Posted on 08/20/2004 12:25:43 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
In an attempt to register homeless people for the November election, two local groups are capitalizing on the fact that you don't need a permanent address to register to vote in Texas.
This week, SEARCH, a nonprofit organization that provides services to the homeless, and the League of Women Voters of the Houston Area sponsored registration drives targeted at the homeless.
"It is pretty novel," said Sandy Reese-Kesseler, SEARCH's executive director. "The idea was not a big brainchild or a stroke of mental genius. It was a client-initiated endeavor."
Reese-Kesseler said SEARCH's clients care about the same issues that are important to most voters — jobs, health care and the war in Iraq.
Voters don't have to own a home or have a permanent address to register, although in Texas they do have to provide an address on their applications. SEARCH allows new registrants to use its Midtown address. But homeless people can also use intersections.
Neither group is pushing specific candidates or issues, but rather are encouraging people to be informed and participate, organizers said. They don't have a particular goal on how many people they want to register. During the drives, 82 people were registered.
Whether they will actually make it to the polls on Election Day is another matter.
"I'm sure it will be very low," Judy Hollinger, president of Houston's League of Women Voters, said of the turnout. "But what is the success rate in the general population? If you register them, they start feeling like they are a part of society. You have to get them to try and participate in their own destiny and environment. They are still citizens."
There are similar efforts taking place across the country, by groups such as the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
On July 22, the two national groups registered more than 1,100 people to vote in 17 states and the District of Columbia.
In addition, they hope to register another 25,000 homeless and poor people by the November election.
They should take lessons from milwaukee 2004: Smokes for votes! Gets the homeless to fill out absentee ballots every time!!!
And if they're lucky and have a liberal DA, if they get any fine it will be a slap on the wrist.
Bump!
Illegals are voting, and we do nothing to stop it.
Texas ping??
This effort could draw attention to this matter.
They could probably get Teddy to send them some cases of rotgut that didn't make the grade at Seagram's. These "voters" wouldn't notice the difference.
Groups registering homeless voters -
Organizer says turnout likely will be very lowExcerpt:Voters don't have to own a home or have a permanent address to register, although in Texas they do have to provide an address on their applications. SEARCH allows new registrants to use its Midtown address. But homeless people can also use intersections.
Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my Texas ping list!. . .don't be shy.
No, you don't HAVE to be a Texan to get on this list!
Ha, I just knew this was going to be a story about Houston. Can you say, Do-You-Know-Who-I-Am Jackson-Lee (D-Houston)? Not that they're going to actually vote unless there's booze and smokes at the door and they're bussed in. So, they don't need addresses to vote, but what about proof of American citizenship? One wouldn't think there be many homeless who bother carrying around their papers.
What a crock!
These "homeless" creatures are total losers-there is no reason for anyone to be homeless unless they are too lazy to do anything, which is their choice. Rather than getting them to vote, pass a law against vagrancy and get them off the streets and from under the bridges.
I guess with using intersections instead of addresses, it would be difficult to ever verify the existence of someone. I think they're planning some pretty large-scale voter fraud.
More insanity. Pass the Mad Dog 20/20 please. (Hic)
It doesn't matter. You get the names and then you have a busfull of people going from precinct to precinct voting under those names.
Ahhhhhhhh.
Once you understand voter fraud, you see how it is aided and abetted.
Thanks for a good lesson.
Oh, yeah. I'm sure.
:^D
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