The Political Voices of Women

We live in The United States of America, home of the free. Where homeowners are free to vote, as long as they haven’t been foreclosed on. Are you o.k. with that?

Lose Your House, Lose Your Vote

The chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County, Michigan, a key swing county in a key swing state, is planning to use a list of foreclosed homes to block people from voting in the upcoming election as part of the state GOP’s effort to challenge some voters on Election Day.

Homeowners in Michigan Lose Vote…

Property ownership has always had a troubling connection to voting rights in this country. When the nation was founded, only white property owners, a tiny fraction of the population, could vote. And while most states had dropped property requirements for voting by the mid-eighteen hundreds, we’ve seen more recently, with the promotion of Bush’s “ownership society” and the high premium placed on homeownership, that owning property again features prominently in our concept of economic citizenship.

Indeed, it’s a slippery slope from the belief that homeowners are truer stakeholders and fulfillers of the American dream to the notion that homeowners are more legitimate Americans. That’s just one of the many disturbing aspects of the recent revelation, as reported by the Michigan Meseanger, that the chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County in Michigan is “planning to use a list of foreclosed homes to block people from voting in the upcoming election as part of the state GOP’s effort to challenge some voters on Election Day.”

From Pam’s House Blend…

In Project Vote’s statement, Teresa James says “The GOP’s plan is a cynical partisan attempt to suppress the vote of thousands of low-income and African-American voters, a replay of the 2004 threats of mass challenges…In America you get to vote even if you’re behind on your bills. All Americans–particularly those members of the community hit hardest by the economic crisis–deserve a voice and a vote on Election Day.”

Even if your house hasn’t been foreclosed on, can you really be sure your vote will be counted?

It’s The Ballot Count, Stupid!

Millions will soon begin early voting in the General Election. Nearly half of all US counties will use Diebold GEMS tabulation system. Election officials have the ability to print off complete election summary reports throughout voting as ballots come in. This report shows how many ballots were cast, for whom, where and preliminary totals.

According to Jim March, “this is a Zogby poll from hell because if this information falls into anyone’s hands and not enough care is taken to protect the data, last-minute external pressure can be strategically placed to steal an election” not to mention the blatant internal manipulation possible.

Pima County Arizona uses Diebold voting machines. In May, 2006, a widely opposed $2-billion RTA bond measure to build new highways somehow was approved. Americans United for Democracy, Integrity, and Transparency in Elections – Arizona (AUDIT AZ) wants to know what happened.

They are so committed to uncovering vote machine and county worker fraud that a group member, who was also the officially, registered Democratic and Libertarian Party observer, was ordered arrested in Tucson last week during a hand count audit of the AZ Primary Election for asking questions about broken seals and ballot handling.

Will Democracy Lose In Ohio Again?

What follows is an article entitled “Ten ways the McCain/Palin GOP is Now Stealing the Ohio Vote”

Also See:

Adding Insult to Injury

Boing Boing