Block the Vote Will the GOP’s campaign to deter new voters and discard Democratic ballots determine the next president? H By Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and H hese days, the old west to deter fraudulent voting. For Maez, the Tuesday, more than half of all provisional rail hub of Las Vegas, New shock was especially acute: He is the super­ ballots cast were thrown out statewide. Mexico, is little more than a visor of elections in Las Vegas. This November, what happened to Maez dusty economic dead zone amid Maez was not alone in being denied his will happen to hundreds of thousands of a T boneyard of bare mesas. In national elec- right to vote. On Super Tuesday, one in voters across the country. In state after tions, the town overwhelmingly votes nine Democrats who tried to cast ballots state, Republican operatives – the party’s Democratic: More than 80 percent of all in New Mexico found their names miss- elite commandos of bare-knuckle politics – residents are Hispanic, and one in four ing from the registration lists. The num- are wielding new federal legislation to sys- lives below the poverty line. On February bers were even higher in precincts like tematically disenfranchise Democrats. If 5th, the day of the Super Tuesday caucus, Las Vegas, where nearly 20 percent of the this year’s race is as close as the past two a school-bus driver named Paul Maez ar- county’s voters were absent from the rolls. elections, the GOP’s nationwide campaign rived at his local polling station to cast his With their status in limbo, the voters were could be large enough to determine the ballot. To his surprise, Maez found that forced to cast “provisional” ballots, which presidency in November. “I don’t think the his name had vanished from the list of reg- can be reviewed and discarded by election Democrats get it,” says John Boyd, a voting- istered voters, thanks to a statewide effort officials without explanation. On Super rights attorney in Albuquerque who has

Illustration by Victor Juhasz Rolling Stone, October 30, 2008 • 65 taken on the Republican Party for imped- elections, and ordered states to provide for almost two years – but I didn’t fi nd one ing access to the ballot. “All these new provisional ballots to voters whose eligibil- prosecutable case of voter fraud in the en- rules and games are turning voting into an ity is challenged at the polls. tire state of New Mexico.” obstacle course that could fl ip the vote to But from the start, HAVA was cor- There’s a reason Iglesias couldn’t fi nd any the GOP in half a dozen states.” rupted by the involvement of Republican evidence of fraud: Individual voters almost superlobbyist Jack Abramoff, who worked never try to cast illegal ballots. The Bush ad- uppressing the vote has to cram the bill with favors for his clients. ministration’s main point person on “ballot long been a cornerstone of the (Both Abramoff and a primary author of protection” has been Hans von Spakovsky, GOP’s electoral strategy. Shortly HAVA, former Rep. Bob Ney, were im- a former Justice Department attorney who before the election of Ronald prisoned for their role in the conspiracy.) has advised states on how to use HAVA to SReagan in 1980, Paul Weyrich – a princi- In practice, many of the “reforms” created erect more barriers to voting. Appointed pal architect of today’s Republican Party – by HAVA have actually made it harder for to the Federal Election Commission by scolded evangelicals who believed in de- citizens to cast a ballot and have their vote Bush, von Spakovsky has suggested that mocracy. “Many of our Christians have counted. In case after case, Republican voter rolls may be stuffed with 5 million what I call the ‘goo goo’ syndrome – good election offi cials at the local and state level illegal aliens. In fact, studies have government,” said Weyrich, who co-found- have used the rules to give GOP candidates repeatedly shown that voter fraud is ex- ed Moral Majority with Jerry Falwell. an edge on Election Day by creating new tremely rare. According to a recent analysis “They want everybody to vote. I don’t want barriers to registration, purging legitimate by Lorraine Minnite, an expert on voting everybody to vote. . . . As a matter of fact, names from voter rolls, challenging voters crime at Barnard College, federal courts our leverage in the elections quite candidly at the polls and discarding valid ballots. found only 24 voters guilty of fraud from goes up as the voting populace goes down.” To justify this battery of new voting 2002 to 2005, out of hundreds of millions of Today, Weyrich’s vision has become impediments, Republicans cite an alleged votes cast. “The claim of widespread voter a national reality. Since 2003, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commis- sion, at least 2.7 million new voters have had their applications to register rejected. States used dubious “list management” In addition, at least 1.6 million votes were never counted in the 2004 election – and rules to scrub at least 10 million voters the commission’s own data suggests that from their rolls between 2004 and 2006. the real number could be twice as high. To purge registration rolls and discard ballots, partisan election officials used a upsurge in voting fraud. Indeed, the U.S.- fraud,” Minnite says, “is itself a fraud.” wide range of pretexts, from “unreadabil- attorney scandal that resulted in the res- Allegations of voter fraud are only the ity” to changes in a voter’s signature. And ignation of Attorney General Alberto latest rationale the GOP has used to dis- this year, thanks to new provisions of the Gonzales began when the White House enfranchise voters – especially blacks, His- Help America Vote Act, the number of fi red federal prosecutors who resisted po- panics and others who traditionally sup- discounted votes could surge even higher. litical pressure to drum up nonexistent port Democrats. “The Republicans have a Passed in 2002, HAVA was hailed by cases of voting fraud against Democrats. long history of erecting barriers to discour- leaders in both parties as a reform designed “They wanted some splashy pre-election age Americans from voting,” says Donna to avoid a repeat of the 2000 debacle in indictments that would scare these alleged Brazile, chair of the Voting Rights Institute Florida that threw the presidential election hordes of illegal voters away,” says David for the Democratic National Committee. to the U.S. Supreme Court. The measure Iglesias, a U.S. attorney for New Mexico “Now they’re trying to spook Americans set standards for voting systems, created who was fired in December 2006. “We with the ghost of voter fraud. It’s very ef- an independent commission to oversee took over 100 complaints and investigated fective – but it’s ironic that the only way DANA EDELSON/NBCU PHOTO BANK (FEY); TUI DE ROY/GETTY IMAGES (TORTOISE); JEWEL SAMAD/NEWSCOM (PALIN); DAIMLER (ELECTRIC CAR); U.S. ARMY (SOLDIER); JOSHUA ROBERTS/NEWSCOM (BUSH)

