Tea party, GOP accused of trying to purge voters

Source: Chicago Trib/AP

A liberal advocacy group is accusing Wisconsin Republicans of colluding with the tea party movement to throw minority and student voters off the rolls.

One Wisconsin Now's director, Scot Ross, alleges the groups decided in June to send mailings to minorities and students warning them to confirm their voter registrations or risk being thrown off the rolls.

Ross says the groups wanted to note how many mailings came back as undeliverable and dispatch poll observers to challenge voters who claimed those addresses.

Ross is basing his allegations on audio recordings of a tea party coalition meeting in June. He won't say how he obtained the recordings.


Read more: http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/09/tea-party-gop-accused-of-trying-to-purge-voters.html

"Those of you who are not among the 'elite'(smirk), will be Left Behind. That's our Most Wickedest threat. Sneer."

- RepubliBaggers (R)

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NOT

And that's the least of the crimes to be charged.

The GOPers wanna do it AGAIN???

Some of the dirty tricks, such as the creation of the Felons List, were hardly cheap.

for cheap?? jus asking...

And the people running the company were "good friends." Remember Choicepoint?

How sweet....

but we've never been able to stop them from doing it--remedies (weak ones only) come AFTER the elections, so nothing is ever changed or solved. Why we still think we're a fair democracy post December 12, 2000 is beyond me.

otherwise, it's just a-ok.


what a great system.

This is because minorities and students often change residences but don't always update their addresses on their voter registration cards, drivers licenses, etc.

When I was in college (60 miles away), my folks address was still my permanent address. Thus, I always went home and voted there. However, when I moved back to my hometown after college, I bought my own house a few miles away. When I went to go vote, I went back to my old polling location (as I did not think to change it until then). Well, I was dropped off the rolls.

Now, I don't think this tactic would have worked as a mailer would have gone to my folks (and my dad has the same name). Thus, it would not have come back to them. However, I have always wondered what caused it. To this day, I don't know if it was something nefarious or if there was some law about me changing my permanent address and not updating my voter registration causing me to be dropped. Needless to say, I check out state's website every few months to make sure I am still registered.

The Tea Party sends out postcards that look semi-official which basically states
"Please verify your address" with instructions to the post office not to forward
this piece of mail, and only to "Return To Sender" of the addressee (YOU) don't
physically receive the postcard.

It's legal for the government to do this, because they use it as a guise to clean up the
voter rolls from people who have moved, or died or ...

But it's illegal for a non-government group (i.e. Tea Party) to do this.

These groups have been targeting Students, Military, and any other group that have to
live outside their permanent residence. And since the post office is instructed not to
FORWARD, you would not be able to receive it at your school 60 miles away.

So, if the Tea Party doesn't receive confirmation that you live at the address where you're
registered, or if they receive it but it states "Return To Sender", then they mark you and
your address as questioning your right to vote, and you may be issued a provisional ballot.
They will have a member at the poll specifically waiting to hear your name or address, and
when they do, they'll question your residency. Trying to intimidate you into not voting or
accepting a provisional ballot.

Also, some students consider their dorm residence as their permanent place of residency.
When you do this you are suppose to legally re-register in your new area.
In San Diego County, we have 3 major universities with students doing exactly this.
Unfortunately, their dorm room may not be the same from June (when they go home for summer)
to September (when they return the following year), even if it is in the same building.
So when the students returned in September and got a different dorm room, the ROV required
them to re-register or they would not be allowed to vote. Not many students know this.

In your example, you were legally allowed to vote from your parents residence when you were
a student. But when you bought your own house, you have to legally register at your new
address. I wouldn't admit to any voting official that you tried to vote using your parents
address because this is illegal, and you could get into a lot of trouble. Ask Ann Coulter.

Anyway, re-register in your new location, and you should be good to go for November.

Soldiers deployed can be denied rights if they sent the letter to their state side post. That happened a lot in 2004. They selected soldiers with African American names in units known to be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Here's a link from his site: http://www.gregpalast.com/bbc-tv-reveals-new-florida-vote-scandalrepublican-caging-list/

They didn't prosecute them then, what makes us think they will now!

It is considered illegal if any group other then the government does it,
but legal if the government does it.

Here in San Diego County the Registrar of Voters (i.e. Government) has been
doing this since 2008. Again, since it's the government doing it, it legal.

Fortunately, it backfired, and they ended up removing more registered Republicans
then registered Democrats, from the voter rolls.

but, on the bright side, doesn't Wisconsin have same day registration? Even if they knock someone off the list, they can register again on election day.