DOJ Sends Letter to Florida Demanding It Stop Purging Voter Rolls

[If_I_Loved_you]

No one should be surprised..this is what right wing conservative republicans do..welcome to the great state of Florida...the nations leader in political idiots.

Great Post 

[civil42806]

No one should be surprised..this is what right wing conservative republicans do..welcome to the great state of Florida...the nations leader in political idiots.

Great Post 

its hot keyed he posts that to everything

[Adam W]

No one should be surprised..this is what right wing conservative republicans do..welcome to the great state of Florida...the nations leader in political idiots.

Great Post 

its hot keyed he posts that to everything

^Hilarious!

[DDC]

I am going to assume most of you would have no problem with removing someone who is not eligible to vote from the voter rolls, what ever the reason, being undocumented, a convicted felon, someone who is dead.... There may not be that many over all but I don't care if it is one or 100,000. If they aren't eligible, get them off the roll.

So assuming you are in agreement with me, rather than continuous whining and crying because Republicans aren't doing it right, what would you suggest is the correct way to do it. Florida is trying to get a list from HLS to verify what they already know but they have been refused access to that list. So what else do you want.

TBH, it wouldn't matter what was done, most of you will bitch and moan just because.

Burden of proof is on the voter, I don't see anything wrong with that. No different than your social security check going somewhere else because of a US Treasury screw up, the burden of proof lies with the individual, not the state.

Just about anything with the government is done this way so what is the problem with this. If anything is screwed up, the taxpayer or voter is the one who has to prove them wrong. So why should this be any different.

[Lunican]

Just about anything with the government is done this way so what is the problem with this. If anything is screwed up, the taxpayer or voter is the one who has to prove them wrong. So why should this be any different.

This is different because there are laws in place to protect the voter from this exact scenario. I'm sure you aren't advocating Florida break the law.

[NotNow]

I believe he is advocating for a change in the law that would allow states to have an honest voter list without violating the Voter Rights Act.  Somehow, that seems to be impossible under current law/administration.

I know this is too much to ask of our Federal and State legislators, but could they just come up with a verifiable cohesive voter registration and maintenance process?  I don't wan't either political party playing games with this process.

[DDC]

It's not very wise to presume to know what other people think or how they might react in a public forum, DDC.  It makes you look like like a jerk, and since you've already prescribed people's opinions for them before they can respond, why on earth should anyone formulate a thoughtful response, whether they disagree with you or not?

Stephendare, point taken. However, if making an assumption that anyone here would be not be opposed to removing an ineligible voter makes me look like a jerk, then I am a jerk. I can't imagine a rational argument any one could use to justify that stance. Not saying they don't have that right to argue that point, they are perfectly free to do so.

Which takes me back to my point, if it is being done the wrong way, what is the correct way? The DOJ says that the way Florida is doing it is illegal, yet it is illegal for an ineligible voter to cast a ballot. So do we just throw up our hands and say "oh well"?

This is different because there are laws in place to protect the voter from this exact scenario. I'm sure you aren't advocating Florida break the law.

As I am sure Lunican is not advocating we allow ineligible voters to break the law. Oops, there I go again making assumptions.... 

[BridgeTroll]

It's not very wise to presume to know what other people think or how they might react in a public forum, DDC.  It makes you look like like a jerk, and since you've already prescribed people's opinions for them before they can respond, why on earth should anyone formulate a thoughtful response, whether they disagree with you or not?

Stephendare, point taken. However, if making an assumption that anyone here would be not be opposed to removing an ineligible voter makes me look like a jerk, then I am a jerk. I can't imagine a rational argument any one could use to justify that stance. Not saying they don't have that right to argue that point, they are perfectly free to do so.

Which takes me back to my point, if it is being done the wrong way, what is the correct way? The DOJ says that the way Florida is doing it is illegal, yet it is illegal for an ineligible voter to cast a ballot. So do we just throw up our hands and say "oh well"?

This is different because there are laws in place to protect the voter from this exact scenario. I'm sure you aren't advocating Florida break the law.

As I am sure Lunican is not advocating we allow ineligible voters to break the law. Oops, there I go again making assumptions.... 

