Category Archives: Uncategorized

Arizona appeal to Supreme Court
to continue citizenship requirement

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Arizona asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday for permission to continue requiring proof of citizenship from those who seek to register to vote. State officials asked this as Arizona prepares to appeal an April ruling that eliminated the requirement from the state’s voter-ID law.

Solicitor General Dave Cole said that the proof-of-citizenship requirement should stay in place for the November election.

Arizona law directed county officials to reject any registration document not accompanied by proof of citizenship. But a 1993 federal law requires only a sworn statement of citizenship on federal registration forms. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in April found that Arizona’s law conflicted with federal law, and struck the citizenship requirement. The state plans to appeal to the Supreme Court by its July 16 deadline.

“The basic issue is the extent to which the federal and state forms conflict, and the extent to which the federal government can say, ‘Look, we have full authority to do this and the states can’t do anything,’” Cole said.

By Jack Fitzpatrick, News21

Coffee Break Ballot, June 14: Current Trends in Voting Rights

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At least in digital terms, Florida calmed down today.

Allegations of fraud in the city of Racine during the June 5 Wisconsin recall election have been bubbling up among conservative Twitter users, while most of the political Twittersphere has been consumed with the campaign collision that finds both President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaking on the economy in the battlefield formerly known as Ohio.

We have some gems today in the digital divide — charts and graphs from the Pew Center on the States, anyone? — and we’ll have more on Twitter trends at the close.

What We’ve Been Reading

“Voters Without ID In Wisconsin,” (Report, 06/14, Pew Center on the States)

“Rubio: Florida voter purge not about Hispanics,” (Maggie Haberman, 06/13, Politico)

“Pennsylvania Voter ID Law Places Expiration Date on Democracy,” (Brentin Mock, 06/14, The Nation)

“W&W hired to defend State in Voter ID challenge,” (Patrick Thornton, 06/14, MinnLawyer Blog)

“Dred Scott 2.0 — The Voting Edition,” (Marcus Bright, 06/14, Huffington Post BlackVoices)

“New Hampshire Governor Faces Stark Choice on Student Voting Rights,” (Dan Vicuna, 06/14, CampusVote Project)

“Curious Election Documents Found in Dumpster in Racine, Sheriff’s Department Investigating,” (MacIver News Service, 06/14, MacIver Institute)

Twitter Trends

The most notable trend on Twitter as of late is the circulation of a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee petition against what Democrats call Republican voter suppression tactics.

It’s one of many petitions — on both sides of the proverbial political aisle — that seem to circulate every few days. Our regular inputs on social media search engine Topsy.com always generate one of many digital petitions to support or stop Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s voter purge, which makes us wonder — do the politicians and public figures at the heart of these petitions ever even read them? Or is Twitter activism just a new form of political inaction?

Most of our regular trend-setters are focused on the Obama-Romney economic rumble in Ohio, so we’ll be sure to let you know when the digerati are angry about voting rights again.

For more of the latest voting rights, remember to follow @WhoCanVote.

Tom Horne: Arizona attorney general says DOJ oversteps in elections

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Tom Horne: Arizona attorney general says DOJ oversteps in elections

Tom Horne is the attorney general for Arizona. Photo by Khara Persad/News21

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne says that federal oversight of the state’s elections under the Voting Rights Act was never necessary in Arizona and now calls it unconstitutional in any state.

“It’s totally unjustified,” Horne said. “I don’t think anybody is trying to prevent anyone else from voting in 2012. They probably did in 1950 in the South, but in Arizona in 2012, no one is trying to prevent anyone else from voting. And the federal government has no business trying to micromanage what we do.”

Horne filed a lawsuit last August challenging Section 5 of the federal law that requires states with a history of discrimination to be cleared before they can change local election laws.

By Jack Fitzpatrick and Khara Persad, News21

Coffee Break Ballot, June 13: Current Trends in Voting Rights

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So little time, so much Florida.

We promise that we’re looking out for other states and other stories with  trends and news in voting rights and election administration. For example, did you know that Louisiana just voluntarily moved the New Orleans City elections in 2014 so as not to conflict with the Big Easy’s famous Carnival Parade season?

