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Are You Registered to Vote? ...Are You Sure?

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     In the upcoming 2008 presidential election, Republicans will try to pull the same things in every state possible; and this year, the Supreme Court has given them a new weapon against potential democratic voters--especially the poor and elderly.

 

     The court upheld (in Crawford vs. Marion County) an Indiana law that required a passport or driver’s license in order to vote--even though less than a third of adults in Indiana have a passport and nearly 15 percent do not have a driver’s license (mostly the poor and elderly). In all, twenty-four states have passed some form of voter ID laws, supposedly to prevent voter impersonation fraud [a crime that studies have shown is virtually non-existent]. (NPR, Morning Edition, 1/9/08)

 

     If you cannot produce the proper ID when you go to vote, you may or may not be able to vote on a provisional ballot, which may or may not be counted. Rules vary from state to state, and Republicans don’t really follow rules anyway. They do whatever they can get away with.

 

     In addition, the Republicans have targeted a couple more groups to keep off the voting rolls this year: injured veterans and dispossessed homeowners.

 

     The Bush Administration has put a ban on voter registration drives at hundreds of Veteran Affairs facilities around the country.

 

·        “President Bush and Karl Rove are attempting to block voter registration of at least 200,000 and possibly as much as 400,000 veterans,”--Paul Sullivan, president of Veterans for Common Sense, referring to injured former soldiers from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in various VA treatment facilities, veterans living in the VA’s nursing homes, and homeless veterans living in VA shelters, AlterNet, 8/11/08

 

     The VA’s ban on voter registration in its facilities was condemned by the National Association of Secretaries of State, and even though their cause has been taken up in Congress, it appears the VA will be able to continue this policy until it is too late for this year’s election.

 

     If you are wondering why the Bush Administration would do something as despicable as keeping our wounded veterans from registering to vote--wonder no more. The Center for Responsive Politics reports that military personnel have donated more to Barack Obama than John McCain, and deployed troops are donating six times as much to Obama’s presidential campaign than to McCain’s. Evidently, they have had enough of Mr. Bush’s Wars and are counting on Barack Obama to bring them home.

      

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Mick Youther is an American citizen, an independent voter, a veteran, a parent, a scientist, a writer, and all-around nice guy who has been roused from a comfortable apathy by the high crimes and misdemeanors of the Bush Administration.

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