Millions Blocked from Voting in U.S. Election

[vicman]

Millions Blocked from Voting in U.S. Election

By Alan Elsner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Millions of U.S. citizens, including a disproportionate number of black voters, will be blocked from voting in the Nov. 2 presidential election because of legal barriers, faulty procedures or dirty tricks, according to civil rights and legal experts.

The largest category of those legally disenfranchised consists of almost 5 million former felons who have served prison sentences and been deprived of the right to vote under laws that have roots in the post-Civil War 19th century and were aimed at preventing black Americans from voting.

But millions of other votes in the 2000 presidential election were lost due to clerical and administrative errors while civil rights organizations have cataloged numerous tactics aimed at suppressing black voter turnout. Polls consistently find that black Americans overwhelmingly vote for Democrats.

"There are individuals and officials who are actively trying to stop people from voting who they think will vote against their party and that nearly always means stopping black people from voting Democratic," said Mary Frances Berry, head of the U.S. Commission on Human Rights.

Vicky Beasley, a field officer for People for the American Way, listed some of the ways voters have been "discouraged" from voting.

"In elections in Baltimore in 2002 and in Georgia last year, black voters were sent fliers saying anyone who hadn't paid utility bills or had outstanding parking tickets or were behind on their rent would be arrested at polling stations. It happens in every election cycle," she said.

In a mayoral election in Philadelphia last year, people pretending to be plainclothes police officers stood outside some polling stations asking people to identify themselves. There have also been reports of mysterious people videotaping people waiting in line to vote in black neighborhoods.

Minority voters may be deterred from voting simply by election officials demanding to see drivers' licenses before handing them a ballot, according to Spencer Overton, who teaches law at George Washington University. The federal government does not require people to produce a photo identification unless they are first-time voters who registered by mail.

"African Americans are four to five times less likely than whites to have a photo ID," Overton said at a recent briefing on minority disenfranchisement.

Courtenay Strickland of the Americans Civil Liberties Union testified to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights last week that at a primary election in Florida last month, many people were wrongly turned away when they could not produce identification.

BLACKS' BALLOTS REJECTED

The commission, in a report earlier this year, said that in Florida, where President Bush (news - web sites) won a bitterly disputed election in 2000 by 537 votes, black voters had been 10 times more likely than non-black voters to have their ballots rejected and were often prevented from voting because their names were erroneously purged from registration lists.

Additionally, Florida is one of 14 states that prohibit ex-felons from voting. Seven percent of the electorate but 16 percent of black voters in that state are disenfranchised.

In other swing states, 4.6 percent of voters in Iowa, but 25 percent of blacks, were disenfranchised in 2000 as ex-felons. In Nevada, it was 4.8 percent of all voters but 17 percent of blacks; in New Mexico, 6.2 percent of all voters but 25 percent of blacks.

In total, 13 percent of all black men are disenfranchised due to a felony conviction, according to the Commission on Civil Rights.

"This has a huge effect on elections but also on black communities which see their political clout diluted. No one has yet explained to me how letting ex-felons who have served their sentences into polling booths hurts anyone," said Jessie Allen of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University.

Penda Hair, co-director of the Advancement Project, which seeks to ensure fair multiracial elections, recently reported that registrars across the country often claimed not to have received voter registration forms or rejected them for technical reasons that could have been corrected easily before voting day if the applicant had known there was a problem.

Beasley said that many voters who had registered recently in swing states were likely to find their names would not be on the rolls when they showed up on Election Day.

"There is very widespread delay in the swing states because there have been massive registration drives among minorities and those applications are not being processed quickly enough," she said.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=1963&e=3&u=/nm/20040922/pl_nm/campaign_vote_dc_3

[ou812]

Fucking comical. Anything Bush can do to keep himself put.

[tres-b]

Did you really post this article?

Look, if you want to vote, you can. Blacks dont typically show up at the polls. That is just the way it is. It has nothing to do with some made up conspiracy theory.