But Florida keeps dominating the digital conversation. Gov. Rick Scott made an appearance on NPR’s “Tell Me More” this morning, and the Florida struggle prompted a lively US News & World Report Debate Club session on voter fraud.

Will Florida stay in the forefront of national voting news? Maybe — but meanwhile, we’ve been looking into some other issues in the newsroom. Check out our list of stories this morning for more.

What We’ve Been Reading

“Is Voter Fraud a Real Problem?” (Debate Club, 06/13, US News & World Report)

“Florida’s noncitizen voter purge grew from 5-minute conversation,” (Marc Caputo, 06/13, Miami Herald)

“Purge Overkill — John Oliver & Florida’s Voter Registration Law,” (John Oliver, 06/12, The Daily Show”

“Jon Stewart’s ‘Daily Show’ Blasts Voter ID Laws, Ridicules Florida Governor,” (Casey Cheap, 06/13, Red Alert Politics)

“How Should Voter Purges Work?” (Abby Rapoport, 06/13, The American Prospect)

“The Real Victims of Voter ID Laws,” (Short Documentary, 06/13, Center for American Progress)

Twitter Trends

Thanks to a recent bipartisan call to sum up President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney’s respective campaigns in pithy, plentiful tweets, many political Twitter users have been sending bouncy voter ID-related tweets about both political parties.

The buzz has created a minor spike in our regular voting rights search terms in the last few days, according to social media search engine Topsy.com.

For more on the latest voting rights news and trends, be sure to follow @WhoCanVote.

Raymond Rutherford: Midwife’s error creates voting rights uncertainty

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For years, Raymond Rutherford used for official identification a photo ID card issued in 1979 by a Sumter, S.C., discount liquor store.

When Rutherford recently sought to comply with a new South Carolina law that requires a government-issued ID to register to vote, he found that the state would not accept his store-issued ID. He had to show his Social Security card to get a government-issued ID. The problem is that card carries the birth certificate error made by the midwife who delivered him. It incorrectly identified him as Ramon Croskey. The midwife forgot his mother’s married name, he said.

Rutherford’s birth certificate, errors and all, was used when he applied for a Social Security card.

Rutherford described his situation in stark terms. He compared the issue of voter IDs in South Carolina to that of slaves who were beholden to white masters for their identity.

“[They] couldn’t do anything unless their master signed for it,” he said. “They didn’t have
proof what their name was, so they took whatever name their master gave them. It seems
to me they’re trying to send us years back, where they can control who we vote for.”

Rutherford is still working to obtain an ID so he can vote in the November election if the South Carolina voter ID law is upheld in federal court. A ruling could come in
early September.

By Caitlin O’Donnell, News21

Maine primary showcases race for U.S. Senate seat vacated by Snowe

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The race for the U.S. Senate highlights Maine’s primary today, but the presumed frontrunner is not even on the ballot.

Voters are choosing among four Democratic candidates and six Republican candidates, all vying to face former Gov. Angus King, an independent who does not face a primary challenge. King is seen by many as the favorite because of the weaknesses of the major parties.

In 2010, Democrats lost both houses of the Maine legislature and the governor’s office, but Republicans suffered defeat in a 2011 special election as voters repealed a GOP-backed law that ended election-day voter registration.

That law was sponsored by Maine Secretary of State Charlie Summers, one of the leading candidates for the seat from which Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe is retiring.

The Waterville Morning Sentinel reported light voting so far, and that officials had predicted less than 20 percent turnout.

By Alex Remington, News21

Coffee Break Ballot, June 12: Current Trends in Voting Rights

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If today’s post had a subhead, it would be: Current Trends in Florida Voting News.

Yesterday, we tweeted a hypothetical “Florida v. non-Florida” voting rights news day tally, and today fits squarely in the former category. All sides of the political spectrum have been reacting to the legal battle put into play yesterday when Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced his state’s intention to sue the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Justice countered with an announcement of its own suit against the state.

