ALEC Disbands Task Force Responsible for Voter ID, 'Stand Your Ground' Laws

[ProfessionalLeftist]

John Nichols on April 17, 2012 - 12:00 PM ET

Pressured by watchdog groups, civil rights organizations and a growing national movement for accountable lawmaking, the American Legislative Exchange Council announced Tuesday that it was disbanding the task force that has been responsible for advancing controversial Voter ID and “Stand Your Ground” laws.

ALEC, the shadowy corporate-funded proponent of so-called “model legislation” for passage by pliant state legislatures, announced that it would disband its “Public Safety and Elections” task force. The task force has been the prime vehicle for proposing and advancing what critics describe as voter-suppression and anti-democratic initiatives—not just restrictive Voter ID laws but also plans to limit the ability of citizens to petition for referendums and constitutional changes that favor workers and communities. The task force has also been the source of so-called “Castle Doctrine” and “Stand Your Ground” laws that limit the ability of police and prosecutors to pursue inquiries into shootings of unarmed individuals such as Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.

The decision to disband the task force appears to get ALEC out of the business of promoting Voter ID and “Stand Your Ground” laws. That’s a dramatic turn of events, with significant implications for state-based struggles over voting rights an elections, as well as criminal justice policy. But it does not mean that ALEC will stop promoting one-size-fits-all “model legislation” at the state level.

Indeed, the disbanding of the “Public Safety and Elections” task force looks in every sense to be a desperate attempt to slow an exodus of high-profile corporations from the group’s membership roll.

MORE...

http://www.thenation.com/blog/167425/alec-disbands-task-force-responsible-voter-id-stand-your-ground-laws

[malaise]

1. Let's see how they regroup

Fuck those fucking fuckers!!

[GunnyTurd]

2. Nice

I am so happy to see the pressure is finally hitting ALEC hard. Some corporations already left ALEC, and now ALEC itself is removing a task force based on Wal-Mart and the NRA.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

4. That was my feeling.

Nice to see them have to sweat and hop a little - even if we know the slimy bastards will slither around the resistance and do what they want anyway. They at least know they've been exposed now for what they are.

[HockeyMom]

3. Florida has tried to get guns in schools,

down to Pre-K not just college, but hasn't been successful, yet. That will be their next fight.

[mick063]

5. Whack a Mole

Another group with an acronym name will pop up and corporate America will climb on board. Now that ALEC has reached public consciousness, this is exactly what I expect will happen.

Once we are collectively aware of the Norquists, the Kochs, and the ALECs, we can apply pressure. The difficulty is remaining vigilant in discovering the next means of corporate influence. We are, in effect, playing "whack a mole".