Smells Like Republican Schadenfreude

When I first heard the story about how Latinos coming out of the DMV in Nevada were being tricked into thinking they had registered to vote when they hadn't, I wasn't sure that it was possible -- I mean that's pretty blatant voter fraud. But after hearing the same story from several different sources in the one day I was there, I realized that not only was it possible, it was probable. These folk (hired apparently by organizations paid by the Republican Party) ask the individual to register, ascertain their political affiliation and promptly throw their registration away if they are Democrats or Independents leaning towards voting for Barack Obama.

I was out in Nevada this weekend with a group of actors for an event called "Voting With The Stars!" organized by the group America Votes. Saturday, October 18th was the first day of early voting and we were going to canvass, help get people out to the polls and give them rides if they needed them. In the car that I shared with Patricia Arquette and three canvassers from the Las Vegas area (Rockel Fowler, Jayme Bailey and Juanita Turner) we first heard about the voter fraud that had been going on there for the past few months from Juanita, an intelligent and indignant union worker.

She told us about a case she knew about first hand: a young man came out of the DMV, he was asked to register to vote. He filled out a form, checked a box and was told that not only had he registered, he had actually voted for Obama - this five weeks ago, before any possible early voting was going on. He didn't know enough about the American political process to question what he was being told. Luckily, Juanita was able to convince him that he not only DID NOT vote -- he had not been registered or he would have received paperwork at home by now. She was able to re-register him but from what he told her, she believed that this was not an isolated incident. She was very concerned and told her supervisor but, to her knowledge, nothing had been done about it.

I met Josue Valencia later that day at the lunch event where people who wanted to vote were invited to join the actors before taking the bus together to go cast their ballots. A really bright guy of Salvadorian descent, we were chatting in Spanglish when he told me an almost identical story to the one Juanita had told us earlier. The same thing had happened to him.

Josue was very excited about Obama and had been badgering his co-workers at the Walgreens to register to vote with him. Many of them said "Pendejo - why bother?" Yet Josue persisted, got them all to register. He says they went over to the DMV where this group was registering voters. They were asked if they were Democrats or Republicans. Josue told them he was an Independent. They asked him whom he was voting for; he said Obama. They filled out the forms and were given some sort of receipt ripped off the bottom of the page. Weeks went by and Josue became worried that he hadn't received any proof in the mail that he was registered. He ran into a Democrat who was registering folk and was hip to what had been going on. She re-registered him and Josue will be able to vote in Nevada this year.

His friends weren't that lucky. One of them, Javier, is still carrying the meaningless slip of paper in his wallet handed to him by this unscrupulous con artist. Javier is convinced that he's a registered U.S. voter; he said he was going to just take that paper in with him to the polling place, show it to them and they will let him vote... Josue is scanning it and sending me a copy.

I gotta tell you, as a Latina, these stories break my heart. Something about the idea that these well-intentioned innocent people are being defrauded seems to be exceptionally sadistic. And I just can't wrap my mind around the person who thinks it's all cool -- just part of the game. It's becoming more and more difficult for me to ignore the cruelty involved in some of the tactics approved by a political party that represents millions of Americans.

Understand that many of these Latinos are fighting prejudice every day: feeling unwanted by the very communities where they labor in low paying jobs that no "real" (read white) Americans want to do, dealing with a system that is counterintuitive to their experience and utterly confusing and still really excited about the promise of America and a candidate that finally seems to speak to them.

I imagine someone like that, fighting the vestiges of the fear that they could be arrested or deported, even as citizens -- because those threats still invariably affect their extended families, their friends, their communities -- pushing through that instinctive terror to register. And then I imagine them showing up at their polling place on November 4th, their heart pounding with excitement and pride, only to be refused, turned away, humiliated, "you aren't on the list," "you still don't belong here." It's sick. It's wrong. And I feel very very ashamed of what we, as Americans, have come to accept as "all's fair" in this craven fight to win.

