Tag Archives: Florida voter purge

Coffee Break Ballot, June 29: Current Trends in Voting Rights

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This was a busy week in voting rights news.

Florida’s controversial voter roll cleanup was allowed to continue; the New Hampshire Legislature overrode Gov. John Lynch’s veto of a photo voter ID bill, and a new Tennessee law will give one-time, non-violent felons a new pathway to vote.

Meanwhile, we’re getting into full-drafting, editing and revision mode at News21. More from the newsroom later, but first, some Friday reads.

What We’ve Been Reading

“House GOP backs down, allows election money in the budget,” (John Frank, 06/28, Raleigh News & Observer)

“Would-Be Voters of Color Face Obstacles Not Well Reported,” (Nadra Kareem Nittle, 06/28, Maynard Institute)

“Rangel’s Rivals Make Allegations of Voter Fraud and Uncounted Ballots,” (Hunger Walker, 06/28, New York Observer)

“Dear Governor Snyder,” (Clayola Brown, Niel Richie, E. Faye Williams, 06/28, ProjectVote)

Twitter Trends

The most significant piece of Twitter-related news we’ve noticed lately is both political parties capitalizing on buzz words and twisting opposition fervor into a clarion call.

Case in point: Monday/Tuesday’s excitement over Pennsylvania state Rep. Mike Turzai’s comments on voter ID laws. The evolution of that story from progressive anger into conservative pride is remarkable and perhaps indicative of general Twitter usage patterns.

Old links and retired outrage can take days or even weeks to fizzle, meaning the story probably will cycle through the Twittersphere until the election, or until something else buzz worthy pops up.

We’ll keep you posted on that front, and, as always, be sure to follow us @WhoCanVote.

Coffee Break Ballot, June 28: Current Trends in Voting Rights

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The way that Twitter behaved today might leave readers to think there was some kind of ground-breaking, presidential-election related piece of news that broke this morning.

(We kid; we’re well aware of the Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.)

Because of that news today, our usual sources for breaking voting rights news are relatively calm. Politicos and political reporters everywhere appear fixated on reactions and press conferences surrounding the 5-4 decision upholding the the landmark health care law.

In a way, this is convenient because we are busy drafting and editing our main stories – not to mention that yesterday was a considerable day in voting rights updates.

What We’ve Been Reading

“Ruling on provisional ballots issue expected by August,” (Laura A. Bischoff, 06/27, Dayton Daily News)

“Florida voter purge may restart after ruling,” (Gary Fineout, 06/27, Associated Press)

“Blood in the Water: Mike Turzai’s Voter ID Remarks,” (Stephen Colbert, 06/27, The Colbert Report)

“The Roberts Court is Born,” (Adam Winkler, 06/28, Huffington Post)

“AALDEF and APABA-PA Hold Press Conference to Explain new PA Voter ID Law’s Impact on Asian-Americans,” (Press Release, 06/28, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund)

Twitter Trends

The most noticeable shift among our four key search terms on social media search engine Topsy.com is that dozens of Twitter users have started to “ask” Florida Gov. Rick Scott to stop removing voters from state rolls.

Those tweets were very popular late last month when the controversial vote removal made headlines, but they died after the U.S. Department of Justice halted implementing the law. Yesterday, after District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled that the purge could continue under federal law, the tweets resurfaced.

Does social media activism make a difference?

Plenty of users have tried to spread political and social issues across Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and other widely used sites. Because individual social media participation serves a largely self-selected audience, it is highly possible that most social activism tweets only get bounced among friends and acquaintances who already agree and have little political clout.

For more voting rights news and updates, follow us @WhoCanVote.

Coffee Break Ballot, June 27: Current Trends in Voting Rights

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Journalists are apt to think every day is a big news day; today really qualifies.

A federal appeals court judge in  Florida — the same judge who blocked the state requirement that voter registrations be submitted within 48 hours – has ruled that the U.S. Department of Justice cannot stop the voter purge. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle said the 90-day provision, which DOJ attorneys cited as too close to an election to purge rolls, did not apply to removing non-citizens from the rolls. Hinkle did say there were “some problems” with the program.

In New Hampshire, the state Senate voted to override Gov. John Lynch’s veto of a voter registration bill and passed a modified version of a photo-identification bill. And The Nation published a new rundown of the political questions at the heart of the current voting rights fight.

These stories aren’t causing as much of an uproar as the Pennsylvania House Republican leader’s comments Monday on voter identification or the furious reaction to U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s assertion of Republican voter suppression, but they are definitely trending.

What We’ve Been Reading

“Make Voting Mandatory,” (Peter R. Orszag, 06/19, BloombergView)

“Last-minute voter ID changes facing Senate, House action today,” (Ted Siefer, 06/26, New Hampshire Union Leader)

“Federal judge rejects DOJ request to stop voter purge,” (Kathleen Haughney, 06/27, Orlando Sentinel)

“GOP: Obama planning to ‘Steal’ the Election,” (Ari Berman, 06/27, The Nation)

“Angry Twitter Birds: Unhappy NYC Voter Demonstrates Power, Reach of Social Media,” (Doug Chapin, 06/27, The Election Academy)

Twitter Trends

The big-ticket stories this morning haven’t really buzzed as much as other controversial voting rights stories this summer. They are mostly policy-oriented, and social media users — and the public  — aren’t interested in stories on the slow process of judicial review and legal adjustment.

But the last article in our list brings up a curious and potentially lasting phenomenon. It’s an exploration of how voter anger and engagement is more possible through directed media campaigns.

Here at News21, we’ve followed directed campaigns by many secretaries of state and “get out the vote” accounts on Twitter and have enjoyed watching the way these accounts try to encourage voter participation and education. Secretaries aren’t followed nearly as often as national organizations like Rock The Vote or the League of Women Voters. As a whole, these accounts demonstrate the fledgling possibilities inherent in social media voter conversations.

It’s the kind of thing that drives this daily post (and our Twitter account), and it’s worth a read for any voting policy wonk, public opinion specialist or voter in general.

Remember to follow us @WhoCanVote.