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Georgia's Secretary of State Promotes Voter Challenges and Refuses to Extend Early Voting Hours
Add Georgia to the list of states where Republican officials are actively engaged in voter suppression efforts.
In the midst of a record turnout for early voting in Georgia, that has led to long lines, discouraged voters and exhausted poll workers, Secretary of State Karen Handel, a Republican, has claimed federal law ties her hands, preventing her from extending early voting hours.
With just days to go to the election, Democratic politicians demanded yesterday that Handel step in and extend early voting hours -- as has been done in both North Carolina and Florida.
But in an opinion piece published in the AJC on Thursday, Handel blamed her inaction on the issue on federal law which requires Justice Department approval to change voting law.
Ironically, it is Georgia's history of discriminatory voting practices that puts it on a federal "pre-clearance" list, mentioned in Section 5 of the Voter Rights Act of 1965.
While the DOJ can take up to 60 days to review any change that is submitted, it has the power to grant expedited review in emergency situations -- and Georgia's situation would certainly seem to qualify, Gerry Hebert, a former acting head of DOJ's voting-rights section, told TPMmuckraker.
"Georgia has asked and been granted expedited review by the DOJ in the past, so to say because of the voting act, we can't do this -- that's not really accurate," Hebert said. "The DOJ has done this in as little as 24 hours. . . so to use Section 5 as an excuse that this isn't possible, that's someone that really doesn't want to make the change."
U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a Democrat, issued a statement yesterday that he was writing Attorney General Michael Mukasey urging him to grant expedited review, when -- or if -- it was asked for by Handel.
This isn't Handel's first brush with voter suppression charges. Early last month, voter rights groups brought a suit against Handel after she threatened to purge over 4,500 voters from the rolls because their citizenship had been questioned.
This Tuesday, a panel of federal judges said the 4,500 plus flagged voters must be given ballots -- and that Handel must "make diligent and immediate efforts" to inform those voters that had been challenged.
In compliance with the decision, Handel sent out letters to flagged voters yesterday, telling them they could still vote on election day but with a "challenged" paper ballot.
Handel, however, has reacted to the judges' decision by turning to ordinary Georgians to continue her voter suppression campaign by proxy.
As first noted by the blog, Facing South, in an interview Wednesday with the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Handel took pains to remind voters that any voter can challenge another's qualifications to cast a ballot by notifying a precinct poll manager. According to Handel, that voter then would be given a challenge ballot and would have to go before the election board.
Josh
Zachary
I am sick of the palms in the air antics of republicans when they seek to engage in inaction and their readiness to blister their soft palms when they feel they must heft protest signs to advertise their newest cause. In terms of this Georgian official, let us just trace to the root how she arrived to be in her current post. Chances are she was voted in and chances are if the spirit of this election is maintained that she will be voted out. There is nothing better for a bad politician than to be set out to pasture. I urge my fellow citizens to take as a moral cause the need to retire this politician as soon as possible. One more thing - for any citizen interested in the right thing - this elected official's actions are simply immoral. Let us invoke beliefs and principles in our discussions and debates and recognize that denying the opportunity to vote (in a state where lines extended for as many as ten hours!!!)is reprehensible and merits our unmitigated criticism.
November 1, 2008 5:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, don't you just hate the fake helplessness so successfully asserted and implemented?
November 2, 2008 4:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
The Republicans will do anything they can to supress the voters, whether by purging, lying, or whatever means they can come up with. I believe that every citizen of voting age, should be able to vote, without being intimidated, and or harassed. This woman in Georgia should be voted out of office, or if they have a recall, then they should go that route.
November 1, 2008 6:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's simpler than your suggestion:
The vote is owned by the voter, not by the state -- and certainly not by any political party. That is why, going back hundreds of years, the courts who've been forced to deal with the issue have ruled that allowing in a bit of voter fraud is acceptable so long as NO LEGITIMATE vote is EXCLUDED.
The Republican America-Hating Party is absolutely contrary our Constitution and country on this issue. As if that needs to be said yet again at this late date.
