Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s two year, $1.4 million dollar investigation into what he claims is “an epidemic of voter fraud in Texas” to justify his support for voter ID laws, resulted in just 26 cases. It will come as no surprise to anyone who has been following C&L’s ongoing coverage of this issue that all of the cases were “against Democrats, and almost all involving blacks or Hispanics.” What’s more, of the 26, only 8 were actually cases of fraud. “In 18 of the 26 cases, the voters were eligible, votes were properly cast and no vote was changed – but the people who collected the ballots for mailing were prosecuted,” yet Abbott refused to investigate a serious case of apparent ballot-box stuffing of “more than 100 ballots – potentially more than in all of Mr. Abbott’s other vote-fraud prosecutions combined” - “in Highland Park, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country with hundreds of million-dollar homes and where both George W. Bush and Dick Cheney once lived.“
In more than 2/3 of the cases in Greg Abbott’s epidemic, he actually charged volunteers who merely helped elderly and disabled people to be able to vote because they didn’t add their name to the envelope to show that they carried the sealed envelope to a mailbox for them - a crime Abbott saw fit to spend an average of more than $53,000 each to pursue of a Federal Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Grant that is supposed to go to enforce state and local laws with an “emphasis on violent crime and serious offenders.” Serious indeed.
Therein lies the rub. When you’ve got a crackpot uber-zealous AG going around training TX officials to spot voter fraud by way of a 71-slide powerpoint that included only pictures of minorities to look for clues on mailed-in ballots like “Unique Stamps” such as “the ‘sickle cell stamp,’ which depicts an African-American woman and infant,” why would any volunteer dare to put their name on an envelope if all they did was take it to a mailbox for someone? I sure wouldn’t, especially if I had an ethnic-sounding name. Would you? Abbott’s highly publicized “Special Investigations Unit” into voter fraud even went so far as to actually peer in at least one suspected anonymous ballot mailer’s bathroom window while they were taking a bath. His prosecutions persecutions have so struck fear that now the Dallas Democratic Party has actually suspended its “field program that once sent volunteers to voters’ homes to help them fill out ballot applications so they could vote by mail.” No doubt that put a smile on Abbott’s face.
As someone who has personally worked field and helped to deliver thousands of already filled out and sealed ballots to our county clerks’ offices (which, thankfully, unlike TX, is still legal in my state without having to put our name on every envelope unless we actually helped someone, usually disabled, fill their ballot out), I know first hand the drastic effect this can have on elections. Once a witch-hunt like this scares people from engaging in grass-roots GOTV field operations, it will result in keeping thousands of people (read: Democrats) from voting who otherwise would have, and that is exactly the intended purpose:
“Texas is trending majority-minority. And the Republicans haven’t figured out how to talk to minorities. So instead of figuring out how to talk to them on an issue basis, they have embarked on a plan to shave two or three percentage points off the electorate, and that’s how they stay in power.”
No one denies there are isolated cases of vote fraud. The question is how organized and widespread it is, whether it’s affecting the outcomes of any actual elections, and whether (depending on the answers to those questions) whether the extent of the problem justifies measures which also have the effect of making it either more difficult or more perilous for eligible voters to exercise their rights at the ballot box. The fact that these politicized and morally corrupt prosecutors offices can’t come up with more than a trivial number of actual cases makes the answer to the question pretty straightforward.
Indeed. If Greg Abbott’s prosecutions had anything to do with preserving the integrity of elections, his partisan prosecutions, just like the Voter ID laws he supports, would be a prime example of throwing a tub-full of babies out with the bath water, but the Republicans like Greg Abbott who scream voter-fraud to support their want for voter ID laws don’t care because they’ve figured out they were most likely going to grow up to be Democrats.
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spending a couple of weeks in France.. the US is looking pretty grim..
“Nazis - I hate these guys…”
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Republicans don’t want fair elections. They can’t win them.
Just another republican turd. They all get in line to drink the Kool Aid.
their time will come
when the malls are closed and the electricity is off
[Deleted-Sitemonitor] the men that we once called leaders and now call criminals
Living here in Germany, i read the blogs and the ´´real news´´ and alot of ppl here are saying that america is on its way to a Nazi like way of party style. I have ppl coming up to me at work and asking me wtf happend to your country. I dont have a very long say, just one Name. George W. Bush. And of course his jump boot lickers that grew like over fed bottom soil lavar and still do to this day.
If anyone this year votes repiglican,, your either nuts, a saddist or a brain washed ubber rich lying piece of shit that made your money they easy way,, YOU stole it!
Tax the Rich fccl!!! Enough with this crap already. It really almost makes me cry to read about the lack of health care, jobs and medical help the ppl in the United States Of America. The richest nation on the earth (or so story had it) and the working class hero, who gets sick, and no health insurance, cannot afford the rent due to a ER bill that was over one grand?
