Republican policymakers, at the federal and state level, are often desperate to find real-world, high-profile examples of voter fraud. The good news for the GOP is that a legitimate example has come to public light. The bad news is, the example is from their side of the aisle.
The top elections official in Indiana was convicted of multiple charges in a voter fraud case on Saturday, bringing uncertainty to one of the state's most powerful offices.
A Hamilton County jury found Charlie White, the Indiana secretary of state, guilty of six of seven felony charges: two counts of perjury and one each of false registration, voting in another precinct, submitting a false ballot and theft. He was acquitted of one fraud charge. [...]
It was not immediately clear what would happen in the state office. Mr. White has resisted calls to resign by Democrats and fellow Republicans, including Gov. Mitch Daniels, but state law bars anyone convicted of a felony from remaining in office.
Commenting on the controversy, Kay at Balloon Juice recently noted, "Besides the obvious embarrassment of the state official who is in charge of elections being indicted on charges of voter registration fraud, it's just perfect that this happened in Indiana, because Indiana paved the way for the voter suppression laws we're seeing all over the country.... Indiana has one of the most restrictive voter ID laws in the country, and that didn't stop their top elections official from registering and voting in the wrong place. That's because voter ID laws target the imaginary problem of voter impersonation fraud, while doing next to nothing to address the fraud that actually occurs."
Just to rub a little salt on the wound, it's also worth noting that White, while seeking the office, listed election integrity as one of his top concerns, and promised to "protect and defend Indiana's Voter ID law to ensure our elections are fair and protect the most basic and precious right and responsibility of our democracy-voting."
As part of the "war on voting," conservative officials keep putting new hurdles between voters and the ballot box, ostensibly because they fear the scourge of fraud. The irony is, the deceit much of the right fears is imaginary, while the real-world fraud seem to be coming from their side of the political divide.
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Any other states asking Mitch Daniels for advice on setting up their voter laws?
Arizona and Oklahoma come to mind.
Well as the only state where every single county voted for McCain, voter suppression isn't as much of an issue in Oklahoma. One of the top incarceration rates in the nation ensures that a signicant portion of the population is already and remains disenfranchised. Voter suppression would be redundant since even the Democrats are Conservative.
And then there is me.
True.
You be careful, Don. We need you here.
You know, with Virginia and Oklahoma being virtual countries of their own (Republican) do you think the South is going to secede again? This may be just the beginning.
Would we go with "The Liberal United States of America" vs "The Screwed Up Racist United States of America"?
Too sad.
Honestly? I think there is a real chance of American Balkinization if Paul were to win and maim or kill the federal govt. By that I mean America split up like the nations did that comprised the Soviet Union when it collapsed.
I think the chances also increase in times of massive economic collapse. Like at the end of the Bush era.
I was hoping that I was being facetious, but I would guess that with the split in our country at present you are right.
It appears that there are no bridges between those who are hell-bent on controlling everone's life with their beliefs and demands and those who just want to live an equitable and free life style for all of us.
In a way, I''m glad I am old and knew our country when it was still a glorious melting pot and we stood together.
That is the America I love and believe in with all my heart. I have to take offense with what is being done to it however.
"If you can only fool some of the people all of the time, make sure those are the ones that get to vote."
Make voters into fools by cutting schools and yelling "they did it" when the prisons explode.
But this would have never happened with a photo ID... Right?
Riiiight, because no one has EVER faked a photo ID before.
The irony is almost as pathetic as Mitch Daniels himself. Can't wait to see how conservatives spin this one.
Easy peasy: They will acknowledge this case and in doing so strongly imply the left has been guilty of much, much worse but has not yet been brought to justice.
Actually, they're gonna deny, deny, deny that he's a member of the GOP and say that he's a "democrat plant" - another conspiracy theory.....
They'll probably say that this proves they were right and that they need even MORE stringent requirements. :)
When you wear your anti-democracy efforts on your sleeve, snot may become the biggest problem your shirt sleeve experiences!
