www.firedupmissouri.com
STATE OF MISSOURI SUED FOR BLUNT'S FAILURE TO PROPERLY ADMINISTER 2004 ELECTION
Submitted by Roy Temple on Wed, 11/23/2005 - 7:25am.
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Justice sued the State of Missouri to force the state to remedy mistakes that took place in the way then-Secretary of State Matt Blunt administered the 2004 election in Missouri.
Judging from the Justice Department's assessment of the 2004 elections in Missouri, Matt Blunt failed just as badly in his last job as he is failing in his current one.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan has instituted a plan to work with local election authorities to ensure that voter registration lists are accurately maintained so that voters can have absolute confidence in their election system.
Sadly for Missouri, during Blunt's tenure as Secretary of State, he spent his time undermining confidence in the election system by falsely claiming fraud where there was none, rather than actually working to ensure the efficient administration of elections.
Now, is anyone else curious why the Department of Justice chose to sue the Secretary of State even though she wasn't in office when this problem occurred? And why do you suppose they chose to sue her instead of the local election authorities that are actually responsible for maintaining these voter lists? Surely it wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that Carnahan's opponent from the last election now works for the Department of Justice. Naw, surely not.
COMMENTS
JURISDICTION QUESTION
Submitted on Fri, 11/25/2005 - 1:46am.
So, any bets on how long it takes for a judge to throw this suit out of court?
For one thing, as noted, Carnahan was not the Secretary of State at the time of the 2004 election. (and if you check the maps, Hanaway's jurisdiction does not include Jefferson City)
In the scheme of things, I guess I can say i'm thankful that we didn't get the second superpartisan politician in a row running our elections. Hanaway probably would have sold our elections out to Diebold or something nefarious like that.
SPAZ DIDN'TWASTE ANY TIME PLANTING HIS IED, DID HE?
Submitted on Fri, 11/25/2005 - 1:11am.
Oh, this one is priceless. A little diversion play from the GOP playbook. Looks like Catherine Hannaway has not stopped being the GOP's pit bull. Now she's a pit bull with a US Atty. nameplate on her door. Funny how FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE MATT BLUNT was not named in the suit since he was the one administering the 2004 election.
Spaz and crew are counting on the gullibility of the sound byte public to make the (mistaken) connection of Carnahan...lawsuit...crooked, also banking on the right wing talking heads constant assertion that it's always Dems who run crooked elections. They are so transparent it is hilarious.
IT'S WRONG, BUT NOT THE PROBLEM IN ELECTIONS
Submitted on Thu, 11/24/2005 - 11:59am.
I understand the problem, and agree with it being wrong to not put the burden of responsibility on Gov. Blunt. However, it seems to me most of our problems currently (both federal and local) is in voter turnout. We let a few who vote go to the booth and set standards for us all, as well as allow people such as Blunt to exist at this level. Polls would show we mostly agree on the problems and we agree on solutions, but the issues are decided by the few who actually go vote with their one issue voting record. To take back our country, state, and cities will require all of us putting pressure on (and helping) folks get to the voting booth. If 3 out of 4 can spot the idiots, but only 1 of 4 actually vote, we get the Blunt clan and the Bush clan. We need to care less about the next American Idol and more about the next American Leader if we wish for our children to have a chance in the country our parents left for us. We MUST go express our opinions at the polls. Just a few more voters and our country would not face the problems we face today.
FEDS SUE OVER VOTER LISTS
Submitted on Wed, 11/23/2005 - 8:33am.
The federal government is suing Missouri over voter registration lists and Governor Blunt is taking the lead in this fight. He is leading by blaming his successor and not telling the entire story. It is interesting that his spokesperson (blaming Robin Carnahan) is quoted as saying "…she has failed….and we hope she will do her job….and spare the taxpayers the financial burden of an unnecessary lawsuit." The suit however points to irregularities in voter registrations that existed before November 2004 when Carnahan was first elected. If voters will recall the Missouri Secretary of State at that time was Matt Blunt. It is true that Robin Carnahan is named as a defendant in this suit but that it is because she is now the state’s chief election officer and has to respond to the mess left by her predecessor. For once I would like to see Governor Blunt accept some responsibility for his actions and stop blaming others for mistakes or problems that we are facing. It is time to address solutions to the challenges we are facing in Missouri, instead of twisting the facts, blaming others and never accepting responsibility.
DANG IT! I'VE HAD IT!!!!!!!!
Submitted on Wed, 11/23/2005 - 2:45pm.
Matt Blunt, oh heck the whole Blunt bozo family has giving Missouri a black eye. Matt Blunt should be re-called!! Isin't there an attorney out there with the guts to write it??
I'll gather signatures just like I did when Arizona elected a used car salesman for govenor once.
I'm sick of the corruption and the BLAME CLINTON sic democrats for the freaking mess this country is in!
Robin I'm behind you all the way!!! I won't let the Blunt bozo besmirch your good work or name!!!!!!!!!!!! Cuz this yellow dog is seeing RED!!
