"I WILL STEAL THE ELECTION, AND YOU CAN'T STOP ME!"

[madashelltoo]

Florida's Gov. Scott is determined to disenfranchise Democratic voters. He now has reversed the previous Governor's order that gave non-violent criminals the right to vote. That means Scott has wiped out over 1 million voters in one foul swoop.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/07/06/1106973/-More-than-one-million-Floridians-disenfranchised-because-of-felony-nbsp-convictions

Do you think this makes the Republican setup to steal the vote clear? Does it not show their desperation? When will the marches and protests begin in earnest? These people are determined to destroy the country everyone swears to love.

[flamingdem]

1. What happened to the DOJ block on this?

nt

[madashelltoo]

2. New approach

The DOJ is fighting the voter purge. This is the latest approach.

[magnifisense]

3. "Yes We Can!

Yes we will!

You failed in your attempts to stop Eric Holder. The whole "contempt" charge blew up in your face. You will not stop the Department of Justice from protecting what so many marched and some died for, the right to vote.

We won't allow another 2000!

[patrice]

4. Solidarity!

[magnifisense]

10. ABSOLUTELY!

We won't get fooled again!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

5. I like the way Kucinich referred to this issue

When you've paid your debt to society, you've paid your debt. You should be able to participate in society again and society should welcome you back.

[greytdemocrat]

8. Except in Florida...nt

[Spitfire of ATJ]

9. The whole South has been making sure minor offenses are "felonies"

just to purge blacks from voting.

They'll convict for a "felony resisting arrest" that stems from a jaywalking incident where the "offender" simply said, "Are you kidding me?" before he was wrestled to the ground to be slapped in irons.

[demgrrrll]

6. He did this a year ago and many states including Virginia and Iowa have laws

on the books that keep convicted felons who have paid their debt to society from voting. In one state you have to ask for
clemency and have three people write letters of support, pay back your fines and the cost of your probation and on and on.
This isn't new, Scott did this a year ago. Charlie Crist worked very hard to get the people back on the voting rolls. I think Obama will win Florida.

[Rosanna Lopez]

7. The heart of the problem

The main problem is the way the law and elections system is run in the first place.

Unlike in other countries, for some bizarre reason we allow Governors and Secretaries of State (eg. political parties and partisan individuals) to control the voting system and ballots, as well as who can vote, and which machines are used etc.

In Canada, for example, the political parties do not run the election or have control over the voting apparatus - it is run by an independent, non-partisian elections agency called Elections Canada (or Elections Ontario etc. in the case of a provincial rather than federal election).

They do not allow a member of the government to have control over the ballots (eg. the AZ Secretary of State saying he might not allow Obama on the ballot) or order the voting machines (eg. Republicans hiring Diebold etc.).

[Fredjust]

11. Is there a way...

we could perhaps turn the tables on Republicans and find a way to disenfranchise conservative voters? I've been wracking my brain, and I just can't think of a legal way to do it. Maybe the DoJ could enact some executive order to gerrymander voting districts so they are all progressive?