By Antonio D. French
Filed Sunday, November 19, 2006 at 9:48 AM
Last week, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) introduced legislation that targets shady Election Day tactics that seek to intimidate voters and prevent them from exercising their right to vote. Labels: Election_Day
"The Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2006", would make it illegal for anyone to knowingly attempt to prevent others from exercising his or her right to vote by providing deceptive information and would require the Attorney General to fully investigate these allegations.
Penalties include up to $100,000 in fines and/or one year imprisonment.
"Too often, we hear reports of mysterious phone calls and mailers arriving just days before an election that seek to mislead and threaten voters to keep them from the polls," said Obama. "And those who engage in these deceptive and underhanded campaign tactics usually target voters living in minority or low-income neighborhoods. This legislation would ensure that for the first time, these incidents are fully investigated and that those found guilty are punished."
Obama said that in last week’s election, mailers distributed in predominantly African-American counties in Maryland wrongly implied that African-American Democrats had endorsed Republican candidates. The fliers were paid for and authorized by GOP Senate candidate Michael Steele and Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich.
In House races across the country, reports surfaced of Democrats receiving dozens of harassing robocalls designed to imply that they came from Democratic candidates. In fact, the calls were paid for by Republicans and were intended to suppress turnout among Democrats. Read more about these calls at www.TalkingPointsMemo.com.
The legislation would also require the Attorney General to work with the Federal Communications Commission and the Election Assistance Commission to determine the feasibility of using the public broadcasting system as a means of providing voters with full and accurate Election Day information.
6 Comments:
it will never pass the dems cant aford to have there most valubale tool made illigel
11/19/2006 9:13 PM
Will they also go after groups like Acorn that clog the system with phony voter registrations?
11/20/2006 10:14 AM
The “DEMS”… PLEASE… the ”REPUBLICAN” I guess you never heard about The Diebold Corporation and "Hacking Democracy" why don’t you check it out on HBO? This documentary exposes the vulnerability of computers - which count approximately 80% of America's votes in county, state and federal elections - suggesting that if our votes aren't safe, then our democracy isn't safe either. Electronic voting machines count about 87% of the votes cast in America today. But are they reliable? “NO” Are they safe from tampering? “NO”. From a current congressional hearing to persistent media reports that suggest misuse of data and even outright fraud, concerns over the integrity of electronic voting are growing by the day. And if the voting process is not secure, neither is America's democracy. Talk about "tactics" HACKING DEMOCRACY exposes gaping holes in the security of America's electronic voting system.
11/20/2006 5:13 PM
if all that were true how come the dems won?????
11/20/2006 7:45 PM
maybe there the ones cheating
11/20/2006 7:46 PM
Anonymous, I'm surprise at you! You mean to tell me you still don't know by now! Here is a CLUE... (Very simple) America changing from red to blue.
Long version:
More than 80 percent of the nation’s voters cast some type of electronic ballot that Tuesday, the deadline for major reforms mandated by the federal Help America Vote Act passed by Congress to prevent a rerun of the 2000 election debacle "YEAH BABY IT GOT DONE". Learn to read a little more...Even the REPUBLICAN are tied of losing jobs, healthcare, etc, etc, etc. We could go all day, but the real truth is... Americans are waking up baby. But there will always be dirty election tricks, intimidating phone calls, misleading sample ballots and bitter people like you. Good Day!
11/21/2006 9:57 AM
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