Bailout Obama campaign bill unveils iPhone extends THREAT ASSESSMENT app that organizes Tina solar tax your contact list by Fey THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE SCARY credits. swing state. Ecuador signs constitution giving nature ’s inalienable Electoral College rights. map projects Obama victory.

WITH US

Daimler introduces Homer tries to vote for Polish professor at electric Obama on The Simpsons. troops Palin’s alma car. leave mater on Katie Iraq. Couric interview: “I don’t think a question about Joe McCain calls northern which it turns out Bush approval drops Virginia – where brother she doesn’t know to 27 percent – a John lives and has his HQ much is a ‘gotcha’ personal best. – “communist country.” question.”

66 • Rolling Stone, October 30, 2008 Security number, street address and pre- cisely spelled name, right down to a hyphen – fails to exactly match data listed in other government records. There are many legitimate reasons, of course, why a voter’s information might vary. Indeed, a recent study by the Bren- nan Center for Justice found that as many as 20 percent of discrepancies between voter records and driver’s licenses in City are simply typing mistakes made by government clerks when they transcribe data. But under the new rules, those mis- CREATING CHAOS takes are costing citizens the right to vote. One in nine voters in In , a Republican secretary of New Mexico who tried state blocked 43 percent of all new voters to cast ballots on in from registering in early Super Tuesday found 2006 – many because of the state’s failure their names missing from registration lists. to produce a tight match. In Florida, GOP offi cials created “match” rules that rejected more than 15,000 new registrants in 2006 they maintain power is by using fear to tax on democracy.” The state has also failed and 2007 – nearly three-fourths of them deprive Americans of their constitutional to uphold a federal law requiring that low- Hispanic and black voters. Given the big right to vote.” The recently enacted barri- income voters be offered an opportunity to registration drives this year, the number ers thrown up to deter voters include: register when they apply for food stamps could be fi ve times higher by November. or other public assistance. As a result, the 1 OBSTRUCTING VOTER- annual number of such registrations has 3 PURGING LEGITIMATE REGISTRATION DRIVES plummeted from more than 120,000 in the VOTERS FROM THE ROLLS CAIN); ISTOCK (“WILL WORK FOR FOOD” SIGN, GOLFER, CHILD WITH BOW AND ARROW); FRANK WHITNEY/GETTY IMAGES (OLD CAR); TONY