What We’ve Been Reading

“Florida and feds sue each other over noncitizen purge controversy,” (Marc Caputo, 06/12, Miami Herald)

“The ‘Voter Fraud’ Myth Debunked,” (Slideshow, 06/12, Rolling Stone)

“Ramsey County voter ID costs could hit $1.7 million per biennium if passed,” (Frederick Melo, 06/12, St. Paul Pioneer Press)

“AFL-CIO to fight voter ID laws in six battleground states,” (Kevin Bogardus, 06/12, The Hill)

“Rick Scott: Voter Purge Turned Up ‘Over 50’ Non-Citizen Voters — ‘The Debate is Over,'” (Nick Wing, 06/12, Huffington Post)

Twitter Trends

Twitter mentions of any of our main search terms today swirls around the Sunshine State, and a new Rolling Stone voter fraud slideshow.

Twitter search engine Topsy.com shows searches for voting rights, voter ID and voter fraud all are pretty fixed on Florida. That trend will probably continue through the summer, but we’ll be the first to tell you when that changes.

Follow us @WhoCanVote for the latest stories in voting rights news.

Fight over Florida voter rolls leaves county officials in a lurch

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The legal wrangle over who should remain on Florida voter rolls has caught counties in the middle of two lawsuits filed this week, said Michael Ertel, Seminole County supervisor of elections.

The Florida Secretary of State has sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for access to data that verifies citizenship. On the heels of that suit, the Justice Department  requested a federal injunction Monday to block what it calls voter purging.

“When you have two government entities not working together, this is what causes people to think government is inefficient,” Ertel said. “Politics gets in the way of a lot of this.”

Vicki Davis, Martin County supervisor of elections, said none of the 67 counties will move forward with the purge until the legal disputes are settled.

At the county level, she said, the focus is on conducting a problem-free Aug. 14 primary.

By Ethan Magoc, News21

Hold on Florida’s 48-hour registration deadline draws measured reactions

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Hold on Florida's 48-hour registration deadline draws measured reactions

More than 300 Southwest Miami High School students register to vote on May 30 in the school auditorium. Photo by Ethan Magoc/News21

Two South Florida groups targeting student voter registration are giving reserved reviews to a May 31 decision by a federal judge to place a hold on a 48-hour deadline for turning in registration forms.

Hold on Florida's 48-hour registration deadline draws measured reactions

Jacquie Ayala, left, of Southern Energy Network, a third-party voter registrant, talks with Christina Jean, 19, of Lake Worth, Fla., on the campus of Florida Atlantic University on May 30. Photo by Ethan Magoc/News21.

John Doyle is an administrative director for Miami-Dade Public Schools, where the 2011 registration regulations were taken one step further.

“We had a self-imposed 24-hour turnaround, just to avoid any problems,” he said. “As an individual person, citizen and voter, I definitely have opinions about the 48-hour rule. But the court’s decision moving forward doesn’t matter to us administratively.”

At the college level, Southern Energy Network organizer Jacquie Ayala said she was thrilled with last week’s ruling.

“It’s huge for us. We’re a really small organization,” said Ayala, whose group has registered 547 new voters, nearly all of them college students. “Working hard to register people then meeting a 5 o’clock deadline every other day or face a fine was just too much sometimes.”

The school district and the energy network are just two of 146 registration groups that accounted for 287,481 new registrations, about three percent of the state’s registered voters, according to the Florida Division of Elections.

By Ethan Magoc, News21

Behind the Scenes: This week in the News21 newsroom

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The News21 newsroom is in full swing, and this week teams of reporters and editors gathered for four days of meetings with consulting editor Leonard Downie Jr., to organize, update and discuss ongoing investigations of voting rights and voting culture in the United States.

Here’s a look at what the News21 team was up to this week:

Behind the Scenes: This week in the News21 newsroom

Executive editor Sharon Rosenhause and assistant editor Gerald Jordan listen as News21 fellow Corbin Carson presents a portion of his project. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/News21

Behind the Scenes: This week in the News21 newsroom

Multimedia coordinator Brandon Quester smiles while News21 fellows present their story to the top editors. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/News21

Behind the Scenes: This week in the News21 newsroom

Consulting editor Leonard Downie Jr. reviews the budget for the News21 project. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/News21

Behind the Scenes: This week in the News21 newsroom

Interactives editor Andrew Long talks about website and graphic ideas. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/News21