Der Black vote

[videoholic]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6236774/

OK, let me preface this with one thing, I\'m a white man.



I just can\'t figure out this whole deal with blacks in Florida and why they whine about not getting to vote.


"Nearly a dozen African American ministers and civil rights leaders walked into the Duval County election office here, television cameras in tow, with a list of questions: How come there were not more early voting sites closer to black neighborhoods? How come so many blacks were not being allowed to redo incomplete voter registrations? Who was deciding all this?"




I don\'t get it.  



"A Washington Post analysis found nearly three times the number of flagged Democratic registrations as Republican. Broken down by race, no group had more flagged registrations than blacks.

This, in a heavily GOP county where records show that the numbers of blacks added to the rolls since 2000 approximately equals the number of non-Hispanic whites.

Some registrations were missing critical information, such as a signature. Others had different problems, with some people listing post office boxes instead of street addresses or putting street addresses on the wrong line. "




This has nothing to do with being black!!!!  This is about being friggen stupid!!!  IF you don\'t sign the damn thing or you fill it out incorrectly, how in the hell are they suposed to process it.  You have to have a signature for absentee verification.  You have to have the right address so you get the right polling location and you don\'t apply more than one time.  Whoa is me, whoa is me.  I\'m dissenfranchised.  I filled out my paperwork completely wrong and they aren\'t leting me vote.  

BTW, I voted last week absentee.  Hope they count mine.

I agree Vid, I found an interesting article from a black man on this very issue:



By Ken Hughes
Oct. 11, 2004

Again John Kerry has teamed up with those two modern Black Slave Masters Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpten. According to Jackson and Sharpten if President Bush is reelected slavery is behind the next door. Nothing could be further from the truth. I’ve been paying very close attention to the rallies both candidates attend. One fact stands out there are more black faces at a Bush event than at a Kerry event. They’re not being exploited they just stand there like everyone else, Their Bush supporters not Black Bush supporters.

Have you ever noticed President Bush never hyphenates anyone by color or class?

The Bush administration has more Black Cabinet members and Officials than all the Democratic Administrations that preceded it. The difference between President Bush and Senator Kerry, the President doesn’t run up the “ One of my best friends is Black” flag he just accepts blacks as people capable of doing a good job and lets the Kerry’s, Jackson’s and Sharpten’s play the race card.

Talk about your nuances and metaphors, Jesse Jackson is quoted as saying, “ November 2nd the power is in your hands, hands that once picked cotton”. Now I ask you how many African Americans living in Harlem have ever picked cotton?

Senator Kerry is quoted as saying “ No African American will be denied their right to vote” How is Senator Kerry going to undo all the laws in most of the states that prevent felons from voting, most disenfranchised blacks are felons? Neither Democrats nor Republicans have the power to refuse anyone the right to vote because of color. Color is not included on any registration application that I know of. The American public would never allow a precinct worker to turn someone away from a ballet box because of color. Again its the modern Black Slave Masters doing what ever it takes telling any lie to hold on to the power they have over their congregations.

In the past few months I’ve gotten several e- mails from young Black University students asking for my assistance in writing essays why blacks should vote? Most are concerned with their being instructed on how to vote. In order not to pass on my conservative bias I have engaged Claxton Graham a liberal to assist in offering balanced advice. We both advise their vote belongs to them and not to some self-appointed leader of their community. Those days are coming to a close thank God.

Al Sharpten suggests if President Bush is reelected and has the power to appoint new members to the Supreme Court He will appoint members who will reinstate slavery. This is the same President who appointed General Powell and Dr. Rice to two of the highest positions in the Government. Al you need to get back on your medication.

