Officials Take Issue with Alleged Voter Suppression

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Minority and poorcommunitiesallegedly the targetby Lesley R. Chinn

From Indiana to New Hampshire,issues of voter suppression have takenform as both Senators Barack Obamaand John McCain come into the homestretch of the presidential campaign.

Reportedly, issues surrounding votersuppression have mostly been targetedtoward low-income families, minorities,senior citizens, residents who donot speak English, and first-time voters.Issues such as placing armedguards at the polls, telling voters theycan cast their votes on alternative daysafter the election is over, demandingforms of identification not required bylaw, and telling voters that outstandingwarrants or utility bills could preventthem from voting, are raising concernswith only fifteen more days left in thecampaign.

ACORN (Association of CommunityOrganizations for Reform Now), whichrecently registered 1.3 million youngpeople, minorities, poor and working-classvoters, is currently under investigationby the FBI about its voter registrationactivities. However, in a letterwritten to the Attorney General of theUnited States and the FBI, Rep. JohnConyers (D-MI), chair of the housejudiciary committee questioned boththe process and the timing of the investigation

It is with shock and disappointmentthat I read todays Associated Pressreport that the Federal Bureau ofInvestigation has opened and leaked aninvestigation into whether ACORN, alongstanding and well regarded organizationthat fights for the poor and workingclass, is involved in nationwidevoter fraud, Conyers said.

As an initial matter, it is simply unacceptablethat such information wouldbe leaked during the very peak of theelection season. Such leaks of informationabout ongoing criminal investigation matters are always inappropriate,and likely violate the provisions of theU.S. Attorney manual governingrelease of information about ongoinginvestigations he said.

Moreover, this news is all the moretroubling in light of the proven wrongdoingat the Justice Department in theUnited States Attorneys scandal. Asyou are aware, there is extensive evidencethat political operatives improperlypressured United States Attorneysto investigate and prosecute spuriousclaims of vote fraud in close proximityto an election. When some did not,they were terminated. Thus, one mustview the timing of this extraordinaryleak with added suspicion, given that itcomes less than 24 hours after theRepublican Presidential candidateraised these allegations in a nationallytelevised debate, he added.

NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, whorecently hosted a press conference inWashington, D.C., condemned therecent attacks. Bond noted thatRepublicans have already tried to preventOhio registered voters from votingat its early voting registration sitesand have gone to court to try to blockearly voting by closing sites in predominatelyminority cities such asHammond, East Chicago, and in Gary,IN.

Ever since they first practiced votersuppression, theyve yelled voterfraud! Bond said. There is almostno evidence of fraud in todaysAmerican politics, and it is nearlyimpossible to find a single proven caseof anyone, anywhere casting an illegalvote as a result of a fraudulent voterregistration application, he added.No one believes registration authoritieswill let Mickey Mouse or ElvisPresley vote. But surely some partisansbelieve that they can preventqualified voters from registering orcasting their legitimate votes, that theycan frighten voters away from thepolls, and that they can win electionsthrough their own fraud and deceit andtrickery. We think the American peopleare too smart for that, he said.

Voters came to a courthouse in EastChicago, IN. last Wednesday to voteafter the Lake County Circuit Courtordered the courthouse be reopenedafter representatives from the LakeCounty, Indiana GOP Party attemptedto have the location, along with twoother locations in Gary and Hammond,IN closed. Lawyers representing theparty are currently appealing to theLake County Superior Court to closethe sites. The Lake County, IndianaGOP reportedly claimed that thepolling places were opened without astate-required unanimous vote of thecounty elections board. Democratswent on the defense and responded bysaying that the Republicans are tryingto suppress thousands of legitimatevotes in the countys poor and minoritycommunities.

Closing down the site is nothing butpolitics and its unfair, said EastChicago, IN., resident Earl Davis, whovoted early on last Wednesday.Closing the site could make it inconvenientfor people to vote, he said.Any opportunity to keep the satelliteoffices open should be allowed toincrease voting, Davis further stated.

You may not be able to get outbecause you might be sick or maybethe weather will be bad. If theyre ableto cast their votes now, then why not?said an East Chicago resident, whowished to remain anonymous aftercasting her ballot.

Responding to questions that surfacedin other jurisdictions nationwide,Election Board Chairman LangdonNeal said in a statement released onMonday that voter registration inChicago is up. According to theChicago Board of Elections, more than1.4 million Chicagoans are registeredto vote for the upcoming GeneralPresidential Election, the highest registrationtotal for a presidential electionsince 1992. Moreover, according tostatistics from the Cook CountyClerks Office, there are more than1.403 million registered voters inCook County; a new record thattopped a previous one set in the sameyear.

While Attorney David Neely, a lawprofessor at the John Marshall LawSchool said the recent allegations areleast likely to have much impact inIllinois, he advised voters to stayinformed as matters surrounding theissue are likely to continue to occurbetween now and Election Day.

To report problems or complaints,voters can call Election Central onElection Day at (312) 269-7870 or(312) 269-7900 for questions, commentsor concerns associated withearly voting.

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