>From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2008 8:38 PM >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: Lose Your House, Lose Your Vote > > >Republicans plan to foreclose African American voters > >By Eartha Jane Melzer > >Michigan Messenger - September 10, 2008 > >http://www.michiganmessenger.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/ohio- vote1-300x1 >85.jpgMichigan > >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. > >'We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will make >sure people aren't voting from those addresses,' party >chairman James Carabelli told Michigan Messenger in a >telephone interview earlier this week. He said the >local party wanted to make sure that proper electoral >procedures were followed. > >State election rules allow parties to assign 'election >challengers' to polls to monitor the election. In >addition to observing the poll workers, these >volunteers can challenge the eligibility of any voter >provided they 'have a good reason to believe' that the >person is not eligible to vote. One allowable reason is >that the person is not a 'true resident of the city or >township.' > >The Michigan Republicans' planned use of foreclosure >lists is apparently an attempt to challenge ineligible >voters as not being 'true residents.' > >One expert questioned the legality of the tactic. > >'You can't challenge people without a factual basis for >doing so,' said J. Gerald Hebert, a former voting >rights litigator for the U.S. Justice Department who >now runs the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington D.C.- >based public-interest law firm. 'I don't think a >foreclosure notice is sufficient basis for a challenge, >because people often remain in their homes after >foreclosure begins and sometimes are able to negotiate >and refinance.' > >As for the practice of challenging the right to vote of >foreclosed property owners, Hebert called it, 'mean- >spirited.' > >GOP ties to state's largest foreclosure law firm > >The Macomb GOP's plans are another indication of how >John McCain's campaign stands to benefit from the >burgeoning number of foreclosures in the state. >McCain's regional headquarters are housed in the office >building of foreclosure specialists Trott & Trott. The >firm's founder, David A. Trott, has raised between >$100,000 and $250,000 for the Republican nominee. > >The Macomb County party's plans to challenge voters who >have defaulted on their house payments is likely to >disproportionately affect African-Americans who are >overwhelmingly Democratic voters. More than 60 percent >of all sub-prime loans - the most likely kind of loan >to go into default - were made to African-Americans in >Michigan, according to a report issued last year by the >state's Department of Labor and Economic Growth. > >Challenges to would-be voters > >Statewide, the Republican Party is gearing up for a >comprehensive voter challenge campaign, according to >Denise Graves, party chair for Republicans in Genessee >County, which encompasses Flint. The party is creating >a spreadsheet of election challenger volunteers and >expects to coordinate a training with the regional >McCain campaign, Graves said in an interview with >Michigan Messenger. > >Whether the Republicans will challenge voters with >foreclosed homes elsewhere in the state is not known. > >Kelly Harrigan, deputy director of the GOP's voter >programs, confirmed that she is coordinating the >group's 'election integrity' program. Harrigan said the >effort includes putting in place a legal team, as well >as training election challengers. She said the >challenges to voters were procedural rather than >personal. She referred inquiries about the vote >challenge program to communications director Bill >Knowles who promised information but did not return >calls. > >Party chairman Carabelli said that the Republican Party >is training election challengers to 'make sure that >[voters] are who they say who they are.' > >When asked for further details on how Republicans are >compiling challenge lists, he said, 'I would rather not >tell you all the things we are doing.' > >Vote suppression: Not an isolated effort > >Carabelli is not the only Republican Party official to >suggest the targeting of foreclosed voters. In Ohio, >Doug Preisse, director of elections in Franklin County >(around the city of Columbus) and the chair of the >local GOP, told The Columbus Dispatch that he has not >ruled out challenging voters before the election due to >foreclosure-related address issues. > >Hebert, the voting-rights lawyer, sees a connection >between Priesse's remarks and Carabelli's plans. > >'At a minimum what you are seeing is a fairly >comprehensive effort by the Republican Party, a >systematic broad-based effort to put up obstacles for >people to vote,' he said. 'Nobody is contending that >these people are not legally registered to vote. > >'When you are comprehensively challenging people to >vote,' Hebert went on, 'your goals are two-fold: One is >you are trying to knock people out from casting >ballots; the other is to create a slowdown that will >discourage others,' who see a long line and realize >they can't afford to stay and wait. > >Challenging all voters registered to foreclosed homes >could disrupt some polling places, especially in the >Detroit metropolitan area. According to the real estate >Web site RealtyTrac, one in every 176 households in >Wayne County, metropolitan Detroit, received a >foreclosure filing during the month of July. In Macomb >County, the figure was one household in every 285, >meaning that 1,834 homeowners received the bad news in >just one month. The Macomb County foreclosure rate puts >it in the top three percent of all U.S. counties in the >number of distressed homeowners. > >Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Kent and Genessee counties were >- in that order - the counties with the most homeowners >facing foreclosure, according to RealtyTrac. As of >July, there were more than 62,000 foreclosure filings >in the entire state. > >Joe Rozell, director of elections for Oakland County in >suburban Detroit, acknowledged that challenges such as >those described by Carabelli are allowed by law but >said they have the potential to create long lines and >disrupt the voting process. With 890,000 potential >voters closely divided between Democratic and >Republican, Oakland County is a key swing county of >this swing state. > >According to voter challenge directives handed down by >Republican Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, voter >challenges need only be 'based on information obtained >through a reliable source or means.' > >'But poll workers are not allowed to ask the reason' >for the challenges, Rozell said. In other words, >Republican vote challengers are free to use foreclosure >lists as a basis for disqualifying otherwise eligible >voters. > >David Lagstein, head organizer with the Michigan >Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now >(ACORN), described the plans of the Macomb GOP as >'crazy.' > >'You would think they would think, `This is going to >look too heartless," said Lagstein, whose group has >registered 200,000 new voters statewide this year and >also runs a foreclosure avoidance program. 'The >Republican-led state Senate has not moved on the anti- >predatory lending bill for over a year and yet >[Republicans] have time to prey on those who have >fallen victim to foreclosure to suppress the vote.' >
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