Posted on 02/20/2005 5:12:34 AM PST by lowbridge
I can see the slogan now: Ex-Cons For Clinton!!
Where is their big push to make sure ALL of our Military absentee ballots are counted? Will they issue another guide on how to disenfranchise them like Gore did in 2000?
Why not address real voter fraud where Dems get illegals and the dead to vote??? What about the fraud in Washington State????
"The bill also enacts "no-excuse" absentee balloting, enacts fair and uniform voter registration and identification, and requires states to allow citizens to register to vote on Election Day."
This line in the bill is full of fraudable issues...
allow voters to register to vote on Election Day? ohhhh man is that asking for trouble. Quite frankly, in my opinion you should be registered long before the election if you intend to vote.
Federal holiday to vote isn't going to change anything on turnout day, people who use the 'work' excuse just won't exercise their right to vote. Isn't there a law about employers being required to give you timeoff to vote?
Anybody know what they're talking about as a 'no-excuse' absentee ballot?
Dip the finger in the dye while you folks are at it. Might cut down on multiple ballots.
How about requiring a photo ID to vote?
Verification of the residency and pulse of everyone on the voter registration lists with occasional mandatory reregistration?
Inking fingers like they did in Iraq to prevent multiple voting?
Matching the number of ballots cast in a precinct vs. the number found under the desk of the Seattle Board of Elections?
These are the things which need to be fixed.
Heard at a recent dim-0-crat party "stratgy session" ... to paraphrase ... "Well the courts are slipping away, AlGore did not delivery, JohnK should finally have taught us about NE liberals (especially with a "known" record), ... So what to do, what to do?" A hand is raised ... Hillary moves to IL after her first term is over, positions herself as ... And, oh, yes ... let's change the voting laws ... in the name of civil rights don't you know.
Found my own answer to "time off to vote"...thought you all might find it interesting reading
http://www.toolkit.cch.com/columns/people/00-075voting.asp
Time-Off-To-Vote Laws: A State-by-State Summary
Voting takes legal precedence over work in more than half of the United States, and employers in many states risk fines or even jail sentences for interfering with their employees’ right to exercise their franchise, according to CCH INCORPORATED, a leading provider of employment law information, services and software.
In other states, however, the law offers no special protection or incentive for someone who takes time out of the workday to cast a ballot.
While federal law protects citizens’ right to vote, it is the law codes of the individual states that arbitrate between that right and the rights of employers to discipline workers and not to pay them for time not worked. Laws governing time off to vote can be found in 31 states, while 19 states and the District of Columbia don’t address the question in their statute books.
"Typically, time-off-to-vote laws require that employees who are registered voters be given time off from work--usually up to two or three hours---in which to visit the polls," explains CCH labor law analyst Ronald Miller.
In many cases, though, time off is only guaranteed if the employee does not have sufficient time outside of working hours to cast a ballot.
Striking a Balance
In many states, the laws try to strike a balance between the interests of employee and employer.
In 24 states, employees must be paid for time spent voting; employers are prohibited from penalizing an employee or making deductions from wages for at least part of the time the employee is authorized to be absent from work to cast a vote. Five states--Hawaii, Maryland, Missouri, Oklahoma and Wyoming--spell out in their statute books that workers will be paid for their time off only if they actually vote.
Seventeen states require employees to give advance notice of their intention to take time off. Iowa and West Virginia add the requirement that the notification be in writing. Employers are allowed to specify the hours to be taken for voting in 20 states.
Range of Penalties
"For firms that violate time-off-to-vote laws, penalties can range from trivial to a corporate death sentence," said Miller.
In Arkansas, failure to give an employee an opportunity to vote--without pay--is punishable by a fine as low as $25. The highest fines are authorized in Arizona, Kansas and Missouri, where an individual employer may be fined $2,500. Arizona further provides for corporations to be assessed up to $20,000.
Twelve states add the possibility of jail time--from 30 days to a year--to monetary penalties. In Colorado and New York, businesses can forfeit their corporate charters if found in violation.
Laws requiring payment for time off to vote were approved in 1952 by the U.S. Supreme Court in a pair of decisions involving Missouri and California laws: Day-Brite Lighting, Inc. v. Missouri and Tide Water Associated Oil Co. v. Robinson. They were upheld as a proper exercise of the police power of the state.
We have included an interactive map listing those states with time-off-to-vote laws, along with information on which employees are covered, the amount of time that may be taken, special conditions under which time off may be taken and penalties for employer violations of the laws.
The following states do not have time-off-to-vote laws: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia.
In addition to the U.S. states listed here, Puerto Rico provides that any day a general election, a referendum of general interest or a plebiscite is held is a legal holiday, and employees must be allowed to vote. General elections are also considered legal holidays within the Virgin Islands, and employees who give prior notice are entitled to two hours off from work to vote, without loss of pay.
To get an absentee ballot in Ohio you need a reason why you can't vote on election day. Here's the list of reasons.
- I am sixty-two years of age or more.
- I will be absent from the county.
- I or a family member will be confined in a hospital. Illness, disability, or infirmity prevents me from going to my polling place
- Due to my illness, disability, or infirmity, I am unable to mark my ballot and request the assistance of two election officials.)
- I am an election official or employee of the Secretary of State.
- I am a full-time fire fighter, peace officer, or emergency service provider.
- I am on active duty with the organized militia in Ohio.
- I will be confined in jail or workhouse, under sentence for a misdemeanor or awaiting trial on a felony or misdemeanor.
- I am unable to vote on election day for religious reasons.
- I am confined to a public or private institution within the county. Please have two board employees deliver my ballot
- I am a former resident entitled to vote for President and Vice-President.
Unless you can check off one of those reasons, you can't vote absentee in Ohio.
"Our democracy is the centerpiece of who we are as a nation..."
Oh, I see. Silly me. I thought it was the Constitution. Never mind.
Sounds like a guarantee for even longer lines and longer waits at the voting booths.
Just opens the door for more whining and challenging the outcome.
Every voter in a federal election shall present his bar coded picture/fingerprint card to the registar to check into the national online database. When accepted by the computer, the voter will be allowed to enter the polling place.
A citizen desiring to vote in a federal election shall present proof of citizenship, current address, and??? to a duly certified voter registar at least 60 days prior to the federal election. On receipt of the proper proof of citizenship, the registrar shall take fingerprints, a photo and provide a barcoded voter registration card. Citizens who fail to register on time or who show up to vote without valid registration shall be turned away for noncompliance.
Persons violating the provisions of this law or voting with fake credentials or voting more than once with stolen or borrowed credentials shall be subject to fines of $10,000 and two years in jail. The law provides that violation of voter registration law is an extremely serious crime against the republic and that accused shall be held without bail for a period not to exceed 30 days and that a speedy trial will be provided within the 30 day period in a special voter fraud court.
They forgot to include France and Mexico.
Some time ago, I posted the concept of a fantasy congress wherein the minds of FRee Republic would generate a bill expressing the collective thoughts and wisdom of the forum. My post above is a Fantasy Congress Bill.
Ammendments? Pro or con?
where did that come from?
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