wicked lie, something out of Rove's playbook,, but people come unglued when they hear stuff like that from the republicans.

Just gotta keep the truth about this, front and center. I guess the way Rove.. I mean Romney, is campaigning is classic Rove. Get out into the media with something totally false and egregious, and even tho they KNOW it will be debunked, it gives Fox and Beck, et al, red meat to run on for a few weeks to keep their followers angry and outraged. they want to chip, chip, chip, at the President, to create doubt.

Truly wrong. But I'm glad that it seems so many of the veterans and active duty people are seeing through the BS.

[SunsetDreams]

6. Thank you for posting it

We have to fight this lie, and no matter how you do it, whether it's gently or forcefully is to be commended. This was a blatant deception, and using the military to do it.

[pinboy3niner]

7. Petition: Tell Mitt Romney To Stop Restricting Veterans’ Ability to Vote

VoteVets created this petition. You can sign it at the link:

Mitt Romney is trying to restrict voting rights for over 900,000 Ohio veterans (along with every other Ohioan). We need to fight back, to protect our democracy against this horrific move.

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6676/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=11428

[SunsetDreams]

8. .

[SunsetDreams]

9. kicking for the evening crowd.