Voter suppression

Voter suppression is a form of electoral fraud and refers to the use of governmental power, political campaign strategy, and private resources aimed at suppressing (i.e. reducing) the total vote of opposition candidacies instead of attempting to change likely voting behavior by changing the opinions of potential voters. This method is particularly effective if a significant amount of voters are intimidated individually because the voter might not consider his or her single vote important.

Methods of voter suppression

Jim Crow laws

In the United States, voter suppression was used extensively in most Southern states until the Voting Rights Act (1965) made most disenfranchisement and voting qualifications illegal. Traditional voter suppression tactics included the institution of poll taxes and literacy tests, aimed at suppressing the votes of African Americans and working class white voters. [ [http://www.umich.edu/~lawrace/disenfranchise1.htm Techniques of Direct Disenfranchisement, 1880-1965] , University of Michigan] [ [http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/history/creating2.htm Creating Jim Crow: In-Depth Essay] , Ronald L. F. Davis, Ph. D - [http://www.jimcrowhistory.org The History of Jim Crow] ]

Ex-Felon disenfranchisement

In 2004, 5.3 million Americans were denied the right to vote because of previous felony convictions. Thirteen states permanently disenfranchise convicted felons; eighteen states restore voting rights after completion of prison, parole, and probation; four states re-enfranchise felons after they have been released from prison and have completed parole; thirteen allow felons who have been released from prison to vote, and two states do not disenfranchise felons at all. [ [http://www.sentencingproject.org/pdfs/1046.pdf Felony Disenfranchisement Laws in the United States Fact Sheet] , Sentencing Project, July 2005] However, for states that do offer a path for restoration of voting rights, the process can often be very difficult.

The United States is the only democracy in the world that bans its felons from voting. Other countries including Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Norway, Peru, Sweden, and Zimbabwe all allow their prisoners to vote. [http://www.reformelections.org/feature.asp?menuid={2C21F24C-F920-4FAE-81E2-715512C100BA} Restoration of Voting Rights Q&A] , ReformElections.org]

Some countries, notably the U.K., do not permit convicted prisoners in jail to vote but restore full civil rights on release even if that release is on parole.

In Florida during the 2000 presidential election, some non-felons were banned due to record-keeping errors and are not warned of their disqualification before they no longer had the right to contest it.

This form of vote suppression disproportionately affects minorities including African-Americans and Latinos.

Partisan election administration

Across the United States, 33 state election directors are elected partisans. The majority of the world's democracies use independent agents to manage elections. Because of their partisan ties, election officials are often presented with a confilict of interest while directing elections. Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris served as state co-chair of the Bush-Cheney campaign during the 2000 presidential election, and Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell served as his state's Bush-Cheney co-chair during the 2004 presidential election.cite book |title=Stealing Democracy |last=Overton |first=Spencer |year=2006 |publisher=W. W. Norton |isbn=0393061590 |pages=224 |url=http://www.stealingdemocracy.com ]

Inequality in Election Day resources

Elections in the United States are funded at the local level, often unequally. In the 2004 elections, Wyoming spent $2.15 per voter while California spent $3.99 per voter. In contrast, Canada spends $9.51 per voter. This can result in long lines at the polls resulting in wait times of multiple areas predominantly in urban areas. [In 2004, the Franklin County board of elections (Columbus, Ohio) determined they needed 5,000 machines, but decided move machines from urban areas to suburban areas and go with only 2,866 machines. On Election Day 2004, Tanya Thivener waited four hours in line to vote in Columbus, Ohio. Tanya's mother waited just 15 minutes to vote in a Columbus suburb.]

Caging lists

Caging lists have been used by political parties to eliminate potential voters from the other party's voting roll. A political party sends registered mail to addresses of registered voters. If the mail is returned as undeliverable the party uses that fact to challenge the registration, arguing that because the voter could not be reached at the address, the registration is fraudulent.

Examples of voter suppression

2002 New Hampshire Senate election phone jamming scandal

In the 2002 New Hampshire Senate election phone jamming scandal, Republican officials attempted to reduce the number of Democratic voters by paying professional telemarketers in Idaho to make repeated hang-up calls to block Democrats' ride-to-the-polls phone lines on election day.cite press release
title =Former RNC New England Regional Director Indicted in New Hampshire Phone Jamming Case
publisher = US DOJ
date =2004-12-01
url =http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2004/December/04_crm_768.htm
accessdate = 2007-05-25 ] cite news
title =Former GOP Official Gets Prison Term for Phone Plot
publisher =AP
date =2006-05-17
url =http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,195914,00.html
accessdate = 2007-05-25 ]