Full Version: U.S. Sues Missouri
MO Sued for Fraud '04
by JamBoi
Missouri, one of the "swing states" in the 2004 election that went "red" and who brought us Roy Blunt who is currently doing great damage in the U.S. House of Representatives as Majority Whip is being sued by the U.S. for voting violations, including registering more voters than their adult population!
The Fiercehearted Faction has been all over Missouri's voting fraud in the '04 election for a long time now. Here's some past items:
E. StL Mayor Requests Feds Monitor Election.
MoVAT: "Kerry actually won Missouri." Will this hold water???
And now the U.S. Justice Department finally joins the act! [more below...]
Diaries :: JamBoi's diary :: Thu Nov 24th, 2005 at 05:17:38 PM EDT
Now what was it the Fiercehearted Faction was trying to tell everyone about big MO in Fraud '04? That Kerry actually won there (along with OH, NM, FL, and other states who had their votes manipulated and the result fraudulently shifted away from Kerry to Bush)! The Surrender Monkeys and the DNC Fainthearted Faction tried to suppress their shame, but it's all coming out with time.
Nov 24 2005
US sues Missouri over voters in 2004 election
KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department has sued Missouri, a swing state won easily by President George W. Bush, for voting violations in the 2004 election, including registering more people to vote in some counties than their entire voting-age population.
The complaint, filed on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, said 29 Missouri counties and election jurisdictions had more people registered to vote than there actually were people of voting age living in those areas.
One Missouri county, for instance, showed voter registrations that amounted to more than 150 percent of the true voting-age population in that county.
Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan acknowledged the voting irregularities in the 2004 federal election but said in a statement that the Justice Department's decision to file suit was costly and unjustified as the state was working to correct its voters rolls.
``Clearly, a problem exists. It defies common sense that we would have more registered voters than people of voting age in any Missouri county,'' said Carnahan. ``The Secretary of State's office and the Department of Justice share the same goal of ensuring fair and accurate elections.''
The lawsuit also alleges that some voters were removed from registration lists without notification, in violation of the law, while some ineligible voters were not removed.
Missouri was considered among a number of potential swing states in the 2004 election, but ended up with 53 percent voting for Bush and 46 percent going to challenger John Kerry.
The wheels of justice turn quite slowly but they often do come to fruition eventually. Its a shame that so many have had to die before BushCo's fraudulence could be unmasked and President-In-Exile Kerry's rightful place recognized!
by JamBoi
Missouri, one of the "swing states" in the 2004 election that went "red" and who brought us Roy Blunt who is currently doing great damage in the U.S. House of Representatives as Majority Whip is being sued by the U.S. for voting violations, including registering more voters than their adult population!
The Fiercehearted Faction has been all over Missouri's voting fraud in the '04 election for a long time now. Here's some past items:
E. StL Mayor Requests Feds Monitor Election.
MoVAT: "Kerry actually won Missouri." Will this hold water???
And now the U.S. Justice Department finally joins the act! [more below...]
Diaries :: JamBoi's diary :: Thu Nov 24th, 2005 at 05:17:38 PM EDT
Now what was it the Fiercehearted Faction was trying to tell everyone about big MO in Fraud '04? That Kerry actually won there (along with OH, NM, FL, and other states who had their votes manipulated and the result fraudulently shifted away from Kerry to Bush)! The Surrender Monkeys and the DNC Fainthearted Faction tried to suppress their shame, but it's all coming out with time.
Nov 24 2005
US sues Missouri over voters in 2004 election
KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department has sued Missouri, a swing state won easily by President George W. Bush, for voting violations in the 2004 election, including registering more people to vote in some counties than their entire voting-age population.
The complaint, filed on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, said 29 Missouri counties and election jurisdictions had more people registered to vote than there actually were people of voting age living in those areas.
One Missouri county, for instance, showed voter registrations that amounted to more than 150 percent of the true voting-age population in that county.
Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan acknowledged the voting irregularities in the 2004 federal election but said in a statement that the Justice Department's decision to file suit was costly and unjustified as the state was working to correct its voters rolls.
``Clearly, a problem exists. It defies common sense that we would have more registered voters than people of voting age in any Missouri county,'' said Carnahan. ``The Secretary of State's office and the Department of Justice share the same goal of ensuring fair and accurate elections.''
The lawsuit also alleges that some voters were removed from registration lists without notification, in violation of the law, while some ineligible voters were not removed.
Missouri was considered among a number of potential swing states in the 2004 election, but ended up with 53 percent voting for Bush and 46 percent going to challenger John Kerry.
The wheels of justice turn quite slowly but they often do come to fruition eventually. Its a shame that so many have had to die before BushCo's fraudulence could be unmasked and President-In-Exile Kerry's rightful place recognized!
Was MO one of the states with substantial overvotes in some counties?
That would be an interesting stat to find......just how many of the registered 'ghosts' actually drifted over to the polling places and managed to touch a screen or fill in a box.
That would be an interesting stat to find......just how many of the registered 'ghosts' actually drifted over to the polling places and managed to touch a screen or fill in a box.
