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Colorado's Secretary of State Goes Rogue
Despite just reaching a settlement with voter rights groups on Wednesday, Colorado's Secretary of State Mike Coffman has continued to purge voters from the roll, causing a judge to issue a cease and desist order.
Earlier today, Coffman told the Rocky Mountain News that the settlement "still allowed him to remove voters from the state rolls when he found duplicate names, people who moved or deceased voters." An interpretation voter rights groups have roundly dismissed.
"The Court unambiguously stated that Colorado's voter cancellation practices violated federal law," Myrna Perez counsel for the Brennan Center for Justice -- a party in the suit -- told TPMmuckraker. "The Secretary of State and Colorado counties must provide the agreed upon safeguards to protect the voters adversely affected by the illegal practices."
The suit against Coffman alleged that more than 35,000 voters were purged from the rolls based on a faulty system for identifying illegitimate voters, and within 90 days of the election -- both of which violate the federal Voting Rights Act. The settlement allowed for 20,000 purged voters to be put back on the rolls and cast provisional ballots in Tuesday's election.
Josh
Zachary
These Republican secretaries of state and others locally with similar types of electoral responsibilities need to do jail time when they attack our electoral system so egregiously and willfully.
There must be jail time attached to all actual violations of the Voting Rights Act. Not the fake Republican-instigated witch-hunt trumped-up "violations", but the willful purges and denials of voting rights by those in power.
Put those traitors to our nation in jail.
October 31, 2008 7:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree. If you violate a persons right to vote without cause, there should be an enforceable penalty. And last minute purges should be validated thru a panel of Federal judges, not state, because states have a proven record of violation individual constitutional rights for partisan reasons.
November 1, 2008 12:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
AND: is there a mechanism at all to enforce a ruling once a judge has ruled?? how do we know these goons who seek to disenfranchise voters are obeying judges' orders????
November 1, 2008 1:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree with NewsNag. Put some teeth in those laws and not just for field operatives but for party leaders and SoS who attempt to suppress the vote.
October 31, 2008 8:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not only jail time,but also loss of job
or some type of censure other than the
Bushco promotion that we`ve been accustomed
to the last eight years.
October 31, 2008 9:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Mike Coffman is also running for Tom Tancredo's seat in the House. He is expected to win because the District is very Republican. Nothing like having a major conflict of interest. He had been asked to step down to campaign, but said he could do both at the same time. Looks like he can only do one very well.
October 31, 2008 10:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
If he will ignore the rule of law, including his oath to uphold Constitution and laws, and ethical concerns with even the appearance of conflict of interest, theb he should first be altogether out of all public offices, and too busy to campaign because defending himself at trial.
At the end of which conviction carries substantial jail-time.
November 1, 2008 1:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
Conspiracy to deprive people of their civil rights under color of law; contempt of court. My only question at this point is whether enough of the GOP's criminal activities qualify as RICO predicates for it to be officially labeled a racketeer-influenced and corrupt organization.
November 2, 2008 9:45 AM | Reply | Permalink