Charles Rangel a House Democrat, Harlem’s answer to Teddy Kennedy introduced a bill in congress to reinstate the draft then through surrogates tried to pass it off as a Bush plan. When challenged he said if we had a draft there would never have been a war. Excuse me but isn’t that the reason for a draft to conscript men to go to war. Congressman Rangel is in effect insulting all those brave man and women who so proudly serve, many are black and each one a volunteer. This is not unlike Senator Kerry who insults our Allies casts disparaging remarks about the new Leaders of Iraq and expects to build an International Coalition. Not in my neighborhood.



IMO this guy hits all the points.  From disenfranchised voters to the propaganda spread by some of the black communities most prominant leaders.

This is so true like Giga and Vid have said, they say all these people were turned away, but for what reasons other than being black do they give??? Gimme a break its not cuz they were black, if I was a felon or didn\'t do my stuff right then I wouldn\'t be voting either.

While I agree that Sharpton and Jackson are clowns to say that this is not a problem is completely wrong. People always try to encourage their opponent supporters to not vote. When it comes to black voters the vote overwhelmingly Democrat so they are an easy target for Republican supporters.

Millions Blocked from Voting in U.S. Election
by Alan Elsner

WASHINGTON - Millions of U.S. citizens, including a disproportionate number of black voters, will be blocked from voting in the Nov. 2 presidential election because of legal barriers, faulty procedures or dirty tricks, according to civil rights and legal experts.


There are individuals and officials who are actively trying to stop people from voting who they think will vote against their party and that nearly always means stopping black people from voting Democratic.

Mary Frances Berry, head of the U.S. Commission on Human Rights
The largest category of those legally disenfranchised consists of almost 5 million former felons who have served prison sentences and been deprived of the right to vote under laws that have roots in the post-Civil War 19th century and were aimed at preventing black Americans from voting.

But millions of other votes in the 2000 presidential election were lost due to clerical and administrative errors while civil rights organizations have cataloged numerous tactics aimed at suppressing black voter turnout. Polls consistently find that black Americans overwhelmingly vote for Democrats.

"There are individuals and officials who are actively trying to stop people from voting who they think will vote against their party and that nearly always means stopping black people from voting Democratic," said Mary Frances Berry, head of the U.S. Commission on Human Rights.

Vicky Beasley, a field officer for People for the American Way, listed some of the ways voters have been "discouraged" from voting.

"In elections in Baltimore in 2002 and in Georgia last year, black voters were sent fliers saying anyone who hadn\'t paid utility bills or had outstanding parking tickets or were behind on their rent would be arrested at polling stations. It happens in every election cycle," she said.

In a mayoral election in Philadelphia last year, people pretending to be plainclothes police officers stood outside some polling stations asking people to identify themselves. There have also been reports of mysterious people videotaping people waiting in line to vote in black neighborhoods.

Minority voters may be deterred from voting simply by election officials demanding to see drivers\' licenses before handing them a ballot, according to Spencer Overton, who teaches law at George Washington University. The federal government does not require people to produce a photo identification unless they are first-time voters who registered by mail.

"African Americans are four to five times less likely than whites to have a photo ID," Overton said at a recent briefing on minority disenfranchisement.

Courtenay Strickland of the Americans Civil Liberties Union testified to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights last week that at a primary election in Florida last month, many people were wrongly turned away when they could not produce identification.

BLACKS\' BALLOTS REJECTED

The commission, in a report earlier this year, said that in Florida, where President Bush won a bitterly disputed election in 2000 by 537 votes, black voters had been 10 times more likely than non-black voters to have their ballots rejected and were often prevented from voting because their names were erroneously purged from registration lists.

Additionally, Florida is one of 14 states that prohibit ex-felons from voting. Seven percent of the electorate but 16 percent of black voters in that state are disenfranchised.

In other swing states, 4.6 percent of voters in Iowa, but 25 percent of blacks, were disenfranchised in 2000 as ex-felons. In Nevada, it was 4.8 percent of all voters but 17 percent of blacks; in New Mexico, 6.2 percent of all voters but 25 percent of blacks.

In total, 13 percent of all black men are disenfranchised due to a felony conviction, according to the Commission on Civil Rights.

