Democrats Sue Michigan G.O.P. on Voter Issue

[BlueJessamine]

Source: The New York Times

Responding to allegations that Republican Party officials in Macomb County, Michigan plan to use home foreclosure lists to challenge voters at the polls in November, the Obama Campaign and the Democratic National Committee filed a lawsuit on Tuesday in federal court to prevent what they contended was an illegal practice.

Obama Campaign General Counsel Bob Bauer said that using home foreclosure lists as a basis for challenging voter eligibility would have a “deadly effect of the voting process” and argued that the practice would be illegal.

“This is a standard operating procedure within the Republican party that’s been under legal challenge,” Mr. Bauer said on a conference call with reporters on Tuesday.

Last week the chairman of the G.O.P. in Macomb County, James Carabelli, was quoted in the Michigan Messenger newspaper as saying that the party planned to use foreclosure lists to stop voters who no longer have valid addresses from casting their ballots.



Read more: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/obama-campaign-files-lawsuit-against-republicans-in-michigan/

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A copy the Obama campaign’s complaint, which was filed on Tuesday in United States District Court in Eastern Michigan, is available here: http://obama.3cdn.net/bfd196d021540c0a60_i2m6bnkiz.pdf


The only way the Republicans know how to win is by lying to the American people and by 'Stealing' elections.

This is NOT 2000 or 2004!

GlowNZ's diary at Daily Kos has this:

On afternoon conference call, Obama and Michigan Democratic officials say they are seeking an injunction to block alleged “caging” by the state GOP– using home foreclosure lists to seek to block residents from voting.
Obama counsel Bob Bauer: “It is an absolute attack on their right to vote” and a “completely false and completely illegal basis” to challenge votes.
“This is a standard operating procedure within the Republican party that’s been under legal challenge.”

The Macomb party chair denies the comments attributed to him.

An article in the Michigan Messenger, a left-leaning political news Web site, appeared Wednesday titled: "Lose your house, lose your vote." In it, reporter Eartha Jane Melzer quoted Carabelli discussing the Macomb County Republican Party's plans for Election Day.

"We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will make sure people aren't voting from those addresses," the quote attributed to him reads.

Daily Kos link: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/16/131058/178/801/561594

[louis-t]

1. GOP appeared to back down at first

saying they would not do this. Of course, we know how far repugs can be trusted.

[KansDem]

20. "we know how far repugs can be trusted"

About as far as I can throw a

[louis-t]

21. Know what else? Macomb County Dems don't trust

either, lawsuit not withdrawn even though repugs say they "never intended to do this". Dems want a specific law saying it is illegal.

[aquamarina]

2. And I ask again, Why do republicans hate Americans?

[cui bono]

5. They love $$$ more.

[BlueJessamine]

7. and oil!

[fascisthunter]

3. The GOP Has no Respect for Democracy, nor do they respect...

average Americans.

[BlueJessamine]

4. FBI's Mueller 'has not heard of' challenges to voting rights of the foreclosed

seafan has posted this in General Discussions:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4013846


Meanwhile, up on the Hill today at House Judiciary, FBI Director Robert Mueller was the only witness. On questioning by Maxine Waters, Mueller claimed he's not familiar with the voter caging going on, targeting people who have been foreclosed out of their homes. And, he could not name the Head of the Civil Rights Division in his own department, who Mueller promised to make sure was aware of it.



IT'S TIME TO GET THIS ONGOING GOP ELECTION FRAUD INTO THE CONVERSATION.

[tblue37]

6. Damn fool Rethugs are so proud of their "clever" tactics for

stealing elections that they don't have the sense to shut up about them.

[sabra]

8. Obama Campaign Pushes Back Against Possible Voter Suppression

Source: ABC News

ABC News' Karen Travers and Arnab Datta report: The Obama campaign and DNC have filed an injunction in federal court as an effort to challenge what they deem as illegal voter suppression of people whose houses are in foreclosure.

The injunction is in response to the comments last week from the Macomb County (MI) Republican Party chairman, James Carabelli, who said: "We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will make sure people aren’t voting from those addresses."

On a conference call with reporters, Bob Bauer, general counsel for the Obama campaign, said this practice is illegal and would be used to intimidate and prevent people from going to the polls.

Bauer said that one out of every 285 households in Macomb County have been foreclosed on and MI Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer said that in July 2008 alone, over 11,000 households in Michigan received foreclosures notices.

Read more: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/09/obama-campaign.html

[jonestonesusa]

9. K & R!

Thank you, Barack Obama, for not overlooking the intentional disenfranchisements of voters like some Democratic campaigns of the recent past have done. This is a fight all progressives and moderates should welcome.

[BlueJessamine]

10. Go Obama!

This is NOT 2000 or 2004!

[Roy]

11. Obama should publicly ask McCain if he agrees with this

and publicly demand his people stop immediately

[Uncle Joe]

12. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, BlueJessamine.:thumbsup:

[BlueJessamine]

14. thankyou Uncle Joe!

:dem:

[silex]

13. Kicked

:kick:

[BlueJessamine]

17. thankyou

for the k & r!:)


:dem:

[Doctor_J]

15. Sadly, the courts are packed with those who have passed the Rove Loyalty Test

This will go nowhere. Hopefully we can squeak out an election victory, then have the DoJ hunt these vote cagers and voter roll purgers down and send them to real federal prisons where they can keep house for 300-pound killers for a couple years.

[jellen]

16. michigan voter issues

I'd give anything to be a fly on the wall during one of the
sessions where the gop sits around thinking up these nasty
tricks. what kind of minds create this stuff? it's kind of
like a bunch of kids hiding out in their club house and seeing
who can think of the dirtiest words to say. I've always had a
problem with adults who don't know how adults are supposed to
behave in a civilized society. That's another thing, people
aren't even aware of how much civility has been lacking in our
every day dealings with each other.

[lark]

18. People who are like Bush/Cheney/Rover etc.

Power hungry ego maniacs with no heart or respect for America or our institutions - that's who does this.

[eridani]

19. That's a start. Now on to Wisconsin and Ohio n/t