Exactly what I've been thinking. And for how long were these nonexistent people on the rolls?
It would be quite easy to find out if they voted and in what years.
Yes, very strange things happened in several Missouri counties during the election. It appears the largest "fraud" and irregularies may have happened in Kansas City (Jackson County), but I am not certain. The vote was way, way too high there in favor of Bush.
Other counties show very unusual totals or pecularities.
It would be quite easy to find out if they voted and in what years.
Yes, very strange things happened in several Missouri counties during the election. It appears the largest "fraud" and irregularies may have happened in Kansas City (Jackson County), but I am not certain. The vote was way, way too high there in favor of Bush.
Other counties show very unusual totals or pecularities.
www.kansascity.com
Posted on Tue, Nov. 22, 2005
JUSSTICE DEPARTMENT SUES MISSOURI FOR VOTING VIOLATIONS
DAVID A. LIEB
Associated Press
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The U.S. Justice Department sued Missouri for alleged voting law violations Tuesday, claiming that people who have moved or died may still be eligible to vote due to inaccurate and inflated registration rolls.
The lawsuit claims the state is violating a federal law that requires it to make reasonable efforts to remove ineligible voters. The state assigns that duty to 116 local election jurisdictions, which are putting forth a shoddy and inconsistent effort, the lawsuit claims.
Some have left the names of dead people on the voter rolls, the Justice Department said. Others have failed to do meaningful reviews of voters rolls for people who have moved. And still others have taken voters off the rolls prematurely, the lawsuit says.
The Associated Press first reported in October 2004 that voter registration rolls in some Missouri counties exceeded the number of voting-age residents - a fact cited and credited to media reports in the Justice Department lawsuit.
The suit said that 29 election jurisdictions had more registered voters last November than they did voting-age residents. The high mark was in Reynolds County, where voter rolls were at 151 percent of the county's 2004 census for voting age population.
Democratic Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, who took office in January, said she inherited the problem from Republican Matt Blunt, who now is governor. But she said state law does not allow the secretary of state's office to clean up voter rolls itself.
"We have no enforcement authority, or statutory authority, to take names off the voter list - that's something counties are responsible for doing," Carnahan said.
Carnahan said a new centralized voter registration database, expected to be running by January, should help eliminate incorrect voter registrations.
Blunt spokesman Spence Jackson cited the same solution, with a slightly different twist.
"The fact is the governor got the process started on creation of a centralized voter registration database" when he was secretary of state, Jackson said.
The lawsuit seeks a declaration that Missouri is in violation of federal law for failing to ensure a uniform manner of removing the names of ineligible voters from the rolls. It also seeks a court order requiring the state to come up with a plan to correct the problems.
Carnahan released a letter Tuesday night to the Justice Department outlining an eight-part plan that includes the creation of a procedural manual and training for local election officials on how to maintain voter roles.
It also says her office will develop a method next year of tracking how well local officials are maintaining their voter lists and will study the feasibility of matching voter registration lists against the Social Security Administration's death list and U.S. Postal Service's change of address files.
The Justice Department said it sued after notifying the state of its concerns in March and again in October.
Carnahan said her staff, aided by the state attorney general's office, had been in discussions for several weeks with the Justice Department over steps to help counties better maintain voter rolls.
The Justice Department wanted the state to enter into a formal consent decree to enforce the state's corrective actions, but Democratic Attorney General Jay Nixon's office was unwilling to do that, Carnahan said.
"I strongly believe that a costly lawsuit over this matter is unnecessary, unjustified and unwise," Carnahan said.
Nixon said he learned of the Justice Department investigation just a few weeks ago.
"I will defend in court the secretary of state's actions and inactions, but will make no further comment at this time," he said.
Missouri law requires the canvassing of voter rolls every two years to identify people who have become ineligible. Federal law requires states to remove names of ineligible voters at least 90 days before primary elections for federal offices.
Without naming specific local election officials, the lawsuit claims that one county clerk has never performed a systematic canvass of the county's voters and another has not removed dead voters and duplicate registrations. Another clerk acknowledged not removing voters who were registered under both maiden and married names, nor voters who were registered in multiple counties, the lawsuit said.
Yet another county clerk failed to flag voters who may have moved as "inactive" and provide them notice to confirm their residence, the lawsuit said. Instead, after sending a letter to each voter who had not cast a ballot in four years, the clerk immediately removed them from the rolls.
Posted on Tue, Nov. 22, 2005
JUSSTICE DEPARTMENT SUES MISSOURI FOR VOTING VIOLATIONS
DAVID A. LIEB
Associated Press
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The U.S. Justice Department sued Missouri for alleged voting law violations Tuesday, claiming that people who have moved or died may still be eligible to vote due to inaccurate and inflated registration rolls.
The lawsuit claims the state is violating a federal law that requires it to make reasonable efforts to remove ineligible voters. The state assigns that duty to 116 local election jurisdictions, which are putting forth a shoddy and inconsistent effort, the lawsuit claims.
