As the election nears, the Republican Party puts their "caging" tactic to disenfranchize minority voters into high gear, as usual, since the 1950's. And they do it as close to an election as possible, so the caged voter is more shocked with little or no time for corrective action. Caging in this context involves sending out non-forwardable or registered mail to targeted groups of voters and compiling “caging lists” of voters whose mail was returned for any reason. Although the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA ) prohibits election officials from canceling the registration of voters merely because a single piece of mail has been returned, Republican operatives have used the lists for many years in caging operations to challenge the voting rights of thousands of minority and urban voters nationwide on the basis of returned mail alone. With their caging lists in hand, Republican officials and operatives take the second step in their caging operations, using the lists as the basis for media campaigns to create the impression that the returned mail is evidence of mass voter fraud. Having raised the chimera of a voter fraud, Republican parties and operatives move into the third phase of caging operations. Operatives use the caging lists to challenge the voting eligibility of thousands of people of color and Democrats. The caging process, couched in racially neutral terms, is described in one party campaign document under the heading, “Pre-Election Day Operations - New Registration Mailing.”’ The use of such lists by the Republican Party to challenge voters in heavily Republican precincts has not been reported.Caging operations are relevant to the US Attorney dismissals because at least three of the fired US Attorneys refused to pursue voter fraud charges that could be used by Republicans to paint Democrats as perpetrators of fraud despite being pressured to do so by Republican Congress members and officials immediately before the 2006 elections. The US Attorneys are John McKay, Western District of Washington, David Iglesias, California, and Todd Graves of the Western District of Missouri. Mr. Graves’ interim successor, Bradley Schlozman, brought voter fraud charges against four former employees of a community organization in the week before the 2006 election. All three fired US Attorneys had exemplary records of service in office. The common thread in their performance was that they did not respond to external pressure to prosecute weak voter fraud cases.
Caging Democracy: A 50-Year History of Partisan Challenges to Minority Voters
Update: False Flier Warns of Election Day Arrests in PA African-American Neighborhoods; McCain Supporters Begin Ugliest of Dirty Tricks - Seen in '04 in OH and WI - Early This Year...(click here to see GOP "dirty tricks" flier!)
The state Republican Party this week challenged the eligibility of 6,000 registered Montana voters in seven counties historically considered Democratic strongholds.
the Republican Party of Montana is challenging the eligibility to vote of at least 6,000 residents of that state—mostly in key Democratic strongholds—based solely on the fact that the residents have filed change-of-address cards with the U.S. Postal Service
GOP Challenges 6,000 Montana Voters...Because They Moved Last Year; Seven Counties Where Challenges Are Occurring All 'Democratic Strongholds'...
Sequoia Op-Scan Ballot Counters Fail to Count Same Way Twice; Re-Scan Tests of 260 Initially Rejected Ballots in Disputed Palm Beach Election UN-Rejects Different Numbers of Ballots Each Time They Are Scanned; Same Failed Company Fighting Against Public Disclosure of Similar Problems Today in both Washington D.C. and New Jersey...
Watch the HBO documentary about electronic voting machines: "Hacking Democracy" (give it a second to load)
