Nuns, Students Blocked From Voting in Indiana. Where's Congress?

As voters go to the polls today to choose between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in the Indiana and North Carolina primaries, there's an overlooked peril facing all voters this year: a failing election system and GOP-led vote suppression. All these obstacles undermine fair and accurate voting, leading to potential meltdowns and the disenfranchisement of voters, especially African-Americans, the elderly and students.

Indeed, the Election Protection coalition is already reporting some disturbing accounts from the Indiana and South Carolina primaries from early callers to their 1-866-Our-Vote hotline. As Election Protection reported earlier today:

This morning, in South Bend, Indiana, a freshman student at St. Mary's College, excited to vote for the first time, left the polling place in tears because she only possessed a private college ID and was unable to vote. The poll workers, nuns at a local convent, were trying to help the young student through her problem. While they were helping her, they realized that some of their fellow nuns, who had just arrived at the polling place, also could not vote because of the photo ID law. Not only was this group of nuns disenfranchised, but so would be four floors of retired nuns in their convent.

"The situation this morning in South Bend is a glaring example of why Indiana's onerous photo ID law erects an unnecessary barrier to the ballot box and disenfranchises legitimate voters," said John Borkowski, Esquire, a partner at law firm Hogan & Hartson and Lawyers' Committee board member who witnessed this incident firsthand.

Remember, these complaints are based only on reports from those relatively few people who knew about the hotline, not all voters who are having problems during the massive voting turnout today. The coalition reminds voters that voters in both states can call 1-866-OUR-VOTE toll-free until 8 p.m. EST with any questions or issues that arise at polling areas. The Election Protection press release notes that as of earlier today there were over 400 complaints about election barriers at the polls. Other problems arose that should arouse concern in a country that supposedly values every person's right to vote:

Other incidents from Indiana include:

Multiple reports of voting machine problems, including from a school teacher who had to leave without casting a ballot because he had to get to school before classes started. Additionally, he said the mostly African-American voters were untrusting that the poll workers would ensure their votes would count.
At another polling place, voters were not offered paper ballots when machines went down, and countless voters left without casting a ballot.

A voter, previously convicted of a misdemeanor, was prevented from voting by a poll worker. Election Protection provided him with the code provision which dictates that only those convicted of a felony and those incarcerated cannot vote.

Specific incidents reported in North Carolina include:

Poll workers at a local precinct announced at 6:20 a.m. that there were no ballots and voters were sent home. Election Protection followed up and discovered that the polling place had the ballots in a box which had not been opened.

Election Protection has also received multiple reports of registered Independents who were not allowed to vote in either primary, or were given Republican ballots despite believing they were registered as Democrats at polling sites.

Trained volunteers will continue to staff the Hotline to provide voters with free assistance and volunteers will remain at election officials' offices in targeted areas across North Carolina and Indiana. Field volunteers are on the ground to assist voters in person or place telephone calls to the appropriate election official.

The toll-free number, administered by the Lawyers' Committee is available to any voters who need information, assistance or need guidance in understanding their rights. It is open to the entire voting public, but targets historically disenfranchised communities, including Hispanic, African American and low-income communities.

The result of all these problems and Congressional inaction ? Progressives hoping for a victory in November because of an upsurge of newly-registered Democratic voters, particularly young people and minorities, should join with voting advocacy groups to protect these voters' rights to cast a ballot and have it counted. That's because, as Alternet reports in a new article, the Democratic-led Congress won't be doing anything to fix any major election problem this year, whether it's flawed voting machines, unconstitutional voting purges or GOP-promoted dirty tricks. (Of course, some critics charge, a few of Hillary Clinton's allies may also use deceptive practices, too.)

For today's primary, in the absence of meaningful state or federal prevention of voting foul-ups, voters experiencing problems in Indiana and North Carolina are urged to call either Election Protection's hotline, 1-866-Our-Vote or the hotline of the Watch-My-Vote Coalition, which includes Voter Action and the NAACP-National Voter Fund (NVF), 1-866-My-Vote-1. (The first emphasizes live help, while the latter monitors ongoing complaints and offers follow-up assistance calls.)