C Since 2004, the Bush administration and Clinton years to barely 10,000 today. The Help America Vote Act doesn’t just more than a dozen states have taken steps disenfranchise new registrants; it also tar- to impede voter registration. Among the 2 DEMANDING “PERFECT gets veteran voters. In the past, bipartisan worst offenders is Florida, where the MATCHES” county election boards maintained voter Republican-dominated legislature created Under the Help America Vote Act, some records. But HAVA requires that records hefty fi nes – up to $5,000 per violation – states now reject first-time registrants be centralized, computerized and main- for groups that fail to meet deadlines for whose data does not correspond to infor- tained by secretaries of state – partisan turning in voter-application forms. Facing mation in other government databases. offi cials – who are empowered to purge the potentially huge penalties for trivial admin- Spurred by HAVA, almost every state rolls of any voter they deem ineligible. istrative errors, the League of Women Vot- must now attempt to make some kind of Ironically, the new rules imitate the ers abandoned its voter-registration drives match – and four states, including the centralized system in Florida – the same in Florida. A court order eventually forced swing states of Iowa and Florida, require corrupt operation that inspired passage of the legislature to reduce the maximum what is known as a “perfect match.” Under HAVA in the fi rst place. Prior to the 2000 penalty to $1,000. But even so, said for- this rigid framework, new registrants can election, Florida Secretary of State Kath- mer League president Dianne Wheatley- lose the right to vote if the information erine Harris and her predecessor, both GUTIERREZ/AP IMAGES (OIL PLATFORM); TERRY SCHMITT/NEWSCOM (ROBERTS) JAKE SCHOELLKOPF/AP IMAGES (VOTERS); J. PAUL RICHARDS/NEWSCOM (M Giliotti, the reduced fi nes “create an unfair on their voter-registration forms – Social Republicans, tried to purge 57,000 voters,

Treasury spokeswoman McCain on the bailout: State Department investigates on logic behind $700 “If I were dictator, which abuses by private contrac- billion bailout: “It’s not I always aspire to be, tors in Iraq – by hiring a based on any particular I would write it a little private contractor. data point. We just bit differently.” wanted to choose a really large number.” Jobs lost McCain, so far this whose family’s net year: Michigan economy so desperate, wealth is $136 million: 760,000 State Department sending fewer “I’m not a rich man.” Iraqi refugees there.

AGAINST US

Bailout plan Six days after $85 billion The Hurricane Ike’s toll on includes an bailout of AIG, company “Sarah- offshore drilling billed as earmark for execs spend week at Cuda” “safe”: 52 platforms manufacturers luxury resort. pink- destroyed, of “wooden camoufl age 500,000 hunting bow: arrows Cokie Roberts gallons a $590 designed for ridicules Biden of crude “tribute use by for – correctly – spilled. to women children.” calling Bosnian everywhere” Muslims “Bosniaks.”

Rolling Stone, October 30, 2008 • 67 tion Stolen?” Stolen?” tion Elec 2004 the “Was article His advocates. Jr. 68 editor Contributing the in vote to seeking nuns 10 to ballots denied Indiana in last official election incident an May, an In station. polling the at blocked be still can they laws, registration new the of gauntlet the run voters if Even Requi methods. maintenance” on “list states the to guidance provides HAVA, by which created agency federal the Commission, Assistance Election the to Davidson ed of six appoint since has Bush voters. every state’s their of one nearly of elimination of the oversaw secretary successor GOP her and state, Republican the Davidson, Donetta record: the holds Colorado 2006. and 2004 between grounds questionable 10 least box. theat ballot fromchaos” benefit that those are “there notes, he sideration,” con strategic cast a “As to ballots. forced provisional voters of rate highest the had which state, the in poorest the of one County, Mora from hails Balderas official, Hispanic elected youngest nation’s The list. voter the from purged also was ditor, au state the Balderas, Hector state. the by hired contractor private a by management New in list of says Mexico, hefaulty the victim was supervisor elections the them. Maez, nationalized has HAVA however, election. the after years –two proper im were purges the that acknowledged ally - eventu state The crime. a of convicted persons of those resembled names their because African-Americans, them of most “The Best Democracy Money Can Buy.” Can Money Democracy of Best “The author the is election, 2000 the in purges voter illegal Florida’s on story the broke who tampering. vote of scrutiny 4 500,000 voters in Colorado. in voters 500,000 than more purge helped she after commission election afederal to (right) Davidson Donetta appointed Bush D JoB, Heckuva

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