New curbs on voter registration could hurt Obama

[babylonsister]

New curbs on voter registration could hurt Obama
By Deborah Charles

WASHINGTON | Sat Apr 21, 2012 10:43am EDT


(Reuters) - New state laws designed to fight voter fraud could reduce the number of Americans signing up to vote in this year's presidential election by hundreds of thousands, a potential problem for President Barack Obama's re-election bid.

Voting laws passed by Republican-led legislatures in a dozen states during the past year have sharply restricted voter-registration drives that typically target young, low-income, African-American and Hispanic voters - groups that have backed the Democratic president by wide margins.

A further 16 states are considering bills that would end voter registration on election days, impose a range of limits on groups that register voters and make it more difficult for people to sign up, according to the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School.

The new laws - many of which include measures requiring voters to show a photo ID at the polls - could carve into Obama's potential support in Florida, Ohio and a few other politically divided states likely to be crucial in the November 6 election, analysts say.

The analysts note that massive registration drives in 2008 helped put millions of people aged 18 to 29 on voting rolls, and that age group - which makes up roughly one-quarter of the U.S. electorate - helped propel Obama to victory, voting 2-to-1 for him.

more...

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/21/us-usa-election-voters-idUSBRE83K07O20120421?feedType=RSS&feedName=politicsNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FPoliticsNews+%28Reuters+Politics+News%29

[izquierdista]

1. Wake up the crackers

I don't know which would be more difficult: (1) Fight the Repubs face on and get the young, the low-income, the African-Americans, and the Hispanics to register and turn out to vote or (2) Educate the low information crackers that Republicans are taking away their pensions, their Medicare, their post office, their minimum wage, their union benefits, and every other public service that costs money.

Choice #1 requires a lot of work, but it is doable. Choice #2 is like teaching a barn full of pigs to sing the Hallelujah Chorus.

[ingac70]

2. Stupid Repugs find out their attempt at voter supression goes both ways....

http://www.chron.com/news/article/Pa-Voter-ID-law-a-problem-for-Amish-others-3468738.php

[DCBob]

3. The GOPers know the demographics are changing.

They think that altering voting regulations to restrict Democrats may be the only way to win elections now. its troubling since it goes against one of the most sacred fundamentals of this nation... the right to vote.

[polichick]

4. They can't win unless they steal it - the Supreme Court, suppression...

...whatever it takes.

We're 12 years into this undemocratic reality and still our "leaders" aren't fighting for verifiable voting. Seems both parties have a stake in the corrupt status quo.

[Mutiny In Heaven]

5. Some states - PA, FL I know for sure - allow a provisional ballot.

That is just an invitation for a giant clusterfuck. What if Obama 'wins' Florida (and the election) by 10,000 provisional votes? You then have this mad rush to get ID and turn that into a real vote.

Will there be peculiar 'shortages' of materials needed for ID?

Will people even be told that they cast a prov. vote, or will it be handled in a very underhand way and young / minority voters just handed what they believe to be a legitimate ballot paper without being asked for ID by unscrupulous poll workers?

Could Obama win and then have it taken away? Imagine that. I fear it could lead to great unrest.

[Hawaii Hiker]

6. I thought the voter ID bills was stopped in Ohio?...And judge threw out voter ID law in Wisconsin?

We've had SOME success on stopping the voter suppression in some places, no?...

[otohara]

7. Designed to Fight Voter Fraud

that doesn't exist.

I think this will backfire if we keep the public informed.

[JDPriestly]

8. Actually, the new laws could hurt a lot of older people who were born on farms or at home

and don't have birth certificates.

[JDPriestly]

9. Democrats need to be out there registering voters today.

Are YOU WILLING TO HELP REGISTER VOTERS?

If so, check with your local Democratic Club or Party headquarters (on-line will do).

Registering voters is a great way to begin political activism. Please, please, don't just post on DU. Get out there and register voters. Please, please, please, please, please.

Your opinions won't get anyone elected. Your registering voters especially in Democratic areas, will. Go to the areas of your town or city where you are likely to find Democrats. Register them to vote and explain to them what they need to take to the polls.

Try to register them as absentee voters if possible, and then carefully explain (more than once if possible) how to vote with an absentee ballot if you don't return it on time.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE.

[Daniel537]

10. Registered my mom a few days ago.

She took the oath of citizenship and hours later i had her fill out the forms. Every little bit helps, especially if you live in Florida.

[JDPriestly]

13. Congratulations to your mom. Keep up the good work. Thanks.

One more vote. Hurrah! And a new citizen. Hurrah!

[LiberalFighter]

11. There needs to be a voter registration campaign that hurts them.

Florida has made it more difficult for voter registration as one example which has resulted in the League of Women Voters not being involved.

Instead of going out and registering people to vote away from the voter registration offices there should be a campaign for a mass voter registration involving driving people to the offices so they overflow. Maybe to make more of an impression include those that are already registered so the offices are swamped with taking in the forms and then having to process them.

[ellisonz]

12. The War on Voting in this country is un-American. n/t