Some have left the names of dead people on the voter rolls, the Justice Department said. Others have failed to do meaningful reviews of voters rolls for people who have moved. And still others have taken voters off the rolls prematurely, the lawsuit says.
The Associated Press first reported in October 2004 that voter registration rolls in some Missouri counties exceeded the number of voting-age residents - a fact cited and credited to media reports in the Justice Department lawsuit.
The suit said that 29 election jurisdictions had more registered voters last November than they did voting-age residents. The high mark was in Reynolds County, where voter rolls were at 151 percent of the county's 2004 census for voting age population.
Democratic Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, who took office in January, said she inherited the problem from Republican Matt Blunt, who now is governor. But she said state law does not allow the secretary of state's office to clean up voter rolls itself.
"We have no enforcement authority, or statutory authority, to take names off the voter list - that's something counties are responsible for doing," Carnahan said.
Carnahan said a new centralized voter registration database, expected to be running by January, should help eliminate incorrect voter registrations.
Blunt spokesman Spence Jackson cited the same solution, with a slightly different twist.
"The fact is the governor got the process started on creation of a centralized voter registration database" when he was secretary of state, Jackson said.
The lawsuit seeks a declaration that Missouri is in violation of federal law for failing to ensure a uniform manner of removing the names of ineligible voters from the rolls. It also seeks a court order requiring the state to come up with a plan to correct the problems.
Carnahan released a letter Tuesday night to the Justice Department outlining an eight-part plan that includes the creation of a procedural manual and training for local election officials on how to maintain voter roles.
It also says her office will develop a method next year of tracking how well local officials are maintaining their voter lists and will study the feasibility of matching voter registration lists against the Social Security Administration's death list and U.S. Postal Service's change of address files.
The Justice Department said it sued after notifying the state of its concerns in March and again in October.
Carnahan said her staff, aided by the state attorney general's office, had been in discussions for several weeks with the Justice Department over steps to help counties better maintain voter rolls.
The Justice Department wanted the state to enter into a formal consent decree to enforce the state's corrective actions, but Democratic Attorney General Jay Nixon's office was unwilling to do that, Carnahan said.
"I strongly believe that a costly lawsuit over this matter is unnecessary, unjustified and unwise," Carnahan said.
Nixon said he learned of the Justice Department investigation just a few weeks ago.
"I will defend in court the secretary of state's actions and inactions, but will make no further comment at this time," he said.
Missouri law requires the canvassing of voter rolls every two years to identify people who have become ineligible. Federal law requires states to remove names of ineligible voters at least 90 days before primary elections for federal offices.
Without naming specific local election officials, the lawsuit claims that one county clerk has never performed a systematic canvass of the county's voters and another has not removed dead voters and duplicate registrations. Another clerk acknowledged not removing voters who were registered under both maiden and married names, nor voters who were registered in multiple counties, the lawsuit said.
Yet another county clerk failed to flag voters who may have moved as "inactive" and provide them notice to confirm their residence, the lawsuit said. Instead, after sending a letter to each voter who had not cast a ballot in four years, the clerk immediately removed them from the rolls.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/11/23/voting.violations.ap/
JUSTICE DEPT. SUES MISSOURI FOR ALLEGED VOTE VIOLATIONS
Wednesday, November 23, 2005; Posted: 10:12 a.m. EST (15:12 GMT)
JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri (AP) -- The Justice Department on Tuesday sued Missouri for alleged voting law violations, claiming that people who have moved or died may still be eligible to vote due to inaccurate and inflated registration rolls.
The lawsuit contends the state is violating a federal law that requires it to make reasonable efforts to remove ineligible voters. The state has wrongly delegated that duty to 116 local election jurisdictions, which are putting forth a shoddy and inconsistent effort, the lawsuit claims.
Some have left the names of dead people on the voter rolls, the Justice Department said. Others have failed to do meaningful reviews of voters rolls for people who have moved. Still others have taken voters off the rolls prematurely, the lawsuit says.
The Associated Press reported in October 2004 that voter registration rolls in numerous Missouri counties exceeded the number of voting-age residents -- a fact cited in the Justice Department lawsuit.
The suit said 29 election jurisdictions had more registered voters last November than they did voting-age residents. The high mark was in Reynolds County, where voter rolls were at 151 percent of the county's 2004 census for voting age population.
Democratic Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, who took office in January, said her office inherited the problem from Republican Matt Blunt, the current governor. She said state law does not allow the secretary of state's office to clean up the voter rolls itself.
"We have no enforcement authority, or statutory authority, to take names off the voter list -- that's something counties are responsible for doing," Carnahan said.
Carnahan said a new centralized voter registration database, expected to be operating by January, should help eliminate incorrect voter registrations.
Blunt spokesman Spence Jackson cited the same solution, with a slightly different twist.
"The fact is the governor got the process started on creation of a centralized voter registration database" when he was secretary of state, Jackson said.
The lawsuit seeks a declaration that Missouri is in violation of federal law for failing to ensure a uniform manner of removing the names of ineligible voters from the rolls. It also seeks a court order requiring the state to come up with a plan to correct the problems.