Already there is such skepticism in the Latino community about politics in general; some of it left over from experiences in other countries, some of it a realistic response to the fact that they are generally used and discarded by U.S. political candidates when it suits them. So many of us are already hardened to a society that pushes us to the sidelines or drags us forward when they need scapegoats. This sort of insult, and believe me it will be taken as such, could potentially have devastating and long lasting consequences among Latino voters. We don't appreciate being ripped off and disrespected. Yeah, it's a cultural thing.

So what are we going to do about all these Latino Americans that think they are registered but they're not? Voter registration is now officially closed in Nevada. And all of Josue's friends, and many many more, are not going to be allowed to vote.

Schadenfreude is delighting in the misfortune of others -- and that is precisely the tenor of this latest tactic by the McCain campaign; the disgusting tonal companion to the vicious attack-type rhetoric we've come to expect from their rallies and robocalls.

It must be stopped. These people must be allowed to vote. I urge all Americans to put their foot down on this one before it's too late.

Comments

[lilym]

You are wonderful to investigate and report on such injustices. It's very sad what is going on at the moment. Thank you for your insight. I found your story eye opening and I look forward to reading further articles by you. A new fan! Lily

[TAMB]

Wow, this is serious and very scary. The fact that you were actually there, and can refer to real situations, is extremely compelling and persuasive. This is the part I'd really love to see brought out and highlighted. How does one get this information out there?I don't know the answer. Has the mainstream media been alerted and the proper investigative channels engaged? I'd love to see you get on NPR with this, or write an article for the New Yorker. More people need to know about this, and I, personally, think the way to do that is to run it as a straight investigative journalism piece. You may want to keep the personal commentary in, as a voice of outrage for the people affected, and that's powerful, also, but the story itself is so mind-blowing that if you just lay it out, get the words and quotes from the direct sources, you have an unbelievably powerful story here. Thanks for putting yourself out there and being in the right place at the right time, for asking the right questions, for getting at the truth.

[harlow]

we all will have to get involved in some level to stop this brazen attempt (and success ) by the wieiding power to take over our democracy.
Our forefathers warned about this, as did Eisenhour. . I will try and get this article to RFK as suggested by Kelly girl. If anyone has other ideas, I think we should all participate and get it to those who can take action. Not wait for others to do it. We have had two elections stolen. We cannot afford a third!
we must get on this before the election and make sure that the msm covers it as well.

[NationalTreasure]

The republicans tactics are going to have lasting damage to the GOP. The people that they have tricked will tell their friends and family members and these people will never trust the republicans or vote for them in the future. This will cause Latinos to form a distrust for republicans that matches the distrust that African-Americans have for republicans.

Penny wise and pound foolish the McCain/Palin campaign staff and the republicans have behaved like petty juveniles without a clue as to the long term damage that they have wrought upon their party.

[mikey2]

Um...Welcome to the bottom of the totem pole...
Signed,
- YAAA (Your Average African American)
Seriously though, as an African American, and someone who's lived very far away from home, I understand on many different levels how many non-native Minority Americans are feeling these days...
And, I also know just how the whole conservative / Republican mentality is remarkably dehumanizing. We are not people to them (unless we can be used effectively in their various campaigns) and they have been in-charge for sometime.
They use us; discard us and then blame us for problems created by their own ignorance, greed and grotesque stupidity.
It is disheartening and so difficult sometimes. I feel like history in general is against us. But, I hold on and keep working and hoping for better. After all, this is my home and I am a REAL American.
I hope that these people you write about don't give up on the dream. They have the right to vote they so they are Americans in full; this is their home and they (we all) should and must stand up and be counted. There's a change in the air. Just keep holding on!

[Democrab]

Also seems like gas prices always drop before elections, then zoom right back up after.

