This is thuggery at the highest level.

...voter ID that has been stalled in the courts, and is NOT in effect, but people can easily be fooled and confused and convinced that they ARE in effect.

before the Wisconsin State Senate Committee on Agriculture, Elections and the UW System. Since we re-took the Senate this last summer, this committee is chaired by State Senator Kathleen Vinehout, the Democrat whom I supported in the Walker Recall primary. She called this hearing to take public testimony about the election integrity issues that we have been trying to bring to light for the last two years (at least).

I had not been planning to testify, but after listening to some of the statements, particularly by the WI Government Accountability Board staff, I felt compelled to make a statement. I made reference to the fact that Germany is among the countries that is stopping use of electronic voting machines, and treating hand counting of ballots as a civic duty, much like jury duty.

Present in the audience at the hearing were two International Observers from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. After my testimony, one of the observers came over and introduced himself. He is from Germany, and said that he couldn't make any statements while he was observing, but that he would be happy to talk at another time. I am looking forward to contacting him and learning more about how Germany is making the shift from using electronic voting machines.

By the way, the Republicans have not bothered to appoint anyone to this committee. I'm sure they will before next week's hearings on raw milk, an interest of Glenn Grothman's (boo).

Republican State Lawmakers, who run the state, are trying to block the UN from monitoring the states election.

The Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives is calling for state legislation that would keep poll watchers sent by the United Nations out of his state on Election Day.

“The United States is the worldwide beacon of free elections and the Republican form of government, so having an international squad from the United Nations playing referee in our elections is insulting and absurd,” Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard said, according to the Yellow Hammer Politics blog.

“We’ve been holding elections in the U.S. for the past 223 years without the United Nations playing a role or enforcing the rules, and we certainly don’t want or need them now,” he said.

Hubbard said that in order to prevent U.N. poll watchers from interfering with Alabama elections, he would support future state legislation requiring poll watchers to have U.S citizenship.

No no no, Deary... now it's:

"The United States WAS the worldwide beacon of free elections"... mainly because of you guys and the 2000 election, which everybody on the planet knows was stolen.

Got it?

"the United Nations playing referee in our elections is insulting and absurd"

Considering Texas voting history, "absurd" should be reserved for their record of voting irregularity.

As far as "insulting", insult is in the perception. It's a worthless concept in relation to the voting rights of millions of people. Who cares if he's insulted or not? It's a way to solidify the purity of the Texas voting system that has been supposedly righteous for the last 223 years... Or it won't...

he's protesting too much.

without the United Nations playing a role or enforcing the rules, and we certainly don’t want or need them now


Lets ask women and minorities how free and fair those elections were?

Democrats would be required to show U.S. birth certificates or passports before they could observe at the polls.

The AG is concerned about international observers but he doesn't seem to have an issue with Texas' own home grown "True The Vote" thugs and their very real voter intimidation tactics.

Welcome to DU.

Yet, Abbott had no issue with them then and there were zero problems with any of them. Wonder what he has planned that the observers might, you know, observe?

...a Teahadist trough the window!

UGH!

Bush vs. Richards.

It's a red state and I would think it will stay red.

So, yes, it matters.

Yes, It does matter.

There's a lot of big money corruption here. This is the home of Karl Rove, after all.

Oy.

Of course they're going to be all testy with you. They know they're losing.

And they're damned sure going to do everything they can to make sure it doesn't happen again.

... as they ran across our sovereign soil.

It's like a progressive disease.

Are you crazier then you were four years ago?