The Impeachment Hearing Room

Bush Seeks Ohio Voter Fraud Inquiry; Will Colorado Be Next? Not Settled Yet!

Highlights: Barack's Closing Argument for Change

And Now The Next Step

Election day is still one week away, but already the Bush Justice Department is looking into allegations of voter fraud. In Ohio. That's the same state where supporters of Democratic Sen. John Kerry charged foul in the 2004 election.

Responding to a request from Ohio Republican John Boehner, who happens to be the House minority leader, President Bush on Friday asked Atty. Gen. Michael B. Mukasey to investigate the status of 200,000 Ohio voters. If those voters remain on the rolls without added checks, Boehner said, "there is a significant risk, if not a certainty, that unlawful votes will be cast and counted."

But critics argue that an inquiry by a Justice Department that is already tainted by allegations that it fired eight U.S. attorneys for not being Republican enough in their prosecutions looks fishy. As voters in Ohio go to the polls to cast early ballots, as seen in the photo above, Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and five other lawmakers, in a letter, urged Mukasey not to intervene in Ohio.

The eyes of the nation are once again on Ohio in this critical election. We have confidence in the work that is being done by Ohio’s bipartisan group of election officials. ... We respectfully request that you refrain from taking any action absent more compelling evidence than partisan political requests. ... We are concerned that complaints ... are designed to reduce the number of legitimate votes that are cast and counted in our state.

A similar legal drama could play out in Colorado. Republicans there are charging that the Assn. of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) is loading up the voter rolls with unqualified people. Democrats are asking a federal court to reinstate approximately 30,000 Colorado voters purged from registration lists by Secretary of State Mike Coffman, a Republican.

Let the lawsuits begin.

-- Johanna Neuman

Palin power

Justice Department Pressed by Bush to Contest 200000 Ohio Voters AlterNet

Massive Voter Turnout Expected in Ohio, One-Third Via Absentee Ballot The Public Record

Ohio Democrats Ask Justice Department Not To Intervene In Ohio ... AHN

TPM - Denver Post all 39 news articles »

Beatty, Miller send letter to US Department of Justice
PolitickerOH, OH - 5 hours ago
... Reporter Ohio House minority leader Joyce Beatty and Senate minority leader Ray Miller sent a letter to the US Attorney General Michael Mukasey asking ...

Registering DoubtIf we can nationalize banks, why not our election ...

PERSPECTIVE: Ohio GOP suit becomes sticky issue

Ohio Dems Push Back On White House Call For DOJ Action On Voting

Elections Officials Say They’re Ready for November 4th
90.3 WCPN ideastream®, Ohio - 3 hours ago
Northeast voters are giving a decided thumbs up to the idea of casting their ballots before election day. Local elections boards report record numbers of ...

Where in the World is Michael Mukasey?

Where in the World is Michael Mukasey? (continued)

I have just learned that there was a conference call today between DOJ personnel and Congressional staff. The Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division, which is responsible for enforcing the Help America Vote Act, was asked whether the Division was planning to pursue the Ohio Secretary of State for her violation of the verification requirements of HAVA.

Her answer (unbelievably) was that DOJ shouldn’t involve itself in election litigation just before an election.

This is an absolutely astonishing assertion by the no. 2 official in the Civil Rights Division. Perhaps she might care to explain, if that is really true, why the Division filed a lawsuit against Waller County, Texas, to remedy alleged violations of the Voting Rights Act on October 10? Or why her Division filed a lawsuit against the State of Vermont for allegedly violating the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act on October 14? Or why they filed an amicus brief on October 21 in Georgia in a lawsuit filed by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights trying to stop the Georgia Secretary of State’s compliance with HAVA’s verification requirement because she has supposedly not gotten approval from DOJ under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act to implement a federal statute.

This answer is, of course, complete nonsense. In more than four decades of operation, the Civil Rights Division has never hesitated to file lawsuits to enforce federal voting rights laws that govern access to the polls and the administration of elections even on the very eve of Election Day. The Georgia case shows that the Division doesn’t think “involving itself in litigation just before an election” is a problem when they are trying to stop compliance with HAVA’s verification provision; they only seem to have a problem filing litigation to enforce compliance with this requirement, a requirement that the liberal establishment wants to see stricken from HAVA.

It would be outrageous for DOJ to not investigate and prosecute serious claims of voter intimidation because of an impending election. It is just as outrageous for DOJ to not prosecute Ohio’s failure to verify the accuracy and authenticity of voter registration information, which could lead to legitimate votes being diluted by fraudulent ballots. My previous question from my original post seems to have been answered.

We Are Waiting Confirmation That This Is Going To Be The End Of The Matter Pre-Election!

Bush seeks Ohio voter fraud inquiry; will Colorado be next?
Los Angeles Times - CA,USA
Michael B. Mukasey to investigate the status of 200000 Ohio voters. If those voters remain on the rolls without added checks, Boehner said, ...
See all stories on this topic

Beatty, Miller send letter to US Department of Justice
PolitickerOH - OH,USA
... Reporter Ohio House minority leader Joyce Beatty and Senate minority leader Ray Miller sent a letter to the US Attorney General Michael Mukasey asking ...
See all stories on this topic

Registering DoubtIf we can nationalize banks, why not our election ...
Slate - USA
The Obama campaign has sent letters to Attorney General Michael Mukasey accusing Republicans of deliberately trying to suppress the vote. And the Ohio ...

See all stories on this topic PERSPECTIVE: Ohio GOP suit becomes sticky issue
Akron Beacon Journal - Akron,OH,USA
It has written a letter to US Attorney General Michael Mukasey, asking him to force Brunner to follow what it believes is the law.
See all stories on this topic

Colorado Sued To Reverse Voter Purges
By Advancement Project
Colorado Voting rights groups sue the Republican Secretary of State to restore between 16,000 and 30,000 voters who were illegally purged this fall. Read more »

Bush Tries to Interfere with the Eligibility of 200,000 New Ohio Voters
By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet
How far will an already politicized Justice Department go to assist Republicans win on November 4? Read more »

Democrats Describe Efforts to Limit Voting Machines Problems
By Steven Rosenfeld
As activists worry about paperless voting machines, a top DNC lawyer describes the party's election protection efforts for voting machines. Read more »

Twelve Ways You Can Safeguard the Vote
By Fran Korten
Yes! Magazine's offers good suggestions for voters to ensure they will get to vote in 2008. Read more »

Big Setbacks for GOP Voter Suppression Efforts in Swing States
By Steven Rosenfeld
Court ruling, decisions by secretaries of state in Wisconsin, Ohio and Nevada blunt GOP's anti-voter agenda. Read more »

Brennan Center: 2008's Voter Suppression Incidents So Far
By Wendy Weiser, Brennan Center for Justice

The Brennan Center for Justice details the voter suppression tactics unfolding as America faces another presidential election. Read more » 

UPI NewsTrack TopNews
United Press International - USA
Bush Friday asked Attorney General Michael Mukasey to review the matter, after House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, urged the president to seek a ...
See all stories on this topic