Voter fraud - snot a problem unless the snot ends up on the dudes complaining about the non-existent problem! -Kevo
The current conservative attack on democracy is one for the history books. Sometimes it's hard to recognize what's happening until it's over. This time it's easy. But we still can't seem to stop it. O Tragedy!
Closeted gays and voter fraud.
Name two things the Republicans say:
Do as we say, not as we do.
Isn't this precisely the stereotypical Republican strategy? Attack a straw man in order to divert attention from the real issue that they are guilty of...
1 of ????? I believe if there ever was an Indepth Investigation of All Members of this Current Government , The Courts would be tied up for years prosecuting them .
Psychological projection or projection bias is a psychological defense mechanism where a person subconsciously denies his or her own attributes, thoughts, and emotions, which are then ascribed to the outside world, usually to other people. Thus, projection involves imagining or projecting the belief that others originate those feelings.
Methinks the GOP needs a little psychological therapy!
MEthinks that the GOP needs a cigarette and a blindfold.
It's called the P.T. Barnum effect or Forer Effect.
They put him up to this so they would actually have evidence (for once) of their voter laws. lol
No, that's O'Keefe's job. He managed to take down ACORN with his "heavily edited" proof against Planned Parenthood.
Now he's going around creating "voter fraud" movies.
Sure hope he faces a judge soon.
AMEN!
And now that they have finished with that unpleasantness, they can get back to their bigger objectives of crushing labor, extending the passage of time before couples can divorce, and requiring creationism in schools.... if it weren't happening to us, I would think it was a joke.
I'm with you, hoosierprof. I do so love my state, but the lack of balance in the our state government seems to border on Republican insanity right now.
Republican insanity? Isn't that redundant, Beth?
The silence is deafening...
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/treason
Rachel- the French say it this way: "No man looks under a bed who has not hidden there himself."
Oh, I like that!
that one's good. i'm so using that.
who cares Republicans will forget about this in a week and continue to push for voter id laws while committing voter fraud.
They lost no time forgetting Ann Coulter faced her own charges of voter fraud. Don't hear much about that anymore, do we?
He looks like a felon - he's wearing a tie.
At least, with his shiny new mug shots, he can get a government-issued photo ID to vote with--oh, wait--if he's a felon he probably can't vote in Indiana.
I'm not sure you can vote in Indiana unless you're a felon.
See. See. They told you there was voter fraud. And you, silly liberals, didn't believe them.
Silly liberals? The fraud was in the GOP not the Democrats..now who's the goose?
I think there was a little tongue in cheek there Georga.
A lot of tongue in cheek actually.
*we really need to come up with a sarcasm font*
A suggestion about indicating sarcasm: The Sideways S. Example-
~Immediately following the swearing in ceremony, President Bachmann...~
Or #sarcasm works too
Let's bring in the right-wing expert for an informed, logical response - Contessa?
Wait just a few minutes more. That train is never late.
Nope, never late, but usually running full speed backwards.
ROFPIP! Amen to that. Where is our Contessa? I love to see that "ignoring author" on my screen. It makes such a pretty picture!!!
Could solve by ID law(www.twitter.com/hlmelsaid)
How much more proof do the Republican voters need before they demand a recall of the corrupting influences with in their Party? Surely at least the 99% ers among the GOP voters must feel shock and awe at their sheer arrogance of their party leadership!
Heck, Georga! They don't care if their guys cheat! After all, IOKIYAR. No, no. It's all that non-existent Dem voter fraud that they worry about. If their guys do it, the attitude is, "All's fair in love, war, and politics......for us".
Mitch said that he would hire him back, if the sentencing isn't too tough. Republicans really are thugs.
Ooooooohhhhh!!!! The irony is almost painful.
I do not understand how there is uncertainty about his future?
He was convicted of a felony.
Well, it was 'just' a jury conviction. I'm sure there must be some fair, balanced, impartial, nonpartisan judge who can see beyond any factual evidence and put down his GOP campaign donation checkbook long enough to overturn the conviction.
Newt already laid his plan to take care of this one: subpoena the judge and fired them if their conviction is not to the Republican satisfactory.