[italia23]

Fucking comical. Anything Bush can do to keep himself put.

give me a break

[tres-b]

If you commit a felony, you lose your right to vote. In the above article it fails to point out the obvious-that all those w/ felony convictions disenfranchised themselves in the 14 states.

Again, register all you want. Historically, blacks dont show up at the polls. It is just the way that it is.

[jtk4]

Did you really post this article?

Look, if you want to vote, you can. Blacks dont typically show up at the polls. That is just the way it is. It has nothing to do with some made up conspiracy theory.

hahahahahahahaha

fuckin typical blacks

[tres-b]

That was not a racist comment. Facts are facts.

[solbeam]

hahahahahahahaha

fuckin typical blacks

fuckin moron...

[phuturephunk]

Did you really post this article?

Look, if you want to vote, you can. Blacks dont typically show up at the polls. That is just the way it is. It has nothing to do with some made up conspiracy theory.

Thats actually not true, or the face of NYC would have never grown the way it did. The reason so many blacks get disenfranchised is because of unfair enforcement of drug laws. One felony and you can no longer vote. It doesn't matter if you just had a spliff on ya, if the cops want to make it stick, they will and then you lose your rights.

[tres-b]

I made mention of the felony issue in my second post.

[mrmatas2277]

fuckin moron...

[mfiorellino]

Denying an ex-felon the right to vote is insane. If you did your time I have no problem with them voting, especially if it's for something ridiculous like having weed on you.

And yes blacks are routinely being discriminated in this matter and no I'm not black myself but I do believe if you discriminate against one American then you discriminate against us all.

[sobeton]

That was not a racist comment. Facts are facts.

over 50% of registered african americans voted in the last presidential election(thats represents over 10% percent of all the Americans who voted ) you need to go to the census bureau and check your facts. your comment isn't racist ,it's simply lacks any reality.

[tres-b]

Denying an ex-felon the right to vote is insane. If you did your time I have no problem with them voting, especially if it's for something ridiculous like having weed on you.

And yes blacks are routinely being discriminated in this matter and no I'm not black myself but I do believe if you discriminate against one American then you discriminate against us all.

I agree somewhat on the first point. There is no way that having a little blow in your pocket should keep you from voting. How about a sex offender? Should they get to vote? I dont know.

Second point I agree with totally. Any discrimination is bad for all of America.

[tres-b]

As opposed to the overall average of 67% of registered voters. That is 17% pts below an average that is lowered by the 50% of black voters who voted.

Check your facts.

[jtk4]

fuckin moron...

i was mocking tresb

[sobeton]

As opposed to the overall average of 67% of registered voters. That is 17% pts below an average that is lowered by the 50% of black voters who voted.

Check your facts.

your previous posts regarding the african american vote are not correct. you can try to spin your way out this, but the actual facts speak for themselves. please site your source for your facts. then I will be happy to present mine, and we can put this matter to rest.

[italia23]

this statement " Blacks dont typically show up at the polls" is wrong. site your source for your so called "facts"..

It's common knowledge and is in the news every election year. Hence, the creation of Russell Simmons' Hip Hop Summit, and Puff Daddy's Citizen Change.

[sobeton]

It's common knowledge and is in the news every election year. Hence, the creation of Russell Simmons' Hip Hop Summit, and Puff Daddy's Citizen Change.

the actual voting data does not support this. LOL just because the news says something does not mean it is fact. the purpose of african american entertainers getting involved; is to get more unregistered african americans to register.

[shortkat5]

Did you really post this article?

Look, if you want to vote, you can. Blacks dont typically show up at the polls. That is just the way it is. It has nothing to do with some made up conspiracy theory.

my ex mother in law was black and not only did she vote every election, she worked the polls every election, local and federal

wanna borrow a dollar to buy a clue moron?

[magellanmax]

hahahahahahahaha

fuckin typical blacks

did you post that in jest...... or did you really mean it jt

[jtk4]

i was mocking tresb

i was mocking tresb on his original post that said typically blacks don;t vote. I was 100% without a doubt mocking that comment.