Carnahan released a letter Tuesday night to the Justice Department outlining a plan that includes creation of a procedural manual and training for local election officials on how to maintain voter rolls. It also says her office will develop a method next year to track how well local officials are maintaining their voter lists.
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press.
JUSTICE DEPT. SUES MISSOURI FOR ALLEGED VOTE VIOLATIONS
Wednesday, November 23, 2005; Posted: 10:12 a.m. EST (15:12 GMT)
JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri (AP) -- The Justice Department on Tuesday sued Missouri for alleged voting law violations, claiming that people who have moved or died may still be eligible to vote due to inaccurate and inflated registration rolls.
The lawsuit contends the state is violating a federal law that requires it to make reasonable efforts to remove ineligible voters. The state has wrongly delegated that duty to 116 local election jurisdictions, which are putting forth a shoddy and inconsistent effort, the lawsuit claims.
Some have left the names of dead people on the voter rolls, the Justice Department said. Others have failed to do meaningful reviews of voters rolls for people who have moved. Still others have taken voters off the rolls prematurely, the lawsuit says.
The Associated Press reported in October 2004 that voter registration rolls in numerous Missouri counties exceeded the number of voting-age residents -- a fact cited in the Justice Department lawsuit.
The suit said 29 election jurisdictions had more registered voters last November than they did voting-age residents. The high mark was in Reynolds County, where voter rolls were at 151 percent of the county's 2004 census for voting age population.
Democratic Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, who took office in January, said her office inherited the problem from Republican Matt Blunt, the current governor. She said state law does not allow the secretary of state's office to clean up the voter rolls itself.
"We have no enforcement authority, or statutory authority, to take names off the voter list -- that's something counties are responsible for doing," Carnahan said.
Carnahan said a new centralized voter registration database, expected to be operating by January, should help eliminate incorrect voter registrations.
Blunt spokesman Spence Jackson cited the same solution, with a slightly different twist.
"The fact is the governor got the process started on creation of a centralized voter registration database" when he was secretary of state, Jackson said.
The lawsuit seeks a declaration that Missouri is in violation of federal law for failing to ensure a uniform manner of removing the names of ineligible voters from the rolls. It also seeks a court order requiring the state to come up with a plan to correct the problems.
Carnahan released a letter Tuesday night to the Justice Department outlining a plan that includes creation of a procedural manual and training for local election officials on how to maintain voter rolls. It also says her office will develop a method next year to track how well local officials are maintaining their voter lists.
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press.
Submitted on Wed, 11/23/2005 - 2:30pm. General Topics
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle....URI-LAWSUIT.xml
KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department has sued Missouri, a swing state won easily by President George W. Bush, for voting violations in the 2004 election, including registering more people to vote in some counties than their entire voting-age population.
The complaint, filed on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, said 29 Missouri counties and election jurisdictions had more people registered to vote than there actually were people of voting age living in those areas.
One Missouri county, for instance, showed voter registrations that amounted to more than 150 percent of the true voting-age population in that county.
Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan acknowledged the voting irregularities in the 2004 federal election but said in a statement that the Justice Department's decision to file suit was costly and unjustified as the state was working to correct its voters rolls.
"Clearly, a problem exists. It defies common sense that we would have more registered voters than people of voting age in any Missouri county," said Carnahan. "The Secretary of State's office and the Department of Justice share the same goal of ensuring fair and accurate elections."
The lawsuit also alleges that some voters were removed from registration lists without notification, in violation of the law, while some ineligible voters were not removed.
Missouri was considered among a number of potential swing states in the 2004 election, but ended up with 53 percent voting for Bush and 46 percent going to challenger John Kerry.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle....URI-LAWSUIT.xml
KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department has sued Missouri, a swing state won easily by President George W. Bush, for voting violations in the 2004 election, including registering more people to vote in some counties than their entire voting-age population.
The complaint, filed on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, said 29 Missouri counties and election jurisdictions had more people registered to vote than there actually were people of voting age living in those areas.
One Missouri county, for instance, showed voter registrations that amounted to more than 150 percent of the true voting-age population in that county.
Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan acknowledged the voting irregularities in the 2004 federal election but said in a statement that the Justice Department's decision to file suit was costly and unjustified as the state was working to correct its voters rolls.
"Clearly, a problem exists. It defies common sense that we would have more registered voters than people of voting age in any Missouri county," said Carnahan. "The Secretary of State's office and the Department of Justice share the same goal of ensuring fair and accurate elections."
The lawsuit also alleges that some voters were removed from registration lists without notification, in violation of the law, while some ineligible voters were not removed.
Missouri was considered among a number of potential swing states in the 2004 election, but ended up with 53 percent voting for Bush and 46 percent going to challenger John Kerry.
http://www.commongroundcommonsense.org/for...showtopic=10873
(This is Missouri Election Fraud, Volume II)
All about some strange things that happened in Missouri during and after the 2004 elections.
Volume I is interesting also, and tells about how and why the fraud investigation began in Missouri.
