Posted on 07/19/2009 3:12:25 PM PDT by NorwegianViking
Obama Justice Department Decision Will Allow Non-Citizens to Register to Vote in Georgia
Decision Bars Georgia From Continuing Voter Verification Process
Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel issued the following statement following the U.S. Department of Justices denial of preclearance of Georgias voter verification process
Atlanta - The decision by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to deny preclearance of Georgias already implemented citizenship verification process shows a shocking disregard for the integrity of our elections. With this decision, DOJ has now barred Georgia from continuing the citizenship verification program that DOJ lawyers helped to craft. DOJs decision also nullifies the orders of two federal courts directing Georgia to implement the procedure for the 2008 general election. The decision comes seven months after Georgia requested an expedited review of the preclearance submission.
DOJ has thrown open the door for activist organizations such as ACORN to register non-citizens to vote in Georgias elections, and the state has no ability to verify an applicants citizenship status or whether the individual even exists. DOJ completely disregarded Georgias obvious and direct interest in preventing non-citizens from voting, instead siding with the ACLU and MALDEF. Clearly, politics took priority over common sense and good public policy.
This process is critical to protecting the integrity of our elections. We have evidence that non-citizens have voted in past Georgia elections and that more than 2,100 individuals have attempted to register, yet still have questions regarding their citizenship. Further, the Inspector Generals office is investigating more than 30 cases of non-citizens casting ballots in Georgia elections, including the case of a Henry County non-citizen who registered to vote and cast ballots in 2004 and 2006.
It is important to underscore that not a single person has come forward to say he or she could not vote because of the verification process. Further, while DOJ argues that the process is somehow discriminatory, the historic voter turnout among Hispanic and African-American voters in the 2008 general elections clearly says otherwise.
This decision provides a specific example of the inherently illogical and unfair nature of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. It is a sad day for the rights of our state and for the integrity of our elections. I remain committed to continuing the fight for citizenship verification. In the coming days, I will consider every option available to the state, including the possibility of legal action.
Background:
As required by law and ordered by federal courts in October 2008, the eligibility of new applicants to register and vote is checked against the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) and Social Security Administration databases to ensure that individuals registering to vote report similar information. If information in these databases does not match information reported on the voter registration form, the applicant is asked to clarify the information. Additionally, if the applicant previously reported to DDS that he or she is not a U.S. citizen, that person is asked by a registrar to provide proof of citizenship.
Prior to the November 2008 General Election, Secretary Handel sent letters to 4,771 voter registration applicants whose records at DDS indicated they were not U.S. citizens, asking them to provide documentation of their citizenship. As of March 2009, 2,148 of these applicants still have chosen not to resolve the question about their U.S. citizenship.
In the November 2008 General Election, county election officials reported that 599 individuals cast a challenged ballot because the voter had previously indicated to DDS that he or she was not a United States citizen and had not resolved their status with county officials at the time of the election. Of those, 369 ballots were accepted because the voter provided documentation of their citizenship after the election; and 230 were rejected because the individual chose not to confirm his or her citizenship status.
On October 10, 2008, activist organizations including the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit to attempt to prevent Georgia from verifying the eligibility of applicants to register and vote in the November General Election, including whether those individuals were citizens of the United States.
On October 16, 2008, U.S. District Court Judge Jack Camp denied the motion by MALDEF and ACLU; directed the State to continue the verification process; and acknowledged the States requirements to verify information under the Help America Vote Act. In his order, Judge Camp stated:
HAVA requires that Defendant Handel match information in the statewide voter registration database with information from the Georgia DDS and the SSA databases to the extent necessary to enable each such official to verify the accuracy of the information provided on the applications for voter registration.
Judge Camp also stated:
Since the possibility of fraudulent and inaccurate voting could significantly injure and diminish the publics respect and confidence in the electoral process, the States ability to maintain reliable voter lists is paramount to a temporary and minor inconvenience to a few individuals.
On October 27, 2008, a U.S. District Court three-judge panel again directed the State to continue its voter registration verification process and challenge ballot procedures through the November General Election.
The 2008 elections were the largest in Georgias history, featuring record turnout among minority voters with the citizenship verification program in place. The figures below represent voter turnout statistics among Hispanic/Latino, African-American and White voters from the 2004 and 2008 General Elections.
Voter Demographic 2004 Total Number of Votes Cast 2008 Total Number of Votes Cast Percentage Increase in Votes Cast
Hispanic/Latino 18,000 43,000 140%
African-American 834,000 1.2 million 42%
White 2.3 million 2.5 million 8%
Karen Handel was sworn in as Secretary of State in January 2007. The Secretary of State's office offers important services to our citizens and our business community. Among the offices wide-ranging responsibilities, the Secretary of State is charged with conducting efficient and secure elections, the registration of corporations, and the regulation of securities and professional license holders. The office also oversees the Georgia Archives and the Capitol Museum.
Calvary Ho? LOL You mean Calvary holy shiite! The result will be Calvary terminated. Since in case you failed to notice, this ‘ain’t’ 1775. And, we are not all armed with similar muskets and cannons. But please, don’t allow these pesky little facts prevent you from your ambitions.
I fully realize we are in the process of experiencing a bloodless coup. But we must allow the opportunity for our justice system to awaken and take action as was recently done in Honduras. Should our justice system fail us, then the game changes.
