October 29, 2004
Attention Swing Voters
One thing I think most people genuinely believe is that everyone should vote, regardless of who you intend to vote for. At the direction of the Republican Party in Ohio, local GOP activists have been challenging the registration of hundreds and hundreds of voters.
Here is the gist of what happens. When someone registers to vote, your county election office will send a letter with your precinct information to you. If the letter is returned to sender, they will investigate and if it looks like the voter doesn't really live at the address (or the address doesn't exist) then the voter is removed from the rolls after they verify that the registration is suspect.
Overzealous activists or local parties that are up to no good also do this every once in a while. If two roomates live in an aparment but only one's name is on the lease and the bills, sometimes activists will try to claim that the other person doesn't actually live there. In DeKalb County, the local election officials are pretty good at picking out suspect challenges and working to maintain the integrity of the voter lists.
Back to Ohio. The Republican Party sent out registered mail that must be picked up in person to black voters in certain precincts. A large number of them weren't home when the mail came and had a note on their mailbox saying they needed to go to the post office (and wait in line) to sign for a letter from the Republican Party. Most of them probably thought "to hell with that."
So, after a week or two of not picking up the mail, the Post Office returns it to the GOP as undeliverable. Then the GOP uses this as "proof" that the voter registration is suspect and challenges it. One of the voters challenged showed up in court (as did many others) and asked Howard Calhoun, the GOP activist who challenged their eligibility, "Why'd you do it? Who the hell are you?"
Calhoun replied "What the hell do you care?" What the hell do you care. Calhoun challenged a man's right to vote simply because he probably won't vote for his candidate. Millions of Americans have died for that right to vote. And his response is what the hell do you care. If you are still undecided, then obviously both candidates appeal to you somewhat. To decide, why not look at who supports them. And ask yourself, if scum like Howard Calhoun will literally do whatever it takes to prevent people from voting for John Kerry, are you sure you want the candidate he supports to win?
Posted by Chris at October 29, 2004 11:43 AM
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