A 40 dollar band aid while in the er? 500 bucks just to walk in to the ER? thats not counting the Drs bill.
Comon folks,, we can do better and knock the vampires of the all mighty dollar back into thier caves. Id like to think Obama or clinton can fix this but I sadly think its to late to fix anything anymore in the states. Just fix the interest rates and tax adjustments.
Bidding you all a good eveing and a good night, Danke C&L For a kick ass blog and danke for all the ppl that comment too.
Best regards,,,
Why do the people of Texas put up with this shit? Are they all a bunch of hillbillys or just stupid? My God, I don’t think the Red-States don’t realize how foolish they look. Wait till Bush retires in Crawford, People will regard Texas as a trash bin.
PD - dont be a dumb ass. Dallas (the county that Highland Park is in ) voted every Republican out of office in the 2006 election. The city of Dallas has become a Democratic stronghold. Do not judge the whole state by a few wackos. We are starting to take control back and it will take time. I am sure your state has had its share of dumb-asses. I bet you are a Obama supporter too. Or is that a generalization too. I am sorry.
Did I tell you how much I hate Texas. I am forced to drive thru Texas a couple times a year and it is truly horrible. Who knows when a Texas Ranger is going to pull me over because I am from
California<s and they think I am a liberal and need a little “Texas Justice”Based on the last three congressional races, it seems like the tide has finally turned. I don’t think they can do enough to suppress it any longer. People are waking up and figuring it out. Even if McCain somehow manages to steal 2008, he will be a lame duck from day 1.
Dear Kevin, didn’t mean to offend. But when Dumb-asses like me see Texas, we see the land of Bush. And I don’t consider myself dumb, although I can act like an ass sometimes.
Let’s see. 1.4 million for the investigation that netted actually on 8 real cases of fraud.
That would be $175,000 per vote.
kevin @ 7:
kevin @ 7:
Oops. Sorry.
Sorry Kevin but a majority of your state is on the wrong side. At least they have been lately. I feel your pain but man, Texas is a hard seel for liberals… at least for most of the state is concerned. I’m happy to hear that Dallas is good and I think that Austin is good but hey.
Yeah, uh, Texas is the problem.
YourMom your right! The tide is a changing! The GOP losses in Republican strongholds has the Repugs wetting their panties! So you are right, if McCain squeaks in, his hands will be tied.(Thank God)
More typical highly partisan Republican Bull Shit.
In a country where justice was more than a word, this shitstain would already be in jail himself.
Fascism: the Republican flu.
Randy @ 14:
No, not Texas, but evil Republicans and dumbass’ that vote for them even though Republicans shit on them.
This “attoney” should be disbarred immediately. If this isn’t a case of discretionary prosecution abuse, nothing is.
Captain Bitter Elitist Husein Kangaroo @ 13:
I have lived here for 10 years, Houston specifically. This is no doubt a red state, but, there are pockets of liberal-havens and more and more areas/districts are slowly turning blue. I doubt any time soon this state with go for the Dems, but we can certainly pick up more-and-more Congressional districts.
P.S. For every 1 McCain bumper sticker here Houston/Harris County, there are probably close to 10 Hillary or Obama stickers.
Well . Poop begets poop . Hay look Steven is all oover myspace ! http://searchservice.myspace.c.....indAFriend
P.D. @ 15:
Having McCain’s hands tied isn’t good enough. If we want to start undoing the work of the last 8 years we need a dem Prez & and dem Congress.
What ever happened to air america ?
Dr. Bitter, You could be right. But I remember the smear job Rove and Co. did to Ann Richards. I seemed anything Democrat did was unworthy. Plus when Katrina hit and Cindy Sheean was in a ditch a couple of miles down the road, while Bush was on vacation clearing brush around his ranch have seared in my memory. I will NEVER forget Bush was at his ranch while thousands were stranded in the SuperDome. NEVER!
Seems its all screwed up ! Praise “JESUS ” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
kevin @ 7:
Any state that gave us Molly Ivins can’t be all bad. Sure miss that lady and her fantastic journalistic touch.
The Bush’s and Cheney’s on the other hand can…………..????
NoGWBpolicyleftinplace @ 26:
I always enjoyed this one from her:
I am not anti-gun. I’m pro-knife. Consider the merits of the knife. In the first place, you have to catch up with someone in order to stab him. A general substitution of knives for guns would promote physical fitness. We’d turn into a whole nation of great runners. Plus, knives don’t ricochet. And people are seldom killed while cleaning their knives.
NoGWBpolicyleftinplace @ 26:
Well, neither Bush nor Cheney is an actual Texan. Bush is from Connecticut, and his accent is as contrived as his military service. Cheney is from Wyoming, the most sparsely-populated state in the Union.