Yepper, a test to see how tolerant the public might be of the fed.gov murdering innocent children and infants. Turns out, if the victims are demonized sufficiently, the public is all for it.
It’s not the DOJ, it’s the DOI,(DEPARTMENT OF INJUSTICE).
“Turns out, if the victims are demonized sufficiently, the public is all for it.”
Politics ain’t beanbag.
Welcome to socialism.
Observe. The one has shown by example.
"They will try at their peril"
I wish I was as optimistic as you are on your last point. Ever since 0boooooooombashit's juggernut last fall heading into the election with racist blacks voting 97% for 0boooooooomba, 78% of Jews voting for the anti-Israel candidate, and a majority of dumb ass white women voting for 0booooooooomba, plus guilt ridden whites thinking they need to purge their guilt somehow, 0boooooooomba has been on a giant rollercoaster ride with all upside and no downside, thanks to the left-wing, anti-American media.
We are like riding inner tubes armed with spit wads, going up against battleships. Rat bastard socialist-fascist-commie pig liberals & demoRATs have us out manned, out gunned & out manuvered & out financed, thanks to the media & left-wing judicial system.
If anything is at their peril (which I hope it is) it will be only because the people & some states have had it up to their eyeballs with socialist bullcrap, and will decide to secede & engage in CW II to regain theirs & our freedom.
That was my thought as well.
What good will that do when ACORN who got BILLIONS of dollars of our money will give the poor illegals a few bucks to go vote as instructed. Checking won't help if they're actually registered.
I just have a real hard time believing that this is consitutional. Our founding fathers provided protection at every turn, so we're supposed to believe that they forgot to mention some punk department in an adminstration changing the voting rules??
Gee, it's not 1775? I guess that means the concepts of freedom and liberty have long since expired. Thanks for catching me up...to think I've been living all this time under the assumption that some things are more precious than life itself...like liberty and freedom. Silly me!
I guess I must not have heard when they put out the call for everyone to line up for surgical removal of their backbones and testicles. Enjoy your slavery...I hear they serve a tasty gruel and weevils on Wednesday night.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
Regarding your tagline: I have often wondered what the world would be like today had Hitler been successful in his ambitions to conquer and rule the world? Of course I am thankful he wasn’t.
But now, I am challenged to understand why the fed.gov seeks to do the same. Sure, today the process is executed in a much more subtle manner. Although, it’s often violent. Yet, is the concept of rule and control any different? Since thousands of innocent lives are lost in the process. Mostly abroad of course. So is their loss our gain? And if anything, what have we gained? Freedom? How do we gain freedom from their losses?
The last time I went to the airport to hop a flight, freedom took a hike. The last time I went to the courthouse, freedom took a hike. The last time I went to my favorite bar to for a drink and smoke, freedom took a hike.
It’s best to ignore and then please forgive me. I am still PO’d we stayed in Iraq to rebuild while OBL is still on the loose. I’m just a bitter old man clinging to a lost cause.
Unbelievable ... enemies from within surround us.
How can you NOT believe this admin is purposely
destroying the sovereignty and integrity of this
great country ?
Hard not to believe the chief executive has
NO native American allegiance, and has plenty
of sympathy from his comrades.
LOL You are indeed an amusing spectator.
Thanks for playing.
The Terry Anderson Show...
Tonight Terry will feature Ted Hilton..
Ted thinks we should stop the illegal aliens from invading our country...
What do you think ??? Agree ??? Disagree ???
Call Terry and tell him what you think...
Call Terry LIVE 9-10 PM PST at (866) 870-57521
LIVE stream at http://krla870.townhall.com/
http://www.republicbroadcasting.org/index.php?cmd=listenliv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2296327/posts?page=1
When you find bad names, you turn them over to the County Election Board and ask them to be checked out and you want a report on their action. Usually you have to check back to see what they have done in 30, 60, and 90 days.
Here is what they were doing here — they were sending post cards and if they didn’t come back, they assumed they were OK. Wrong, lot of people at the same address so we turned in the names. Sometimes you have to get your County Chair, State Chair, and in some cases the DA involved to get them off the voting lists. I have knocked doors in my precint and others to check the voter lists. It is a pain in the neck and should be unnecessary.
Takes persistence because you have to check to make sure they are not added back on. You have a right to challenge any voter at the polls if you are a certified poll watcher. The election in Ohio should have been brought to a screeching halt when the Secretary of State did not allow poll watchers. US Attorneys should have asked the DOJ to stop the SoS of Ohio.
It takes a concerted effort and don’t understand why RNC and the State Chairs in a lot of states are not pushing this. Forget the cries of racism and that people are being denied the right to vote. That is a phoney cover-up for voter fraud. ACORN has been operating since the early 70’s and would bet that 1992 was the first year they were active nationwide. I would bet they were the trouble in 2000 and why the election was even close.
DOJ cannot overrule a final court decision. There must be a lot of ineligible voters in GA for the DOJ to be acting like this. They thought they had the Senate seat but they want GA Blue it looks like. I don’t believe those new voter registration numbers are legit.
I think the DOJ is trying to put up roadblocks and the Governor needs to tell the DOJ to pound sand.
She is replacing Souter and will likely drive Kennedy to vote even more with the Conservatives. When did Souter vote with the Conservatives? Not enough to mention the fact.
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