[North-NV-Greens] Fwd: >Voter suppression alive and well

Tue Nov 9 00:32:59 PST 2004

>
>BARBWIRE BY ANDREW BARBANO
>SPECIAL INTERNET EDITION
>11-8-2004
>5:27 a.m PST
>
>Republican officials continue campaign against voting
>
>RENO (Nov. 8, 2004) -- The Republican Party's 
>national campaign to suppress voting will 
>apparently continue right here in River City.
>
>In a Sunday report (repeated at 5:00 a.m. 
>Monday, Nov. 8), KOLO TV-8, the northern Nevada 
>ABC affiliate, reported that "Both the Washoe 
>County district attorney's office and the 
>Secretary of State could join a lawsuit on 
>Monday, November 8, against a judge, who allowed 
>people to vote on election day by just bringing 
>in their voter registration receipts."
>
>KOLO reporter James Steiner's story further 
>stated "The lawsuit was first filed on behalf of 
>Elena Brady, a registered voter who alleges that 
>there were other methods the judge could have 
>used before making his decision."
>
>That's not correct. Ms. Brady asked to intervene 
>in an action filed by Reno attorney Peter Chase 
>Neumann on behalf of "Eric Amberson and Traci 
>AmbersonŠand all qualified electors of the State 
>of Nevada who have registered to vote but have 
>been denied the right to register to vote."
>
>The Ambersons first went to the Nevada Supreme 
>Court, which refused to get involved. Justices 
>Agosti, Becker, Gibbons, Maupin and Rose stated 
>in their Nov. 1 order that "although the 
>petition raises significant issues," they did 
>not feel it appropriate to intervene. The court 
>is "ill-equipped to resolve factual issues such 
>as whether petitioners are qualified electors 
>and whether they submitted properly complete 
>voter registration forms. The district court is 
>the proper forum in which to resolve this matter 
>in the first instance."
>
>Which is why the case came before Judge Adams on election day.
>
>The action stemmed from activities of a 
>GOP-retained organization accused in Nevada and 
>other states of destroying registration forms of 
>people who registered as Democrats.
>
>"Adams ordered the Washoe County registrar to 
>allow 'any persons' to vote as long as they 
>present their registration receipt even if their 
>names aren't listed in the poll book," the Reno 
>Gazette-Journal reported on Nov. 2.
>
>Apparently, the Washoe County District 
>Attorney's office takes its cues from the Nevada 
>attorney general and only obeys the orders it 
>likes.
>
>Judge Adams' order was not implemented and in 
>mid-afternoon, Republican Party lawyers asked 
>for a clarification. Did Judge Adams mean just 
>the Ambersons or did he mean to include any 
>others with registration stubs as he had stated? 
>Judge Adams called the parties together in his 
>courtroom late Tuesday afternoon. Washoe County 
>D.A. Dick Gammick, R, and Registrar of Voters 
>Dan Burk both appeared in person.
>
>Republican Party attorney Pat Lundvall asserted 
>that she was representing one Elena Brady. Ms. 
>Lundvall further stated that Ms. Brady feared 
>that her vote would be diluted if the Ambersons 
>and others were allowed to vote.
>
>Ms. Lundvall then proceeded to peripatetically 
>pirouette down the proverbial slippery slope by 
>engaging Registrar Burk in a long series of 
>dilatory questions and answers. Such conduct 
>makes sense only by applying to politics another 
>in an endless series of sports analogies: with 
>polls due to close in less than two hours, 
>Lawyer Lundvall was running out the clock. Judge 
>Adams was not amused and finally adjourned the 
>hearing and left the courtroom.
>
>Secretary of State Dean Heller and Atty. Gen. 
>Brian Sandoval, both Republicans, went to the 
>Nevada Supreme Court earlier this year to try to 
>enforce sections of the Nevada Constitution 
>regarding initiative petitions which had been 
>ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court 
>in 1999. In effect, they asserted that the 
>highest court in the land has no jurisdiction in 
>Nevada. Heller repeatedly stated that his 
>actions were based upon his oath to uphold the 
>state constitution, a position which would warm 
>the heart of any unreconstructed confederate.
>
>Last July, I noted that the real reason behind 
>the GOP officeholders'  action lay in trying to 
>keep the popular minimum wage petition off the 
>ballot because it could increase voter turnout. 
>The bogus legal rationale which landed the issue 
>in court was drawn and circulated by the law 
>firm of Nevada State Senate Majority Leader 
>William Raggio, R-Reno, which was heavily 
>involved in the campaign to re-elect the 
>president.
>
>See
>http://nevadalabor.com/barbwire/barb04/barb7-11-04.html
>
>If Heller et al. are indeed intent in pursuing 
>some appeal of Judge Adams' ruling, the only 
>conclusion which can be drawn is that 
>suppression of the right to vote is a continuing 
>policy of the Republican Party.
>
>Be well. Raise hell.
>
>Andrew Barbano is editor of NevadaLabor.com and BallotBoxing.US.
>
>--------------
>
>REFERENCES:
>
>Judge's Ruling May Cause A Law Suit
>By James Steiner
>KOLO TV-8 11/7/2004
>http://www.kolotv.com/home/headlines/1167741.html
>
>Washoe judge says citizens may vote with 
>registration receipt, even if name is not on 
>voting rolls
>http://www.rgj.com//news/stories/html/2004/11/02/84240.php
>
>Democratic couple allowed to vote
>http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Nov-03-Wed-2004/news/25163604.html
>
>State Supreme Court declines to get involved
>http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Nov-02-Tue-2004/news/25154377.html
>
>Related article: If all votes were counted, Kerry won
>by investigative reporter Greg Palast
>http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=392&row=0
>
>
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>
>[fn: BRWR H11/8 Dontcha Dare Vote/postmortems/brwr/opsn4]
>
>
>-30-


-- 
Paul Etxeberri

"Forests precede civilizations and deserts follow"   ---Chateaubriand
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