Jack & Jill Politics

My favorite talk show host is a fiery liberal, progressive named Ray Taliaferro at radio station KGO in San Francisco, and whenever Ray signed off the air, he would always end his show by telling his listeners that “the price of freedom is Eternal Vigilance.”

That has never been more magified than this election year.  The Republicans are in free fall and have been so used to being in, and abusing power – for so long, that we should expect any and everything to come out of their camp to elect Senator UnAble and Governor UnQualified to the White House.  We are witnessing the last throes of a dying, cornered animal, and we should expect kitchen-sink, scorched earth campaign tactics from now until Election Day.  And that includes the purging of legitimately registered voters from registration rolls right before Election Day.  However, someone in the Feds must be equally tired of eight years of facsist governance, because this little report is floating around, saying that the attempt to purge voter records in battleground states is found to be illegal.  Via the New York Times at Yahoo:

States have been trying to follow the Help America Vote Act of 2002 by removing the names of voters who should no longer be listed. But for every voter added to the rolls in the past two months in some states, election officials have removed two, a review of the records shows.

The newspaper said it identified apparent problems in Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina. It says some states are improperly using Social Security data to verify new voters’ registration applications, and others may have broken rules that govern removing voters from the rolls within 90 days of a federal election.

Democrats have been more aggressive at registering new voters this year, according to state election officials, so any closer screening of new applications may affect their party’s supporters disproportionately, the Times said.

The result is that on Election Day, voters who have been removed from the rolls could show up and be challenged by political party officials or election workers.

The six states seem to have violated federal law in two ways. Some are removing voters from the rolls within 90 days of a federal election, which is not allowed except when voters die, notify the authorities that they have moved out of state, or have been declared unfit to vote. (emphasis mine)

And some of the states are improperly using Social Security data to verify registration applications for new voters, the newspaper reported.

Whether you vote for McCain or Obama, what is most important is that you ensure that you have the right to vote and that you are registered to vote, and that you don’t get “surprised” on Election Day because you find out you’ve been purged from the registration rolls.  If you do nothing else, make sure you are registered to vote and then, exercise that authority that being registered gives you.  If you don’t you have no right to complain about the outcome, and you get the government you deserve.