I think it’s more appropriate to note that they’re Assholes from the state of Self-Aggrandizement, rather than try to push regional slurs on them.
The Texas Republicans are only hurting themselves with these scare tactics.
Do you really think the minorities are going to vote republican after this?? Not a chance in hell.
The minorities make up a large voting population, and the Nazi republican Gestapo is making sure that they will all be voting Democrat this election.
And Republicans can’t figure out why they lost Mississippi and why the GOP is absolutely TOXIC right now.
What a bunch of FLUNKIES, they deserve what’s coming to them.
just like Siegelman. the charged were elderly, poor blacks who volunteered to help others register to vote. There was no actual law against what they did.
Actually for a govt program over 2 years, 1.4 million sounds a little light, don’t it?
Filthy Harry @ 31:
Um, not really. $1.4 mil will pay for several govt atty’s and a whole bunch of part time investigator’s salaries and expenses for 2 years, esp considering it’s likely none of them only worked in this unit or its cases full-time.
Can we please give Texas and Tennessee to Mexico? These crap holes are absolutely packed with neocon religious freaks. Good time to get rid of the Bush, Clinton, and the Kennedy dynasties too.
Rusty Shackleford @ 3:
Rusty,
I wonder what they’d do if they had more than one party to go up against. Then they’d really have to cheat….oh wait I forgot to add lie and steal, to win in november
NoGWBpolicyleftinplace @ 27:
I can’t believe I am defending Texas… but, both Rove and Bush are transplants. The fact that Texas bought their faux cowboy act is a testament to the proactive dumbing down of large portions of the midwest and the bible belt.
Sad really….
Underground Pirate @ 34:
What do you propose? That we put Texas and Tennessee in an enormous paper bag, put it on Mexico’s porch, set it on fire, ring the doorbell and then go hide in the bushes? Mexico’s waaayyy too smart for that old gag.
How many people own second homes on the Gulf, and vote there as well as in their home states?
If I lived in Texas, I’d be calling for this dip shit’s job. What a waste of tax payers’ money…something the self righteous repugs have nightmares about. Apparently NOT when it’s one of their own.
Scum of the earth…..change the elephant to a symbol of the devil.
“When you’ve got a crackpot uber-zealous AG going around training TX officials to spot voter fraud by way of a 71-slide powerpoint that included only pictures of minorities to look for clues on mailed-in ballots like “Unique Stamps” such as “the ‘sickle cell stamp,’ which depicts an African-American woman and infant, …”
What an overtly racist piece of $hit, this jerkoff is.
Republicans could never win an election which is why they have to steal them- its all they know how to do is rob, thieve and lie and most democrats are that far off either!
Its completely fucked.
In a little less than two years everyone will understand that its over.
Another fiscally responsible conservative lawman no doubt…….riiiight… Good luck sweeping the trash out Texas.. I ain’t going to give you guys shit on this thread… The whole damn country has that chore to do… There’s plenty of these red state type troglodytes everywhere… Ohio, my home state, and even out here in sunny California where I now reside. Ya just don’t have to travel too far east of the altamount pass to find em… They are ignorant, myopic in their views and they are the kind of clueless people who give our nation a bad name with their voting patterns and they don’t even give a damn..
I’m coming to believe they must think its cool to act like jerks, vote republican against even their own best interests, cheering this criminal administration on as they rip us off, set fires in the mid-east and generally piss the world off, hiding behind some lameass and totally obsolete notion that we’re still the baddest badasses on the block… Newsflash to any troll reading..We’re bleeding all our badass mojo right along with mulitple generations of our people into desert sands over lies and deceits and our big badass president can’t even beg another drop of oil out of his overseers.
Ya just know the MSM will downplay that pathetic trip just as certainly as they would be singing his praises to high heaven and making out like George W. Bush was the smartest, most intelligent president EVER! IF he had managed to blow the right Saudi into getting up off some more oil production. But you know those Sauds… They ain’t stupid either, even if I don’t understand their social and political weirdness, I know they get that they have us by the short hairs and they like that…. They are going to keep on liking that till we pry that oil monkee off our backs..JD
and yet, the supremes upheld the voter id laws…even though there is no evidence that they will do anything, but stop elligible citizens from voting
and again we get to see a repug using the judiciary for political gain
every single repug is a traitor to this nation
“Nazis” is being kind.This jive ass turkey gives us white males a bad name.I am reminded of what Frank Zappa said about the Watts riots.”You know,people, I`m not Black,but there`s lots of times when I`m ashamed to say I`m white.”
Me too, Frankie.After reading this story,I would like to volunteer to help those people.And that White asshole Greg Abbott wouldn`t bamboozle me. This shit has got to stop,even if it is Texas.