United States Senate election in Virginia, 2006

During the United States Senate election in Virginia, 2006, Secretary of the Virginia State Board of Elections Jean Jensen concluded that the incidents of voter suppression appeared widespread and deliberate. Documented incidents of voter suppression include: [cite news
title =Sec. of Virginia State Board of Elections Finds Widespread Incidents of Voter Suppression
publisher =American Chronicle
date =2006-11-06
url =http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/16105
accessdate = 2008-09-07 ]
*Democratic voters receiving calls incorrectly informing them voting will lead to arrest.
*Widespread calls fraudulently claiming to be "Webb Volunteers," falsely telling voters their voting location had changed.
*Fliers paid for by the Republican Party , stating "SKIP THIS ELECTION" caused was allegedly an attempt to suppress African-American turnout.The FBI has since launched an investigation into the suppression attempts. [cite news
title = FBI launches probe of Virginia pre-election calls
publisher =CNN
date =2006-11-07
url =http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/07/deceptivecalls.va/
accessdate = 2008-09-07 ]

2004 presidential election

In the U.S. presidential election of 2004, some voters got phone calls with false information intended to keep them from voting--saying that their voting place had been changed or that voting would take place on Wednesday as well as on Tuesday.cite web
title =Intimidation and Deceptive Practices
publisher =Election Protection coalition/PFAW
url =http://www.ep365.org/site/c.fnKGIMNtEoG/b.2052599/k.6FF4/Intimidation_and_Deceptive_Practices.htm
accessdate = 2007-05-25 ] cite web
title =Incidents Of Voter Intimidation & Suppression
publisher =American Ctr for Voting Rights
url =http://web.archive.org/web/20060210111239/http://www.ac4vr.com/reports/072005/republicanincidents.html
accessdate = 2007-05-25 ]

Other allegations surfaced in several states that the group called Voters Outreach of America had collected and submitted Republican voter registration forms while inappropriately disposing of Democratic registration forms. [cite news
url=http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2421595&nav=168XRvNe
title=Investigation into Trashed Voter Registrations
date=2004-10-13
publisher=KLAS-TV
author=George Knapp] [cite web
url=http://edition.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/10/14/nevada.registration/index.html
title=Nevada investigates voter registration, Probe also under way in Oregon on fraud allegations
date=2004-10-14
publisher=CNN
author=] [cite news
url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/14/politics/main649380.shtml
title=Voter Fraud Charges Out West
date=2004-10-14
publisher=CBS News
author=David Paul Kuhn ] [cite news
url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04294/398767.stm
title=Campaign 2004: Voter registration workers cry foul
date=2004-10-20
publisher=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
author=Dennis B. Roddy] .

Michigan Republican state legislator John Pappageorge, was quoted as saying, "If we do not suppress the Detroit vote, we're going to have a tough time in this election." [cite news
url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6242175/
title=Voter suppression charges on the rise
date=2004-10-13
publisher=MSNBC
author=Chip Reid] .

In 2006, four employees of the John Kerry campaign were convicted of slashing the tires of 25 vans rented by the state Republican Party which were to be used for driving Republican monitors to the polls. At the campaign workers' sentencing, Judge Michael B. Brennan told the defendants, "Voter suppression has no place in our country. Your crime took away that right to vote for some citizens."cite news
last =Ehlke
first =Gretchen
title =Congresswoman's son, four others charged with slashing Republican van tires on Election Day
publisher =AP
date =2005-01-24
url =http://web.archive.org/web/20050829020422/http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/a/2005/01/24/national1242EST0521.DTL
accessdate = 2007-05-25 ] cite news
last =Ehlke
first =Gretchen
title =Men Get Jail Time In Milwaukee Tire-Slashing Case
publisher =AP
date =2006-04-26
url =http://web.archive.org/web/20060503003521/http://wfrv.com/topstories/local_story_116123954.html
accessdate = 2007-05-25 ]

ee also

*Electoral fraud
*Caging list
*American Center for Voting Rights
*Political corruption
*Voter turnout

References

External links

* [http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/348/index.html NOW on PBS interview reviewing the likelihood and forms of Voter Suppression liely in 2008]
* [http://www.ac4vr.com/reports/072005/default.html Vote Fraud, Intimidation & Suppression In The 2004 Presidential Election]
* [http://www.ac4vr.com/ American Center For Voting Rights] , August 2, 2005, report.
* [http://blackprof.com/stealingd.html Stealing democracy] Spencer Overton, Stealing Democracy, June 5, 2006