(This is Missouri Election Fraud, Volume II)
All about some strange things that happened in Missouri during and after the 2004 elections.
Volume I is interesting also, and tells about how and why the fraud investigation began in Missouri.
www.stltoday.com
U.S. LAWSUIT SAYS MISSOURI VOTER LISTS ARE A MESS
By Bill Lambrecht and Virginia Young
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
11/23/2005
WASHINGTON
The Justice Department sued Missouri and Secretary of State Robin Carnahan on Tuesday, alleging that the state failed to maintain proper voter lists and routinely allowed ineligible voters to stay registered.
The suit contends that before last November's election, nearly a third of Missouri's election jurisdictions had more registered voters than people of voting age. It said that Reynolds County, in south-central Missouri, had 153 percent of what the census had tallied as the potential voter pool.
The complaint demands a survey of all election jurisdictions in Missouri - 114 counties plus St. Louis and Kansas City - to root out problems, plus a future monitoring plan and a means to remedy past errors.
"With this lawsuit, the Department of Justice will ensure that all Missouri voters are able to go to the polls and cast ballots in free and fair elections," said Wan J. Kim, an assistant attorney general in the civil rights division.
The civil suit was filed in Kansas City. It seeks no specific penalties other than costs of the suit and "other such relief as the interest of justice may require."
The legal action continues a focus on Missouri that began after the 2000 election, when the Justice Department sued the St. Louis Election Board on similar grounds.
The case was settled when the board promised in 2002 to eliminate its so-called inactive voter list and provide computer equipment so election judges could more swiftly handle voting discrepancies.
Justice Department spokeswoman Cynthia Magnuson said the suit was the only such case pending at the moment and that several others around the country had been settled.
She said that although her office had notified Carnahan and Attorney General Jay Nixon last month of the government's intent to go to court, no agreement to forestall the suit could be reached.
"When there's a problem, states usually are willing to talk and to resolve problems until there is compliance with the law," she said.
The suit argues that the 1993 National Voter Registration Act requires that people be removed from voter lists when they die, are convicted of a felony or become mentally incapacitated.
But the suit says clerks in unspecified counties had failed to perform voter canvasses, wrongly had removed voters from registration lists and had permitted others to remain even though people had died, registered in multiple counties or had registered under both their maiden and married names.
Carnahan said she was disappointed and called the suit needless.
She said her office had been working with counties to clean up the voter lists. For example, training manuals have been developed and election workers have been trained in 101 counties so far, she said.
A centralized voter database is scheduled to go online in January, she said, so that information can be cross-checked against death certificates, criminal records and Social Security data.
"I'm just trying to stay focused on my job, which is ensuring we have fair elections," she said. "We've been talking to counties for a long time and trying to fix the problems we inherited."
Asked whether Gov. Matt Blunt could have done more to clean up the voter rolls when he was secretary of state, Carnahan said: "I'm not going to point fingers and say who should've done what. All I know is it didn't happen and now I'm here and I'm going to try to get it fixed."
Blunt's office was less charitable. Spence Jackson, Blunt's spokesman, contended that Carnahan should have worked with federal officials to solve the problems and "use the bully pulpit of her office to urge local elected officials to make needed corrections."
Carnahan said she had no quarrel with the Department of Justice's request that her plan include a survey of election authorities, a way to remedy errors and a means to monitor voter rolls in the future.
She said Nixon had advised her against signing a consent decree with the government. She declined to elaborate on Nixon's reasoning. Nixon's office said he had yet to see the suit.
Bill Lambrecht reported this story from Washington; Virginia Young reported from Jefferson City.
blambrecht@post-dispatch.com 202-298-6880
vyoung@post-dispatch.com 573-635-6178
U.S. LAWSUIT SAYS MISSOURI VOTER LISTS ARE A MESS
By Bill Lambrecht and Virginia Young
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
11/23/2005
WASHINGTON
The Justice Department sued Missouri and Secretary of State Robin Carnahan on Tuesday, alleging that the state failed to maintain proper voter lists and routinely allowed ineligible voters to stay registered.
The suit contends that before last November's election, nearly a third of Missouri's election jurisdictions had more registered voters than people of voting age. It said that Reynolds County, in south-central Missouri, had 153 percent of what the census had tallied as the potential voter pool.
The complaint demands a survey of all election jurisdictions in Missouri - 114 counties plus St. Louis and Kansas City - to root out problems, plus a future monitoring plan and a means to remedy past errors.
"With this lawsuit, the Department of Justice will ensure that all Missouri voters are able to go to the polls and cast ballots in free and fair elections," said Wan J. Kim, an assistant attorney general in the civil rights division.
The civil suit was filed in Kansas City. It seeks no specific penalties other than costs of the suit and "other such relief as the interest of justice may require."
The legal action continues a focus on Missouri that began after the 2000 election, when the Justice Department sued the St. Louis Election Board on similar grounds.
The case was settled when the board promised in 2002 to eliminate its so-called inactive voter list and provide computer equipment so election judges could more swiftly handle voting discrepancies.