Unfortunately, these hotlines just record the symptoms, while the federal government -- and relatively few states -- have failed to cure the underlying disease of our disappearing democratic rights. After interviewing Congressional staffers and voting-rights advocates, I concluded:

As a result of Congressional inaction, look for more long lines, failed machines, questionable voter purges, election-day dirty tricks, GOP challenges to minority voters and ill-trained poll-workers who, following last week's court decision, are even more likely to mistakenly demand photo ID where it's not required, among other voting obstacles. In fact, as Jonah Goldman of the National Campaign for Fair Elections points out, "In every primary contest we found voters who were disenfranchised with identification requirements. This ruling is going to further confuse voters and poll workers." And it could likely limit the ability of elderly, poor and minority voters to cast their votes in Tuesday's Indiana primary -- and in other states where such laws could pass.

All this will be worsened by the recent Supreme Court decision upholding the vote-suppressing Indiana photo ID law that could limit the right to vote of the 20% of African-Americans in Indiana who don't have government-issued photo ID. Even more disturbing, as Michael Slater of Project Vote, points out, "The Supreme Court's decision gives a green light to legislators in the twenty-five states where strict photo ID laws are under consideration. If these states act, they will disenfranchise the new voters that this year's exciting election has stimulated to participate for the first time."

In addition, while the mainstream media has contributed to the misleading impression that all the primary elections have gone smoothly, voting advocacy groups have found a far darker picture, even before the trouble-plagued Pennsylvania primary.

(You can hear on-the-ground reports from that primary by clicking on this link to the radio show, "D'Antoni and Levine," I co-host at BlogTalk Radio that featured interviews with three voting rights leaders talking about Pennsylvania's problems.)

The Election Protection coalition found:

Under-Trained and Not Enough Poll Workers: In each primary covered by Election Protection, the dedicated cadre of poll workers misapplied many election rules - from what ballot to give which voter, to what to do when election equipment broke down - causing voters to unnecessarily cast pro-visional ballots or, worse, to leave the polling place without voting.

Election Machinery Breakdowns: Last-minute changes in voting equipment and new procedures at the polls caused confusion among voters, poll workers and election administrators often leading to dis-enfranchisement. But it was not only human error and confusion; ballot scanners jammed, electronic voting machines broke down and new electronic poll books malfunctioned.

Registration Roll Problems: From state to state, eligible voters who submitted timely registration applications failed to appear on the registration rolls. Other voters showed up on the rolls registered with a political party other than the one with which they intended to register.

Confusion Over Voter Identification Requirements: Voters across the country were improperly asked for identification. Some poll workers, apparently confused about the requirements in their state, were implementing illegal and restrictive voter identification requirements, turning away eligible voters who did not have identification.

How do we prevent these screw-ups from denying progressives ( and of course those Republicans who may care about honest elections) the right to a fair election this November? How, in short, do we avoid a repeat of Ohio in 2004 in key battleground states?

The Election Protection Coalition has some short-term reform suggestions, but they're just not likely to happen unless the rest of the progressive community organizes to make these issues a priority before November's vote:

Over the coming months, election officials across the country have the authority to prevent many of these problems from happening. Election Protection looks forward to working together with those responsible for administering elections to:

*Improve poll worker training;

*Ensure proper protocols for dealing with election machinery breakdowns;

*Implement procedures to guarantee that all eligible registrants make it on the registra-
tion rolls; and

*Widely publicize correct requirements and restrictions about voter identification and
other procedures.

Will any of this happen in such a large-scale way to prevent election disasters and the quiet disenfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of voters come November?

Don't count on it -- unless far more concerned citizens get involved in the often arcane issues of election reform.

