"Judge rules Ohio homeless voters may list park benches as addresses"...

[Indi Guy]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A federal judge in Ohio has ruled that counties must allow homeless voters to list park benches and other locations that aren't buildings as their addresses.

U.S. District Judge Edmund Sargus also ruled that provisional ballots can't be invalidated because of poll worker errors.

Monday's ruling resolved the final two pieces of a settlement between the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.

The coalition agreed to drop a constitutional challenge to Ohio's voter identification law until after the Nov. 4 election. In return, Brunner and the coalition agreed on procedures to verify provisional ballots across all Ohio counties.

The coalition was concerned that unequal treatment of provisional ballots would disenfranchise some voters. http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/10/28/ajudgerule.html?sid=101

[SeattleGirl]

1. Wow! That's great!

:applause: :applause: :applause:

[Indi Guy]

9. Sanity is On The March...

...friggin' finally.

[SeattleGirl]

12. Amen!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[SeattleGirl]

2. Delete. Dupe.

[vaberella]

3. Bloody brilliant...you get a big KICK and REC. This is what I'm talking about.

Everyone is utilizing their right to vote. Damn, even the homeless are going to vote. Shit...this is great. I know they won't vote for McCain.

:kick::kick::kick::kick::kick::kick::kick::kick:

Go OHIO!!!

[Indi Guy]

5. Since when are America's Homeless not Americans?...

This ruling is brilliant in it's simplicity. If you're an American -- you don't have to pass a voter test to vote.

(I picked up the link from Hannity's board -- http://forums.hannity.com/showthread.php?t=1058261 The author said, "We're Doomed! Judge rules Ohio voters may list park benches as addresses!")

I'd like to ask the author (New Orleans Lady), "Just who is doomed by allowing Americans their constitutional right to vote?"

[vaberella]

23. Exactly.

I get the feeling to Repubs...The homeless are like Ex-Cons. For some reason because they're poor they're no longer citizens. I mean this is done all the time. My prof was talking about this sort of mentality that is forced upon the homeless by employed peoples. They are ignored and turned into a sort of "invisible" visible group. They're around, we know they are, we see them, hear them, but they are chosen to be ignored. People in rural areas are even more cut off from them further turning them into almost novelty. You hear about "homeless" but never met one. Like people who say, "I've seen Blacks on tv or hear about them but I never saw one until I've been to the city." So the thought of them having votes is like a shock. They work so hard at ignoring them and destroying social programs to protect them...when their forced to deal with it, they realize that all their ignorance is basically going to bite them on the ass.

I wonder if this is a law in all the states or is it just for Ohio. New York has over 11,000 homeless and I could be underestimating it, I'm using the numbers post Reagan.

[Indi Guy]

31. This is not a federal law...

This issue is left up to the states.

[vaberella]

32. I know. I was asking a rhetorical question since I live in NY.

I'm just unsure what our laws are in regards to the homeless.

[Undercurrent]

4. This is very good news.

Homeless people have the exact same Constitutional rights as any other citizen. Period.

Preventing people from voting, because they are homeless belongs in the same historical dust bun as the concept that only land owners should vote, the poll tax, literacy tests, and all the other crap that has been used to keep the poor and minorities "in their place". That is under the boot of the rich and powerful.

[Indi Guy]

6. Bingo!!!

...You get it.

[Undercurrent]

26. LOL

And you got what I meant in spite of the fact that I wrote "dust bun" instead of "dust bin".

[TheKentuckian]

7. Another FAIL for the Reich Wing and more WIN for democracy

How these people sleep at night, I can't guess. Imagine if your life revolved around taking away rights and stealing from poor people.

Thank God for good judges.

[opihimoimoi]

8. MaCenzy Park, Bench #24......

I think its wonderful

[Jed Dilligan]

10. Many rural people have no numbered street address.

I've never had a voter reg. card that didn't give the option of describing where I lived. This "issue" shouldn't have even gone to court. What's next, a minimum income to vote?

[awoke_in_2003]

11. I feel good about this ruling...

but bad that any american would have to list a park bench as an address. When will we, as a country, take care of those who need help?

[nolabels]

14. Not sure how much one should laugh about it but...........

it's kind of funny to think that even the homeless will be helping to kick the republicans to the curb :-)

[Indi Guy]

15. The "funny" thing might be that...

...some "Americans" are afraid that the homeless might actually be able to vote. How many Americans have become homeless -- in the wake of previous "elections?"

[awoke_in_2003]

18. Ironic indeed. nt

[Indi Guy]

22. It might be argued that...

...for too long, the "in power NeoCons" intentionally eroded the middle class to where many are homeless now.

What goes around does indeed come around,

Homeless or not -- all Americans still have the right to vote (Bush chose to call them "Voting Privileges".)

[awoke_in_2003]

27. They have always wanted the workers of the world

to be brought to the same level. To bad they are using China as a model.

[abumbyanyothername]

13. Bravo to the lawyers

who litigated this!

[illuminaughty]

16. He damn well better.

In 2004 we rented a van that brought people from the city mission and several other homeless shelters to the polls. It was probably the most rewarding part of working for MoveOn..I'm just sorry we let all those people down and they had to suffer another four years under these criminals.

[Indi Guy]

19. Thank you for labeling the Vote Compromisers for what they are (criminals)...

Our Constitutions is Law.

[fujiyama]

17. Great news

All US citizens over the age of 18 that are registered SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE.

[4lbs]

20. The logic of it is lost on the Republican whiners. If I can prove I am who I say I am, why should

it matter where I live, or if I'm even homeless, with regards to voting?

[Mossbeach]

21. Awesome....is there a voter drive to get these people to vote?...

And perhaps give them a choice to have their voices heard...

[Indi Guy]

24. Great Question...

...I don't have your answers.

What I do know is that the homeless ranks have greatly expanded under W's watch...

[JohnnyRingo]

25. I guess the alternative is to say they can't afford to vote.

That would certainly please the Republicans, but there's no "proof of ownership" clause in the voting laws. Those who can't afford rent are not disqualified either.

[Indi Guy]

28. The painful part is the hypocrisy...

Many people were convinced that Republican leaders represented the very best of American voters..

The best of American voters are rightly suspicious of all politicians now.

I believe that Obama is a true agent of quantum change. This understood,I will be Barack's harshest critic if he caves in to the politics of expediency...

[Indi Guy]

29. The court's ruling says it...

...Americans without a home are Americans.

[99th_Monkey]

30. Way Cool!!!! That's what we do in Oregon too, except they just use an intersection

in the city where they mostly hang out, and that's becomes their legal "voting address".

[progressoid]

33. pop * POP * * * POP * * * pop * pop *

Dittohead and freepers heads exploding.

[riqster]

34. Jennifer Brunner is a Frickin' Genius

...by basing all of her decisions on the law and having courts rule on any ambiguities, she acts as an SOS ought, and paints the Reeps into a corner. As in this case- SHE didn't make this ruling, the COURT did. Slicker'n owl shit.

Brunner's actions are making it explicitly clear that Reeps have no respect for the law, which pretty well pulls their fangs.