"This has a huge effect on elections but also on black communities which see their political clout diluted. No one has yet explained to me how letting ex-felons who have served their sentences into polling booths hurts anyone," said Jessie Allen of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University.

Penda Hair, co-director of the Advancement Project, which seeks to ensure fair multiracial elections, recently reported that registrars across the country often claimed not to have received voter registration forms or rejected them for technical reasons that could have been corrected easily before voting day if the applicant had known there was a problem.

Beasley said that many voters who had registered recently in swing states were likely to find their names would not be on the rolls when they showed up on Election Day.

"There is very widespread delay in the swing states because there have been massive registration drives among minorities and those applications are not being processed quickly enough," she said.

This is not a case of "Umm.....I\'m too stupid to know what I\'m doing." This is a case of people making minor mistakes on voter registrations and being denied the right to vote because of it. If I make a mistake on my voter registration in August I don\'t expect to go to the polls in November and be turned away because no one ever told me I about it. That is wrong no matter how bad you want to turn this into a case of black people whining for whining\'s sake.

[videoholic]

OK, you register to vote.  You make an error.  If you don\'t get your voter card in the mail, then obvioulsy there is something wrong.  

And why is it up to the voter\'s registration people to tell you that you\'re an idiot and didn\'t sign it.

Some say those who break the law lack the trustworthiness to make it. Todd Gaziano of the Heritage Foundation argues that felons might form some kind of "anti-law-enforcement bloc" and elect bad officials. But last year Alabama Republican Party Chairman Marty Connors stated a bald truth: "As frank as I can be," he said, "we\'re opposed to [restoring voting rights] because felons don\'t tend to vote Republican." He is right: People with low incomes, low education or minority status -- all benchmarks of convict populations -- vote Democratic 65 to 90 percent of the time.

How can ANYONE argue that this is right?

Giga is always talking about the intolerance of leftist groups while these ELECTED OFFICIALS are admitting they do not want to give felons the right to vote because they don\'t vote republican. But of course Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson said something about it so that makes the issue not worth discussing. Thats how those tolerant people on the right roll. :rolleyes:

Originally posted by videoholic
OK, you register to vote.  You make an error.  If you don\'t get your voter card in the mail, then obvioulsy there is something wrong.  

And why is it up to the voter\'s registration people to tell you that you\'re an idiot and didn\'t sign it.

Not everyone gets voter cards.

It is up to the voter registration people to tell you that you made an error because THAT IS THEIR JOB. They are supposed to assist the people in getting registered to vote. If there is an error in the registration process they are supposed to inform you so that you have the opportunity to correct the error.

Originally posted by Black Samurai
How can ANYONE argue that this is right?

Giga is always talking about the intolerance of leftist groups while these ELECTED OFFICIALS are admitting they do not want to give felons the right to vote because they don\'t vote republican. But of course Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson said something about it so that makes the issue not worth discussing. Thats how those tolerant people on the right roll. :rolleyes:

Felons shouldn\'t vote - period.  The only reason Democrats want them to be allowed to vote is because they are soft on crime and punishment and thus, will garner convict votes.  

This is really beside the point - these laws have been on the books for a decade or more and they were made by bi partisan committee\'s.  The only reason the issue is coming up now is because Democrats are trying to get every possible vote they can - whether it is from convicts to illegal immigrants.

Originally posted by Black Samurai
Not everyone gets voter cards.

It is up to the voter registration people to tell you that you made an error because THAT IS THEIR JOB. They are supposed to assist the people in getting registered to vote. If there is an error in the registration process they are supposed to inform you so that you have the opportunity to correct the error.

Once again - this is part of the problem with the black community - they don\'t take responsibility.  Passing the responsibilty and saying it is "their job" is no excuse.  If you don\'t get your electric bill in the mail and consequently don\'t make the payment, do you think that excuse would fly with the electric company after they have turned your power off?

Giga, wtf are you talking about?

