As we all focus on the presidential race, we also need to bear in mind that the Republicans are desperate to hang on to enough Senate seats--60--to allow them a filibuster-proof majority.
So they must win those four seats that they "won" six years ago: Wayne Allard's in Colorado, Norm Coleman's in Minnesota, John Sununu's in New Hampshire--and Saxby Chambliss's in Georgia. (Of those four, Georgia and Colorado were quite clearly stolen, while Minnesota and New Hampshire may have been, the latter having the been the scene of the notorious phone-jamming scheme paid for by Jack Abramoff.) We need therefore to keep a close eye on those races. This move by Georgia's SoS would seem to be intended to ensure that Chambliss will be "re-elected." MCM Georgia gives green light to racial targeting at polls <http://www.dailykos.com/hotlist/add/2008/10/31/115413/09/displaystory//> by <http://progressivesouth.dailykos.com/>ProgressiveSouth Fri Oct 31, 2008 at 09:04:05 AM PDT <http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/31/115413/09/917/647931>http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/31/115413/09/917/647931 In a bold move this week, <http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2008/10/30/citizen.html>Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel (R) announced she was sending letters to 4,770 registered voters that they may have to cast "challenge" ballots that won't be counted on election day. In a striking announcement, she also declared that <http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2008/10/30/citizen.html>regular citizens would be able to contest the citizenship of fellow voters at the polls -- forcing them to also cast challenged ballots that won't be included in election day tallies. The surprising announcement is the latest in a winding saga between Handel, Georgia voters, the Department of Justice and a panel of federal judges over a new and aggressive state policy to flag and purge voters whose citizenship is in question based on state records. Earlier this month, <http://www.ajc.com/cherokee/content/metro/cherokee/stories/2008/10/09/cherokee_vote_suit.html>the ACLU sued the state of Georgia on behalf of Jose Morales, a Cherokee County voter who was targeted to be purged from the roles despite having become a citizen in November 2007. Earlier, <http://www.ajc.com/cherokee/content/metro/cherokee/stories/2008/10/09/cherokee_vote_suit.html>the Department of Justice had argued that Georgia's citizenship purge violated the Voting Rights Act because it had not be pre-cleared with the DOJ, something Georgia must do because it falls under the Act. After the DOJ questioned the purges, <http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2008/10/30/citizen.html>many counties stopped mailing letters to flagged voters. A three-judge panel of federal judges said on Monday of this week that the state must notify those who have been flagged and find a way to allow them to vote. But it's not at all clear that Handel's decision to do an end-run around the counties and directly mail letters to 4,770 flagged voters will in reality allow them to vote. <http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2008/10/30/citizen.html>As the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: Those whose citizenship is in question can go to a county elections office before Election Day and produce documents proving their citizenship and resolve the issue, Carrothers said. But if the letters were only mailed Wednesday, that means that many flagged voters will only be receiving the letters today -- giving them only 1-2 business days at crowded election offices to resolve the problem. If they're not able to, Handel has made it clear the votes might not count: The letter from Handel's office tells the voters that if they appear at their polling place with the issue still unresolved, they will be given a "challenge" ballot -- a paper version of the ballot that appears on electronic voting machines. The ballot will not be included in the precinct's vote totals, Handel said. Even more worrisome is that Handel explicitly stated that any voter's citizenship can be contested by any other voter on election day, a policy which could be used to target <http://www.hispanictips.com/2005/11/03/georgia-latinos-among-fastest-growing-in-nation/>the state's rapidly-growing Latino population and other racial groups. As the AJC reports: Any voter can challenge another's qualifications to cast a ballot by notifying a precinct poll manager, Handel said. That voter then would be given a challenge ballot and would have to go before the election board. And as Handel has made clear, "challenge ballots" will not be automatically counted, putting an extra burden on those who are challenged to prove their citizenship later. Handel seems to admit the new policy opens the door for a form of vigilante, racially-targeted voter intimidation at the polls, but dismissed the threat: If large numbers of challenges are made on Election Day, Handel said, her office will investigate whether they are part of an orchestrated effort to influence the election's outcome. But, she said, "I'm not anticipating any kind of huge issue there." Handel has drawn widespread criticism for her uniquely partisan approach to running Georgia's elections. In <http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2008/10/31/handeled.html>a scathing editorial today, the AJC editorial board looks at other controversies surrounding Handel and finds her reputation damaged: No matter the outcome of Tuesday's election, a loser has emerged -- Secretary of State Karen Handel. Her relentless crusade to <http://www.ajc.com/services/content/2008/10/31/powell.html>bounce Democratic Public Service Commission candidate Jim Powell from the ballot, her posturing over yet-to-be-seen voter fraud and her flippant dismissal of voter delays this week have tarnished her and her office. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to Mark Crispin Miller's "News From Underground" newsgroup. 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