Justice Department spokeswoman Cynthia Magnuson said the suit was the only such case pending at the moment and that several others around the country had been settled.
She said that although her office had notified Carnahan and Attorney General Jay Nixon last month of the government's intent to go to court, no agreement to forestall the suit could be reached.
"When there's a problem, states usually are willing to talk and to resolve problems until there is compliance with the law," she said.
The suit argues that the 1993 National Voter Registration Act requires that people be removed from voter lists when they die, are convicted of a felony or become mentally incapacitated.
But the suit says clerks in unspecified counties had failed to perform voter canvasses, wrongly had removed voters from registration lists and had permitted others to remain even though people had died, registered in multiple counties or had registered under both their maiden and married names.
Carnahan said she was disappointed and called the suit needless.
She said her office had been working with counties to clean up the voter lists. For example, training manuals have been developed and election workers have been trained in 101 counties so far, she said.
A centralized voter database is scheduled to go online in January, she said, so that information can be cross-checked against death certificates, criminal records and Social Security data.
"I'm just trying to stay focused on my job, which is ensuring we have fair elections," she said. "We've been talking to counties for a long time and trying to fix the problems we inherited."
Asked whether Gov. Matt Blunt could have done more to clean up the voter rolls when he was secretary of state, Carnahan said: "I'm not going to point fingers and say who should've done what. All I know is it didn't happen and now I'm here and I'm going to try to get it fixed."
Blunt's office was less charitable. Spence Jackson, Blunt's spokesman, contended that Carnahan should have worked with federal officials to solve the problems and "use the bully pulpit of her office to urge local elected officials to make needed corrections."
Carnahan said she had no quarrel with the Department of Justice's request that her plan include a survey of election authorities, a way to remedy errors and a means to monitor voter rolls in the future.
She said Nixon had advised her against signing a consent decree with the government. She declined to elaborate on Nixon's reasoning. Nixon's office said he had yet to see the suit.
Bill Lambrecht reported this story from Washington; Virginia Young reported from Jefferson City.
blambrecht@post-dispatch.com 202-298-6880
vyoung@post-dispatch.com 573-635-6178
DOJ VOTING LAWSUIT: A LOOK BEHIND THE CURTAIN
www.firedupmissouri.com
Submitted by Howard Beale on Mon, 11/28/2005 - 2:37pm.
When the Bush Department of Justice filed suit recently against the State of Missouri for supposed violations of the National Voting Rights Act (NVRA), most observers reacted with bewilderment.
After all, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan -a named defendant in the suit- had been working since the first days of her administration on implementing a centralized state voter registration tracking database mandated by 2001's federal Help America Vote Act. The federal government recognizes that effort as central to fostering voter list organization which is the putative subject of the DoJ's lawsuit.
As others have observed, the remedy for what has ailed Missouri's voter lists over the last few years (which were the bailiwick of Secretary of State Matt Blunt, at the time) is now well on its way. The Springfield News-Leader makes this point in an editorial Sunday (previously mentioned here by Roy). The News-Leader writes:
A federal suit could require Secretary of State Robin Carnahan to provide more training on the law to county clerks — but she's already doing that....
By the end of this year, all voter registration lists will be kept in a central computer database in Jefferson City, as required by yet another federal law.
The database will be cross-checked against death certificates, criminal records and Social Security data. It will make it easier to track when a voter moves from one county to another. This should eliminate many of the problems cited in the federal lawsuit.
Then the News-Leader editorial board sensibly asks that question that many have asked since the suit's filing:
The Justice Department knows this database is in the works. It should know that it will resolve many of the problems. So why the rush to file the lawsuit?
Sadly, it appears that the DoJ was in a hurry to file the lawsuit for nothing more noble than petty vindictiveness and crass political advantage.
How so? Consider for a moment the identity of the Justice Department's newest Missouri high-profiler, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District. The holder of that office, you may remember, is one Catherine Hanaway. Hanaway, former Republican Speaker of the Missouri House, has a unique and perverse political incentive for lobbying internally at the Justice Department for this action. You'll also recall that Hanaway was roundly defeated in 2004 for the position of Secretary of State by Robin Carnahan --who now finds her office the target of a suspiciously thin lawsuit.
And as though the personalities involved in the suit did not already point toward a political motive, the method does as well. In fact, the Justice Department's website lists recent litigation undertaken to enforce the National Voter Registration Act, and indicates that these sorts of suits have traditionally been pursued against county election authorities, not state bodies. To illustrate, the litigation list notes that the other recent action for NVRA violations was against Pulaski County Arkansas, and it was lodged because that authority refused to register voters in accordance with the act, a seemingly much greater violation that simple list managment issues. The suit filed against Missouri, it would appear, is a new and unique creation by individuals at the DOJ.
This perhaps ought not be surprising, given recently reported "shifts" in staffing patterns at the Justice Department which have led to oddball litigation and enforcement decisions. The Washington Post reports:
The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, which has enforced the nation's anti-discrimination laws for nearly half a century, is in the midst of an upheaval that has driven away dozens of veteran lawyers and has damaged morale for many of those who remain, according to former and current career employees....
