voting rights

GOP Secretary of State candidate Some Dude Named Bill Johnson upped the ante today on his ridiculous attack on the scourge of homeless people in Kentucky that are going to subvert our democracy, along with ACORN and the Mexicans.

“Frankly, I think Elaine Walker should resign and Alison Grimes is unfit for office if they think violating Kentucky law is appropriate. By making address exceptions for the homeless in violation of KRS 116.155, what other exceptions are they willing to make? Trust is important in our elected officials and those running for office. As a voter in Kentucky, my trust has been violated,” Johnson said in a release.

Alison Lundergan Grimes’ campaign responded correctly, pointing out that Bill Johnson has no earthly idea what he’s talking about:

“As a candidate for Secretary of State, Bill Johnson should know better,” Jonathan Hurst, a spokesman for Grimes’ campaign said in a statement. “The State Board of Elections, an independent bi-partisan agency, has been charged by the General Assembly to administer Kentucky’s election laws. To be eligible to vote, current state law requires that a voter: be 18 years old, be a Kentucky resident, be mentally competent, not registered to vote in other states, and not a convicted felon. Kentucky law does not require that one be a property owner to vote.”

Hurst said Grimes will work against voter fraud and said many veterans remain homeless, in one form or fashion. Hurst said those homeless veterans shouldn’t lose the right to vote.

“Kentuckians do not give up their rights as citizens because they are not property owners,” Hurst said in a statement. “Bill Johnson should check his facts before he tries to take away one’s most basic right – the right to vote. Indeed, all Kentuckians who meet the requirements of state law should have their votes protected and counted. Bill Johnson’s statement is disturbing, insensitive, and plays loose with the facts.”

What an incredible embarrassment Bill Johnson is. Expect the David Williams campaign to be smart enough not to touch this with a ten foot pole.

GOP Secretary of State candidate Some Dude Named Bill Johnson wants his Facebook followers to know that the “defining issue” in his race is whether or not Kentucky follows the national GOP strategy of enacting a voter ID laws. You know, the kind of voter ID law which will no doubt suppress the vote of young people, the elderly, the poor, and minorities. You know, so ACORN and the Mexicans stop their widespread “voter fraud”, of which there is zero evidence.

17 states now require picture ID to Vote. Just common sense in my view. This is a defining issue in this race since my opponent rejects such a measure. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-06-19-states-require-voter-ID_n.htm

I actually do agree with Bill Johnson that the voter ID issue is the “defining” one of the KY Secretary of State elections this year. What I don’t agree with is his ridiculous assertion that this voter suppression bill is needed, because of “ACORN and George Soros”.

You know who else disagrees with him? The editorial board of the USA Today, the newspaper that he cites on Facebook:

Our view: Republican ID laws smack of vote suppression

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Supporters say this is necessary to prevent voter fraud. But the operative question is: Why, at a time of economic distress and state budget shortfalls, is this such a priority? The answer has less to do with prevention than with suppression.

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Scratch just gently beneath the surface, and these new measures appear unnecessary at best. Voter fraud is rare and consists largely of the types of actions that IDs would not correct, such as vote-buying and voter intimidation. Fraud is already kept in check by elections officials, poll watchers from both parties, and acceptance of alternatives to photo IDs, such as utility bills.

One study in Minnesota, done after an extraordinarily close Senate race in 2008, found a grand total of seven suspicious votes, out of nearly 3 million cast. No charges were filed that year. Those seven cases were exceeded by the dozen or so elderly nuns in nearby Indiana who were turned away from the polls for lack of picture IDs.

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Just as Democrats try to help their cause by making it easier to vote through expedited registration and early voting, Republicans see a benefit in lowering the turnout among certain voters. The people most likely to be dissuaded by the hassle of obtaining an ID card — the old and infirm, the young and the poor — tend to vote Democratic. Shouldn’t Republicans be looking for ways to expand their appeal to these groups, rather than throwing obstacles in their way?

While both parties are guilty of self-interested behavior, the national interest of addressing the USA’s deplorably low election participation rates clearly falls on the side of making it easier, not harder, to vote.

Yeah, so you might want to consider linking to Fox News or the Heritage Foundation, Bill.

These bills clearly serve as a form of voter suppression, and this is also clearly a Republican tactic that is sweeping the nation:

And how surprising that Bill Johnson, when confronted with the reality that many low income people in Kentucky don’t have a photo ID, declares “too bad, get a job and afford it!” (7:18 mark in video below)

Well, at least he’s summarized the philosophy of 2011 Republicans. If only he could have fit ACORN, George Soros and the New Black Panther Party in that quote, then he’d really be on all cylinders.

So, is this really the “defining issue” in this race? You bet it is. Is this Secretary of State race important in Kentucky. You bet it is.