As Robert Fitrakis, an Ohio voting rights attorney and editor of the Free Press alternative paper, told
me for the Altnernet article, "The system is still broken and instead of voting being a universally guaranteed federal right, it lingers under the shadow of Jim Crow and states' rights."

***

You can hear more about this year's election controversies, voting rights and the latest political trends on "The D'Antoni and Levine Show," with my co-host Tom D'Antoni, a Huffington Post blogger, every Thursday at 5:30 p.m., EST, at BlogTalk Radio

Comments

[lthuedk 1]

The machines and scanners are under one party corporate control. Their "proprietary code" bullshit was and is nonsense. Republicans block every attempt to resolve matters for the People. We the People need to take control of our Constitutionally guaranteed right and pry it from the right wing corporations' greasy fingers.

The right wing cannot win without cheating. Who doesn't know that? Still, too many.

http://www.light-to-dark.com/gop_in_orange.html

[belief08]

Another way to look at this Supreme Court ruling for the ID's is to build a "draft" process. This is how it was done back in a day. If this is at the Supreme Court level and we short on military, I would not put anything pass the government.

[THEhillbilly]

Sniveling about the failure of the democrats' attempts to overturn the last two presidential elections goes on and on, and here's one turkey getting an early start on the third one.

[Bandofotters]

I cannot fathom any American not wanting the election process to be as fair and as honest as possible. Not asking for a photo ID to me is ridiculous. We should do what we can to prevent voter fraud, PERIOD!

[shm259]

The problem isn't "voter fraud" it's "election fraud".

Bandofotters- we're being played for fools. The purpose of this Supreme Court decision is to distract us from the systematic voter suppression occurring throughout the country. We focus on these ID laws that will at most, what, allow a few hundred people from voting illegally- then focusing on the electronic voting machines that aren't even capable of registering votes? These same machines were proved to be hackable by the Government Accountability Office in 2005- they broke down in NY, NJ and PA during THIS primary cycle- I was canvassing in PA and met a woman who's friend in Montgomery county over signed a petition with 140 other people to extend voting hours because of broken machines, they were denied! (There was a report on this in the local media)

The same report on these machines also concluded it was possible to "alter the appearance of ballots so that votes for one candidate looked like votes for another". Not to mention the fact that hundreds of thousands of people throughout the country are being turned away at the polls for not being registered?

I understand why people would want to uphold these ID laws- but in America, I believe that we should be taking to steps to make voting easier for all people, not harder.

[UnbiasView]

"Indiana photo ID law that could limit the right to vote of the 20% of African-Americans in Indiana who don't have government-issued photo ID."

Since Indiana doesn't charge for their IDs, maybe they should go get one if they want to vote . . . there is still more than 6 months.

[GinnyinCO]

Oops, also consider taking vacation days at least Monday and Tuesday. You would be wise to add Wednesday to recover. There will be plenty to do, whatever your energies and talents.

[GinnyinCO]

Thank you, this is a huge issue, needs lots of exposure. Suggestions.

Check your voting district to find out if Election judges are needed. Huge increases in registered voters- more to come for the GE- will require more people working the polls. You can help make sure the laws are followed.

People are noting how much younger the EJs are now. Used to be heavily seniors who could devote a day off to a 13 hour day. The exhausting election days are weeding them out. I'm an RN, used to spending 12 hours ( critical care for 10 +years) on my feet non-stop, with tense and adversarial situations to deal with. It's as tough as any shift I've ever done.

Other things may need to be done. Check what groups are active locally that offer support for voters, rides, etc.. Other problems that have affected recent elections:

Unequal distribution of voting machines. The number should be proportional to number of registered voters in the district. Especially true in AA communities.

Voter purges. Everyone should check with their county registrar before the last day to register to be sure they are current. No purging should be legal for a reasonable interval before the last day to register.

Intimidation to voters. Fake cops have been outside some precinct polling place after robo calls warn district voters that they could be arrested while voting if they have any warrants (even parking tickets).

