[Peace-discuss] here we go again

[Ricky Baldwin]

"Swing states," you say? Hm...

 Ricky


"Only those who do nothing make no mistakes." - Peter Kropotkin


Report: Voter purges in 6 states may violate law 
AP- Thu Oct 9, 2008
Tens of thousands of eligible voters have been removed from rolls or blocked
from registering in at least six swing states, and the voters' exclusion
appears to violate federal law, according to a published report.
The New York Times based its findings on reviews of state records and Social
Security data.
The Times said voters appear to have been purged by mistake and not because
of any intentional violations by election officials or coordinated efforts by
any party.
States have been trying to follow the Help America Vote Act of 2002 by
removing the names of voters who should no longer be listed. But for every
voter added to the rolls in the past two months in some states, election
officials have removed two, a review of the records shows.
The newspaper said it identified apparent problems in Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina.
It says some states are improperly using Social Security data to verify new
voters' registration applications, and others may have broken rules that govern
removing voters from the rolls within 90 days of a federal election.
Democrats have been more aggressive at registering new voters this year,
according to state election officials, so any closer screening of new
applications may affect their party's supporters disproportionately, the Times
said.
The result is that on Election Day, voters who have been removed from the
rolls could show up and be challenged by political party officials or election
workers.
The six states seem to have violated federal law in two ways. Some are
removing voters from the rolls within 90 days of a federal election, which is
not allowed except when voters die, notify the authorities that they have moved
out of state, or have been declared unfit to vote.
And some of the states are improperly using Social Security data to verify
registration applications for new voters, the newspaper reported.
"Just as voting machines were the major issue that came out of the 2000
presidential election and provisional ballots were the big issue from 2004,
voter registration and these statewide lists will be the top concern this
year," said Daniel P. Tokaji, a law professor at Ohio State University.
Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.