The Bush administration has filed only three lawsuits -- all of them this year -- under the section of the Voting Rights Act that prohibits discrimination against minority voters, and none of them involves discrimination against blacks. The initial case was the Justice Department's first reverse-discrimination lawsuit, accusing a majority-black county in Mississippi of discriminating against white voters.
Add that consideration to the mix with a new US Attorney with a political axe to grind (as well as another whose family recently received a windfall from Missouri's Republican administration) and a Secretary of State perceived as a national Democratic rising star, and the case has been neatly made that the Justice lawsuit is a laughably bogus (and wasteful) political witchhunt.
Of course, all of this talk of ill motive should not mask that fact that the lawsuit itself ought to fail on the legal merits. But Missourians should understand, as Jack Cardetti warned months ago, that sometimes it's dangerous to have naturally political folks "cooling their heels" in a job that's meant for someone who'll put Justice first.
Obviously, vigilance remains important, as every politically motivated suit that pops up may not be as easily recognized as this one.
www.firedupmissouri.com
Submitted by Howard Beale on Mon, 11/28/2005 - 2:37pm.
When the Bush Department of Justice filed suit recently against the State of Missouri for supposed violations of the National Voting Rights Act (NVRA), most observers reacted with bewilderment.
After all, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan -a named defendant in the suit- had been working since the first days of her administration on implementing a centralized state voter registration tracking database mandated by 2001's federal Help America Vote Act. The federal government recognizes that effort as central to fostering voter list organization which is the putative subject of the DoJ's lawsuit.
As others have observed, the remedy for what has ailed Missouri's voter lists over the last few years (which were the bailiwick of Secretary of State Matt Blunt, at the time) is now well on its way. The Springfield News-Leader makes this point in an editorial Sunday (previously mentioned here by Roy). The News-Leader writes:
A federal suit could require Secretary of State Robin Carnahan to provide more training on the law to county clerks — but she's already doing that....
By the end of this year, all voter registration lists will be kept in a central computer database in Jefferson City, as required by yet another federal law.
The database will be cross-checked against death certificates, criminal records and Social Security data. It will make it easier to track when a voter moves from one county to another. This should eliminate many of the problems cited in the federal lawsuit.
Then the News-Leader editorial board sensibly asks that question that many have asked since the suit's filing:
The Justice Department knows this database is in the works. It should know that it will resolve many of the problems. So why the rush to file the lawsuit?
Sadly, it appears that the DoJ was in a hurry to file the lawsuit for nothing more noble than petty vindictiveness and crass political advantage.
How so? Consider for a moment the identity of the Justice Department's newest Missouri high-profiler, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District. The holder of that office, you may remember, is one Catherine Hanaway. Hanaway, former Republican Speaker of the Missouri House, has a unique and perverse political incentive for lobbying internally at the Justice Department for this action. You'll also recall that Hanaway was roundly defeated in 2004 for the position of Secretary of State by Robin Carnahan --who now finds her office the target of a suspiciously thin lawsuit.
And as though the personalities involved in the suit did not already point toward a political motive, the method does as well. In fact, the Justice Department's website lists recent litigation undertaken to enforce the National Voter Registration Act, and indicates that these sorts of suits have traditionally been pursued against county election authorities, not state bodies. To illustrate, the litigation list notes that the other recent action for NVRA violations was against Pulaski County Arkansas, and it was lodged because that authority refused to register voters in accordance with the act, a seemingly much greater violation that simple list managment issues. The suit filed against Missouri, it would appear, is a new and unique creation by individuals at the DOJ.
This perhaps ought not be surprising, given recently reported "shifts" in staffing patterns at the Justice Department which have led to oddball litigation and enforcement decisions. The Washington Post reports:
The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, which has enforced the nation's anti-discrimination laws for nearly half a century, is in the midst of an upheaval that has driven away dozens of veteran lawyers and has damaged morale for many of those who remain, according to former and current career employees....
The Bush administration has filed only three lawsuits -- all of them this year -- under the section of the Voting Rights Act that prohibits discrimination against minority voters, and none of them involves discrimination against blacks. The initial case was the Justice Department's first reverse-discrimination lawsuit, accusing a majority-black county in Mississippi of discriminating against white voters.
Add that consideration to the mix with a new US Attorney with a political axe to grind (as well as another whose family recently received a windfall from Missouri's Republican administration) and a Secretary of State perceived as a national Democratic rising star, and the case has been neatly made that the Justice lawsuit is a laughably bogus (and wasteful) political witchhunt.
Of course, all of this talk of ill motive should not mask that fact that the lawsuit itself ought to fail on the legal merits. But Missourians should understand, as Jack Cardetti warned months ago, that sometimes it's dangerous to have naturally political folks "cooling their heels" in a job that's meant for someone who'll put Justice first.
Obviously, vigilance remains important, as every politically motivated suit that pops up may not be as easily recognized as this one.
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