[Torus34]

An interesting piece. However, the title is perhaps a bit too narrowly drawn. I would like to humbly suggest "Congress will not respond to any disasters in this or any future year in any meaningful way." While still not putting too fine a point on it, this title would be a tad closer to the truth.

[ResidentChimp]

Democrats are always looking for ways to get illegal voters for their candidates. Look at Washington State and how the Democrats stole the election. The Supreme Court has said it is legal to require picture ID to vote. It's the only way to go. Let's stop Democrats from stealing votes!

[UnbiasView]

The voter ID law should be a federal law and common sense for anyone who doesn't want voter fraud.

[shm259]

I'm an Obama volunteer, student and election activist- I'm on it. Thanks for this article. I've put together a comprehensive piece on what I witnessed and the coverage I came across on the PA primary- email me for more information [e-mail]

It was alarming to say the least. If anything is going to get accomplished before the General Election WE have to be the ones who push for it. Congress may stand idle, but I won't- don't worry, this isn't over yet.

[ResidentChimp]

Obama isn't even going to be the Democrat candidate. Are you going to be working for Hillary?

[shm259]

If Hillary had won the nomination outright then I would have absolutely worked for her ( I'm not trying to be dismissive but I don't think she can win at this point)

In any event, this isn't an issue of candidate or even party- it is not an issue of the details of democracy, rather, the very principle. Every.vote.counts.

I don't care if you believe that 2000/ 2004 was "stolen"... or if the irregularities cited were enough to impact the outcomes of the either election. The fact of the matter is that our electoral process is seriously flawed and it's up to us to ensure that our government take every necessary precaution to make sure that every vote cast is counted.

[Krikkit]

When I voted in our primary, I was entirely pleased to see an attached real-time paper printout recording my vote!

If you want to see illegal GOP vote tactics, all you have to do is turn on your radio and listen to Rush tell his dittoheads to cross over vote to throw the election to Hillary so that McCain can whomp her in November.

[UnbiasView]

Actually Rush is just a copycat, the DailyKos was the one that started the whole voter crossover thing in Michigan so I fail to see why you are whining about it.

[Bandofotters]

...and what law was broken? If there were one then why hasn't he been arrested or ordered to cease? He should be punished if he broke the law but did he?

[sd4peace]

The silence from the Democratic Leadership on this issue is deafening.

[kae]

"Congress Won't Prevent Election Disasters This Year"

That headline goes well with everything else Congress WON'T be doing this year. Is it just me or does it seem as though the only thing congress does anymore is tell us what they will NOT do - oh but they do still cash their paychecks. The Leisure Class has taken over, our taxes pay for their existence - and in return we get nothing. Just watch CNN and shut up.

[08timefortruth]

When Obama is the nominee and can focus on the general election perhaps he can address some of these issues and work with the various groups to insure fair elections.

[shm259]

Obama probably can't address some of these issues... his campaign has an extensive voter protection effort going on but it's useless since most of these voter suppression efforts are undetectable (the use of electronic voting machines for instance which have broken down in NY, NJ and PA and were proved to be "hackable" by the Government Accountability Office as early as 2005) any discussion of this issue is accepted with outright contempt (by the media and yes even by democratic leaderships and most readers of huff post or any other progressive blog).

[torrrep]

The states are responsible for making sure voters understand the voting requirements. And you suggesting that when people voted that only Democrats were asked for identification? I don't think so. Also many of the districts where there were voting problems were districts controlled by Democrats so I find it a little biased for you to be blaming anything on the GOP. We all know that Democrats were behind the illegal voter registrations that processed by groups like ACORN. But go ahead and blame others as if you have no dirt on your hands. Please keep posting on this blog. Your writing is not suitable anywhere else.

[TRUE BLUE AMERICAN]

Sounds like a pre-emptive strike on another loss by the dems. Cry me a river please.