Some copypasta I found somewhere

[Torvald Von Mansee]

The Republicans are at it again, infringing on our most sacred right as Americans: the right to vote. They are pushing for policies that will make it more difficult for Ohioans to vote and make fewer votes count. There are two Republican voter disenfranchisement bills, HB 194 and SB 148, that we must fight by taking immediate action.

Here are the three main points you need to know about the Republican voter disenfranchisement plan:

The Republican plan will make it harder to vote. The bills slash early voting days from 35 to as few as 6 days. In addition, the bills eliminate the busiest early voting days: the Monday and Saturday preceding the election. Politifact recently gave Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted a “Pants on Fire” for the lies he told while advocating fewer early vote days. The bills also give the Secretary of State unprecedented ability to purge Ohioans from the voter rolls.

Under the plan, fewer votes will count. Under the Republicans’ bills, a vote won’t be counted if a voter fills in the oval for a candidate and also writes in the name of the exact same candidate. This particularly disenfranchises low-income voters who aren’t familiar with optical scan ballots. An estimated 10,000 voters would have their ballots thrown out, even though their intent is 100 percent clear. In addition, these bills require additional personal information from voters casting provisional ballots, including a voter’s full Social Security number, exposing voters to potential identity theft.
Local control is eliminated under this plan. The Republican bills take away the right of local boards of elections to determine how best to use resources to run smooth elections in their counties. Larger counties have made it easier to vote early by mail, which helps prevent long lines on Election Day. The Republican plan would take us back to the days of voters standing for hours in line in the rain on Election Day. In addition, the Republican plan eliminates counties’ ability to set up early vote locations that accommodate older voters and provide adequate parking.

Make no mistake, the Republican voter disenfranchisement plan is bald-faced politicization of the voting process – a blatant attempt to take away countless Ohioans’ right to vote. Republicans know that when fewer Ohioans vote, and when fewer votes are counted, they have a better chance to win elections.

Remember Florida in 2000? The Republican voter disenfranchisement plan will make Ohio the Florida of the 2012 presidential election. Remember 2004? The Republican voter disenfranchisement plan of 2011 is Ken Blackwell on steroids. A nonpartisan elections expert said that Ohio Republicans are going “further than Blackwell ever dared” in their recent attempts to disenfranchise voters.

[Torvald Von Mansee]

If the above is true, it DOES appear the Ohio GOP is trying to fight democracy (w/a small d).

[Onkel Neal]

Hahaha, more power to illegal voting. Only Ohio.

It should be harder to vote, we already have too many non-entities casting votes.

[GoldenRivet]

I am unfamiliar with this story.

however i will say this: it is far too easy for people who are not supposed to be voting (felons, persons who live out of precinct, or persons who are in the country illegally) - to vote.

the system is blatantly abused at every election and needs some sort of reform.

example: during the 2008 elections (and other elections in history), several thousand dead people throughout the United States (something like 600 in Florida alone) somehow voted in the presidential election.

Noticing the HUGE African American voter turn out i commented to a friend of mine - Barrack Obama appears to have a large number of supporters... his response "Buddy, this is the first black man who has really stood a chance in the election... people WILL be coming out of the grave to vote for this man."

and he was right!

is that democracy????

I suppose as long as "your side" is winning the election, its not a big deal.

problem is - if the democrats try to reform it, republicans will be screaming murder about how the democrats are trying to rig the system to scatter republican voters and bolster their districts etc.

and if the republicans try to reform it, democrats will tell all their constituents that those greedy republicans are planning a corporate takeover of the poor neighborhoods and want to rig it up where you cant vote any more.

either way is BS.

we can put a man on the moon but we can't figure out a fair way to vote? and even if we did figure it out we wouldnt be able to agree on it?!

And sheeple will continue following whatever opinions "their party" throws out there without any thoughts of their own.

mind boggling.

[mookiemookie]

The bills slash early voting days from 35 to as few as 6 days. In addition, the bills eliminate the busiest early voting days: the Monday and Saturday preceding the election

How can anyone honestly argue that this is a good thing? How is that reform? That is pure politics - GOPers know that low turnouts benefit them. There's just no other way to spin it.

[GoldenRivet]

sure, early voting needs to be about a month in advance... 6 days is BS.

I'm willing to call BS on that. F U GOP!!

but hey, the system DOES need reform - this is how bills work. one side low balls the other side high balls until theoretically we meet in the middle.

this is what it has come down to.

our opinions dont matter.

our votes do.

[flatsixes]

Far be it from me, a Virginian, to tell the citizens of Ohio how to conduct their elections, but I think it worth noting that the scarecrow "news" report posted above about the "Republican voter disenfranchisement plan" isn't exactly giving readers the gist of the legislation in an unvarnished manner.

But don't take my word for it, read about it for yourself at the Ohio Association of Election Officials:

SB 148

Comparison of SB 148 to HB 194

And may the cooler heads prevail.

[TorpX]

I have yet to hear a good reason for early voting. It only makes it easier to cheat.

[gimpy117]

Well the people who rigged the election in 2000 would know all about voter fraud and election manipulation.

[magic452]

Yep the dems did their very best to rig that election but they still lost.

Magic

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by flatsixes

Far be it from me, a Virginian, to tell the citizens of Ohio how to conduct their elections, but I think it worth noting that the scarecrow "news" report posted above about the "Republican voter disenfranchisement plan" isn't exactly giving readers the gist of the legislation in an unvarnished manner.

But don't take my word for it, read about it for yourself at the Ohio Association of Election Officials:

SB 148

Comparison of SB 148 to HB 194

And may the cooler heads prevail.

Thanks for taking the time to find and post the actual legislative links. That's what is needed for unemotional discussion

[gimpy117]

Originally Posted by magic452

Yep the dems did their very best to rig that election but they still lost.

Magic

hows that? If we are talking about Florida in 2000 i have no idea what you are talking about.

[magic452]

Originally Posted by gimpy117

hows that? If we are talking about Florida in 2000 i have no idea what you are talking about.

I suggest a little research on your part.

Magic

[Sailor Steve]

Yes, learning the actual facts and using the tiniest bit of logic always helps.