You cannot take away felons rights to vote. Not all people that commit crimes are bad people.

Let\'s get this straight.  We\'re talking about EX-FELONS, right?  You can\'t vote while you\'re incarcerated, so we must be discussing those who were convicted of a felony, served their time, and were released.

Why shouldn\'t they vote?  Are they not citizens anymore?  They are already effectively banned from working any normal job by standard corporate hiring practices.  Now you want to strip away their citizenship rights as well?  That is complete BS.

Originally posted by Deadly Hamster
Giga, wtf are you talking about?

You cannot take away felons rights to vote. Not all people that commit crimes are bad people.

WTF are you talking about??? Not all people that commit crimes are bad people?

It is the LAW.  I didn\'t make it - states have made them and they have been on the books for a long time.  You commit a felony - and yes you shouldn\'t be able to vote IMO.  Regardless if you have served your time.  Voting is viewed as a priviledge, not a right by many states.  I tend to agree.  

Besides this is a moot point since nothing is going to change prior to November 2.

Originally posted by GigaShadow
Felons shouldn\'t vote - period.  The only reason Democrats want them to be allowed to vote is because they are soft on crime and punishment and thus, will garner convict votes.  

This is really beside the point - these laws have been on the books for a decade or more and they were made by bi partisan committee\'s.  The only reason the issue is coming up now is because Democrats are trying to get every possible vote they can - whether it is from convicts to illegal immigrants.

Why not? Why should someone that has been convicted of a crime and paid their debt to society in prison lose their right to vote? Are they no longer citizens? It is not about being "soft on crime" no one is saying let prisoners out of jail. Voting is a right not a privilege.

You are always trying to paint the democrats as the problem in every solution. Get your head out of your ass and see that this is a Republican issue. all of the states that deny felons/ex-felons the right to vote are conservative states. To say that you don\'t want a particular part of society to vote because they will not vote for you leads to the very definition of being disenfranchised.

BTW, Its not Kerry who proposed giving amnesty to all illegal aliens.

Originally posted by GigaShadow
Once again - this is part of the problem with the black community - they don\'t take responsibility.  Passing the responsibilty and saying it is "their job" is no excuse.  If you don\'t get your electric bill in the mail and consequently don\'t make the payment, do you think that excuse would fly with the electric company after they have turned your power off?

What is there to take responsibility of? If you do not even know that you made a mistake on an application how are you supposed to fix it? If I put my mailing address on a form instead of my home address(in a box labelled only "Address") does that mean I\'ve lost my right to vote?

Your analogy is ridiculous. How do you compare a paid consumer service with a government provided service?

BTW, If your house burns down because the firemen didn\'t want to come do you say "oh well, I shouldn\'t have lived next door to a smoker. This is my fault"? That is pretty much what you are alluding to and it makes no sense.

Voting is viewed as a priviledge, not a right by many states.  

Bullshit! And you say you believe in freedom?

Give me a break.

Originally posted by Coredweller
Let\'s get this straight.  We\'re talking about EX-FELONS, right?  You can\'t vote while you\'re incarcerated, so we must be discussing those who were convicted of a felony, served their time, and were released.

Why shouldn\'t they vote?  Are they not citizens anymore?  They are already effectively banned from working any normal job by standard corporate hiring practices.  Now you want to strip away their citizenship rights as well?  That is complete BS.

These are the breakdowns when it comes to voter restrictions:

• No restrictions (Maine, Vermont)
  
• Inmates Only (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Montana, North/South Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Louisiana, Hawaii)
  
• Inmates & Parolees (NY, Connecticut, Rhode Island, California, Colorado, Kansas)
  
• Inmates, Parolees, and Probationers (New Jersey, West Virginia, North/South Carolina, Georgia, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Idaho, Alaska)
  
• Inmates, Parolees, Probationers, and Some or All Ex-Felons (Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, Tennesee, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Washington, Nevada, Arizona)