Panel blocks Georgia voter checks

[Pale Blue Dot]

Source: Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Federal judges have ordered Georgia elections officials to stop using Social Security numbers and driver's licenses to check voters' immigration status until the U.S. Justice Department decides whether to approve the process.

Georgia is one of several states that needs federal approval before changing election policy because of a history of discriminatory voting practices.

The three-judge panel's 27-page ruling Monday orders Georgia officials to make "diligent and immediate" efforts to notify voters who have been flagged as ineligible.

It also blocks the state from removing flagged names from voter lists unless voters say in writing that they are ineligible.

Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5goXdqiHHk8p0cqXGZHuUAqEI205gD9430EEO0

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Is it just me, or are the victories coming fast and furious now? :woohoo:

[Lone_Star_Dem]

1. Good news, indeed!

I hope this gets out far and wide in Georgia so those they don't reach still go to the polls.

[SemperEadem]

2. talk about not being able to get away from your past

ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!! Good!

[Dangerously Amused]

3. Love it love it love it!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

4. what other statees require federal approval before changing election policy?

[Gman]

10. This all goes back to the 1965 Voting Rights Act and it's amendments

through the years. IIRC, the GOP Congress tried to do away with these provisions in the past few years arguing that the act has outlived it's usefulness. And IIRC, the proposed changes that would have removed some states from oversight failed. And, IIRC, this was also the basis for the 2006 SCOTUS decision that threw out portions of Tom Delay's gerrymandering of congressional districts in Texas. The argument was that the new district lines diluted minority strengths.

IIRC!

[TheEuclideanOne]

11. Thanks for the info, but does anybody know the exact states

that could be potentially affected in the worst case scenario? Just wondering how this may affect the election if the DOJ manages to pull their slimy magic.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

14. i found the info... bottom of the page

http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/voting/intro/intro_c.php

[TheEuclideanOne]

20. Pardon me for being slow, but does that mean that the states

that are affected are the ones listed on that page? Or does it mean that those states listed have the highest gap between black and white voters? My concern is that those are the ones with the highest gap, but the HAVA would be employed in every single state, regardless of the gap.

[Proletariatprincess]

5. Georgia is a red state.

...but I wonder if that is due to voter supression over the years. If there is a clean election and all the votes are counted, will Obama take Georgia this year?

[Ms. Toad]

8. Yes - due to historic discriminatory voter suppression,

Part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

[unapatriciated]

9. We are now considered Pink...

and early voting numbers are about two to one for the big D. So it looks like there is hope.

[9119495]

13. I don't care if Obama gets GA...

I just want Chambliss to lose...and lose big.

[groundloop]

22. Well, actually I DO care if Obama wins Georgia....

But yes, Chambliss needs to go. Obama taking Georgia will definitely be icing on the cake.

Just curious if any other Georgians who are more connected than I might know the answer to this .... why are they telling us we have to turn off cell phones before we go into the voting booth? Perhaps they don't want us taking home evidence of 'faulty' touch screen voting machines ????

[harun]

17. Bill Clinton won it in 1992

[Stevepol]

24. GA is a red state because of Diebold. Period.

[Triana]

6. ...until GeeDuhbya and his "justice" department intervene...

...like they did in Ohio.

[unapatriciated]

7. love it ....

Will be doing some volunteering Tuesday and Wednesday for Obama in Cobb County Ga.
Going to print that out and take it with me.

[Politicalboi]

12. Obama can win

Georgia. Even Arizona and Texas aren't safe anymore.

[FourScore]

15. Panel blocks Georgia voter checks

Source: The Washington Times

Federal judges have ordered Georgia elections officials to stop using Social Security numbers and driver's licenses to check voters' immigration status until the U.S. Justice Department decides whether to approve the process.

Georgia is one of several states that needs federal approval before changing election policy because of a history of discriminatory voting practices.

The three-judge panel's 27-page ruling Monday orders Georgia officials to make "diligent and immediate" efforts to notify voters who have been flagged as ineligible.

It also blocks the state from removing flagged names from voter lists unless voters say in writing that they are ineligible.



Read more: http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/27/panel-blocks-georgia-voter-checks-1/

---

A link to the Court's decision:
http://www.campaignlegalcenter.org/attachments/1946.pdf

I love this part:

No right is more precious in a free country than that of having a voice
in the election of those who make the laws under which, as good citizens, we
must live . Other rights, even the most basic, are illusory if the right to vote is
undermined...