How would you feel about it if the process were Ina different context.  Suppose the department of motor vehicles decided to round up and arrest everyone who was driving a car without a completely up to date drivers lisense?

Would you have the same equanimity if everyone who had gotten a ticket within the past year was assumed  to have an inelgible drivers lisense and you personally were arrested even though your ticket had already been paid?

Sure doesnt seem like arresting someone and removing ineligible people from a list is very comparable... 

[DDC]

How would you feel about it if the process were Ina different context.  Suppose the department of motor vehicles decided to round up and arrest everyone who was driving a car without a completely up to date drivers lisense?

Would you have the same equanimity if everyone who had gotten a ticket within the past year was assumed  to have an inelgible drivers lisense and you personally were arrested even though your ticket had already been paid?

Sure doesnt seem like arresting someone and removing ineligible people from a list is very comparable... 

I have to agree with BridgeTroll on this as I don't recall any one being arrested on suspicion of being on the voter rolls when they are ineligible to vote. As far as I know, they have been notified by letter and are asked to respond.
Seems like a minor inconvenience to the voter IMO. But that is just me.

[finehoe]

As far as I know, they have been notified by letter and are asked to respond.

If they think there is an issue, how do they know where to send the letter?

[mtraininjax]

Scott made a good point with the Voter Registration department showing him as DEAD when he went to vote. Love it or hate it, the system of registering to vote is in need of a major overhaul, so this would be a good pet project for Scott. I see the reasoning for it, the system is flawed and in need of new direction.

[BridgeTroll]

http://www2.wsls.com/news/2012/jun/18/bedford-county-dead-dog-receives-voter-registratio-ar-1996759/

BEDFORD COUNTY, VA --

Bedford County dead dog receives voter registration forms


When Tim Morris got his mail last week he found a pretty big surprise, a document asking his dog Mozart to register to vote.

Not only is Mozart a dog but he's been dead for two years.

"I opened it up and looked at it and I just laughed," Morris said. "I thought it was a joke at first and it turns out it's real."

The form is addressed to Mo, the family's nickname for the dog.

What amazed Morris is that if Mozart was human he would have been eligible to vote for the first time in 2012.

"He would have been 19 years old this year and he passed away two years ago," he said. "I still have no earthly idea how they got his information."

10 On Your Side looked deeper and found that the voter registration forms were sent by the non-profit Voter Participation Center, not the State Board of Elections.

So we contacted the Voter Participation Center and found that they purchase mailing lists from vendors and while they do try and check every name the organization admits that some do fall through the cracks.

The voter registration efforts are focused on groups like young people, minorities, and unmarried women.

This could help explain why the Morris' dog Mozart didn't receive a registration form until now, since he would have been 18.

The Board of Elections said they've received similar complaints but since the Voter Participation Center is a private organization they can't stop them from sending voter registration forms.

As for Morris he's hopeful the problem can be controlled so animals like Mozart won't be deciding elections anytime soon.

[finehoe]

Bedford County dead dog receives voter registration forms

Seeing as how Mozart wouldn't actually be able to register, much less vote, because

A) he's dead
B) he's a dog

this shows, uh, what?

[vicupstate]

Scott made a good point with the Voter Registration department showing him as DEAD when he went to vote. Love it or hate it, the system of registering to vote is in need of a major overhaul, so this would be a good pet project for Scott. I see the reasoning for it, the system is flawed and in need of new direction.

There is NOTHING that can be done that will make the list flawless. It will ALWAYS be out of date/incomplete/inaccurate.  People die every day, people move every day.  Many people share the same name with someone else.  The accurancy will never get but so high.

The REAL ISSUE is does a problem exist in which people who are not eligible to vote are actually voting (not registering, but VOTING)?  Does this problem exist to such an extent that it is worth preventing  eligible voters from voting?

If so, please provide that evidence.

[mtraininjax]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/national-govt-politics/poll-florida-residents-support-purge-of-voter-roll/nPbQN/

Funny thing about Florida Voters, you never know what they will support:

Palm Beach Post Capital Bureau
Tallahassee â€" Florida voters overwhelmingly support Gov. Rick Scott‘s effort to remove non-citizens from the state’s voter rolls and they continue to back the “Stand Your Ground” self-defense law, a new Quinnipiac University poll says.

Take that Obama!!!