Republicans hate America because they hate FREEDOM.
November 2, 2008 4:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
More precisely, they hate our freedom to vote them out of office.
November 2, 2008 9:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
In the article, it says, "As first noted by the blog, Facing South, in an interview Wednesday with the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Handel took pains to remind voters that any voter can challenge another's qualifications to cast a ballot by notifying a precinct poll manager. According to Handel, that voter then would be given a challenge ballot and would have to go before the election board."
Well, hmm, how about a few thousand Georgia voters challenge Ms. Handel's right to vote, based on the fact that she's committing a crime (by using voter-suppression tactics). Then, according to her own words, she'd have to use a challenge ballot and go before the election board.
November 1, 2008 7:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
MsRosycheex you scored! Oh would that I were in Georgia. I would challenge every voter I could and pass out little slips of paper referencing the words and suggestions of Ms. Handle. A brilliant idea.
November 1, 2008 8:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
What I don't get is why Obama supporters don't just challenge voters in heavily republican precincts? Turnabout is fair play and we have a lot more motivated folks than they do, so why not turn it around on them and play it to democrats advantage? You know they'd squeal to high heaven and maybe it'd cure em of that nasty dirty trick (not likely)! Let's do it Georgia. Go to the most republican areas you know of on election day and start challenging just like the Secretary Of State told you to!
November 1, 2008 9:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Turnabout is fair play" is NOT fair play when the turnabout is equitable: NOT fair play.
Want to give someone a grudge -- real of fake --against you? Be an asshole within their realm of excuses.
November 2, 2008 4:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
"Two wrongs make a right . . ."
November 2, 2008 4:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's wrong for them to violate the law, so let's violate the law . . . .
November 2, 2008 4:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
Unfortunately it's not a violation of the law in Georgia so the only way to really neutralize voter challenges from Republicans is to do the same thing in to them. I hate to see this election lost (or Saxby Chambliss win) because Democrats need to feel morally superior to Republicans. I still say we should be challenging voters in heavy Republican districts.
November 2, 2008 7:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
Unfortunately it's not a violation of the law in Georgia so the only way to really neutralize voter challenges from Republicans is to do the same thing to them. I hate to see this election lost (or Saxby Chambliss win) because Democrats need to feel morally superior to Republicans. I still say we should be challenging voters in heavy Republican districts.
November 2, 2008 7:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
Someone has seen the Katharine Harris playbook for career advancement through skulduggerous behavior and memorized it from cover to cover.
November 1, 2008 10:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is an embarrassment for us in GA and an embarrassment for the country as a whole. This woman has voters preparing to confront other voters! Who is going to be challenged? The older white English speaking voters? I don't think so. My sister was in line for early voting Friday and the African American voter in front of her was challenged and only had her Military ID with her. She was turned away. I don't know if she got a prov ballot or just left, but I do know that she brought her two young children with her to watch her vote for the first time, and she waited in line for three hours.
November 1, 2008 11:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Unacceptable. There should be some form of then-and-there protest that the America-hating bigots cannot ignore, and cannot negate by invocation of law enforcement.
Republicans support the troops -- except for the fact that they do not.
November 2, 2008 4:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
Why is it ALWAYS Republicans pulling this crap?? And don't compare the Acorn fake voter registration with this, that didn't lead to anything. This is actual suppression, or attempted suppression of voter rights, that was just laziness.
November 2, 2008 12:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
Why is it ALWAYS Republicans pulling this crap?? And don't compare the Acorn fake voter registration with this, that didn't lead to anything. This is actual suppression, or attempted suppression of voter rights, that was just laziness.
November 2, 2008 12:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's a trumped-up load of crap to say that GA can't keep the polls open longer. Handel could have at least attempted credibility had she attempted to contact DOJ, but instead she came up with a half-baked veil to hide behind instead of doing what's right for the country. This is exactly why this election needs to be an absolute referendum on the Republican party. Enough of this shit!
November 2, 2008 9:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Word!
November 2, 2008 9:58 AM | Reply | Permalink