[aquart]

16. We are voting for the right to appoint sane judges.

[Betsy Ross]

18. After reading a report this morning that they would

remove voters, I wrote about the viseral reaction I had and have anytime I hear about voter disenfranchisement. This is such good news. One for DEMOCRACY!

[barbtries]

19. that's great

it appears that some courts are taking the high road with regard to election theft in 2008. could it be that even they have seen the light with regard to the disaster of gwbush and don't want to see it repeated?

[sonias]

21. Sweet!! Go GA - GOBAMA

But the part about DOJ approving the process - that's a done deal isn't it? I mean Mukasey is pretty much bush' new voter suppression guy right? :shrug:

I remain hopeful.


Sonia

[elleng]

23. VERY good news!

REMEMBER independent judiciary is a CRUCIAL part of the way things are supposed to work!

[Kaleko]

25. K & R

[The Hope Mobile]

26. Thousands of flagged voters can vote, court rules

Source: cnn.com

Thousands of flagged voters can vote, court rules
Posted: 08:23 PM ET

(CNN) — Georgia must allow thousands of people whose citizenship was questioned by the state's new voter verification system to vote in the upcoming election, a panel of federal judges ruled Monday.

The court ruling will affect about 4,500 people in Georgia who had been "flagged" by the new voter verification system and faced being denied a chance to vote Nov. 4 because their citizenship was questioned.

It could also affect more than 50,000 other registered Georgia voters also flagged by the new system because of mismatches in their personal identification information, such as discrepancies in addresses.

The three-judge panel also ordered Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel to inform all the flagged voters that they can vote.

"We are very pleased that the court agreed with our legal position that the state violated the Voting Rights Act," said Elise Shore, a lawyer with one of the civil right groups who brought the lawsuit.

Shore said the ruling applies to the 4,500 Georgians that were flagged for citizenship reasons and she was uncertain whether it applied to the some 50,000 others that were flagged for other reasons.

The issue was raised in a lawsuit filed on behalf of a Georgia college student who claimed that the secretary of state's voter verification system violated the Voting Rights Act and the National Voter Registration Act and caused an illegal purge of voters in the weeks before the election.

Federal law prohibits widespread voter purges within 90 days of the election. In Georgia, that has become a heated issue with some calling the purge "voter suppression."

Handel, a Republican who began working on purging voter rolls from the time of her election in 2006, said the act of verifying voters is not voter suppression.

"I'm grateful for the District Court panel's decision which reinforces the state's voter registration verification procedures," Handel said in a statement. " It is unfortunate that the plaintiffs filed suit to halt this federally required process."


No link yet.

[liberalmuse]

27. Yessss!!!

More decisions like these, please!

[skooooo]

29. Yes, I agree.

It seems many recent decisions have gone our way!

:bounce:

[The Hope Mobile]

32. I think everybody's sick of election theft and the status quo.

[BlooInBloo]

28. Praise jeebus!

[suston96]

30. Here is your link........

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/27/thousands-of-flagged-voters-can-vote-court-rules/

[The Hope Mobile]

31. Thanks!

[Lone_Star_Dem]

33. kick to combine

[IsItJustMe]

34. Thousands of flagged voters can vote, court rules (Georgia)

Source: CNN

(CNN) -- Georgia must allow thousands of people whose citizenship was questioned by the state's new voter verification system to vote in the upcoming election, a panel of federal judges ruled Monday.


The court ruling means 4,500 people in Georgia will be able to vote November 4 despite being flagged.

The court ruling will affect about 4,500 people in Georgia who had been "flagged" by the new voter verification system and faced being denied a chance to vote November 4.

It could also affect more than 50,000 other registered Georgia voters also flagged by the new system because of mismatches in their personal identification information, such as discrepancies in addresses.

The three-judge panel also ordered Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel to inform all the flagged voters that they can vote.

"We are very pleased that the court agreed with our legal position that the state violated the Voting Rights Act," said Elise Shore, a lawyer with one of the civil right groups who brought the lawsuit.....



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/27/voter.suppression/index.html

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This is great.

[FLAprogressive]

35. This is good news....

....so many courts are throwing these lame GOP vote stealing attempts out.

[Pattib]

36. Good News! I am sick of the Republicans trying to suppress voting.

[Kaleko]

40. The whole world is screaming for America to get its voting act together.

This election really is the last straw that either breaks the Republic's back or leads to radical reformation.

[BlueCaliDem]

37. WoooHooo! The Bush Dictatorship is coming to an end! eom

[silex]

38. K&R

:kick: Enough!! Not this time

[IsItJustMe]

39. With just a little luck now, maybe we can say bye-bye to Senator Chambliss.