[plafayette]

Adios Mio. As an African American I know exactly what this feels like and it truly breaks my heart to see these tactics still employed against people of color. But truthfully, the republicans are so desperate I would caution everyone regardless of color to be viligent about the whole election process. A woman voted democratic in Virginia and got a reciept for casting a republican vote instead. Watch the story on MSNBC. After this election we have to take the GOP apart...bit by slimey bit.

[deebell]

Doesn't the law state that all voter registrations have to be turned in, no matter what? That's what the fuss is about ACORN, since there was registrations turned in that were obviously false (ACORN alerted the authorities themselves on those).

If people are turning in registration forms and they are not turned in to the corresponding SOS office, that is seriously illegal and the ones doing this need to be punished to the full extent of the law.

[KathieKH]

My concern for voting in my area is this: I live in flood ravished Cedar Rapids, IA. where 10 sqaure miles (14%) of our city was under water. 5,390 residential homes were directly affected by flood waters and many other residential homes suffered damage due to loss of power therefore, sump pumps were not running and they are dealing with mold. Many of the displaced flood victims are still not in their homes or have abandoned them completely. Are the republicans going to come in challenge these voters since their information no longer matches what is on the voter rolls? Heck even my polling place has been flooded out and I got a card inthe mail from the Commissioner of Elections directing me to a temporary site for this election. How many people won't get their notices and get purged from the voter roll?

[KathieKH]

And I forgot to mention that most of these folks are low income and tend to vote Democratic.

[Hope4ChangeNow]

You know, we registered a whole lot of new voters in Pennsylvania and although the thought crossed my mind to "pitch" the Republican registrants, I didn't!! I turned them in, right along with the Dems and the Independents. Everyone should be allowed that right to vote and it's so wrong that this is being done to people. So so wrong!! :(

[MichiganAccomplished]

There should be a special place in hell reserved for anyone who robs American citizens of their most basic right.

But just in case there's not, I noticed George Bush has decided not to close Gitmo.

[brynn6]

There must be records of who was working the DMV. That, along with the receipts these people were given are evidence if pursued properly. Also, there may be fingerprints on those receipts.

[HHarvey]

As a white woman who lives in a community with a large hispanic population I applaud you Kamala, and if it were not for people like you and your friend helping these people they would continue to be duped on a daily basis.

[RedDonnaAnn]

As a white woman living in a largely hispanic population in Los Angeles, I am disgusted with that community's commitment to continued ignorance. On how many more fronts can the Hispanics ask for a hand out? LEARN THE RULES OF THE COUNTRY YOU LIVE IN... AND THE LANGUAGE. Then you won't get 'duped' so many times. Sheesh.

[justobserve]

Yes, this must be investigated to find the culpit. One person was arrested in California, but maybe on different charge. He cheated people to sign for protest against paedophiles then changed the membership change forms to Republican party membership without the registers knowing!

[Annieke]

Can anyone tell me why people fill in their party-affiliation on these voter-registering forms?

Is it obligatory? If so that would be totally against the US Constitution as I read it at my Dutch University (and I am shocked to read that my grasp of the US Constitution is better than Palin's).

It is nobodies business for which person you are planning to vote. As far as I know the ballot is a SECRET ballot.

So if you don't fill in your affiliation, the GOP won't throw it away I guess. Or is this naieve thinking and will they throw away all forms unless it says 'Republican'?

[SurrealPumpkin]

It's to identify party registration for primary voting. In most states only registered party members can vote in the primaries.

[HurryUp1212009]

This is the handiwork of Nathan Sproul, a Republican acolyte who gets paid by the RNC to do this voter disqualification scam across the country. I worked for a temporary help staffing firm in 2004 that was paid $500,000 to arrange this scam in a number of states. In a recent HuffPo posting, it's been discovered that Nathan Sproul is doing his dirty work for the Republican Party again. Unfortunately for this reptile, the tsunami of new voters will overwhelm him and his Republican dirty trickers on 11/4, guaranteeing at least 4 years for Obama to clean out this vermin in our political system.