Month: October 2012

Eleven states have blocked voter suppression laws

-By Jillian Rayfield

October 2, 2012- Since 2010, Republicans have been successfully passing laws that effectively suppress voter turnout. Less successful have been their attempts to defend these laws in federal court.

Ari Berman of the Nation counts 11 cases that have been rejected by the courts, including today’s ruling in Pennsylvania that narrowly (and temporarily) blocked a voter ID provision passed by the state.

In other key battleground states, like Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin, judges have similarly ruled against crackdowns on voter ID laws, restrictions on voter registration and early voting, and voter purges, among other things.

… Read More

-By Marc levy (AP)

October 2, 2012- A judge is postponing Pennsylvania's tough new voter identification requirement, ordering that it not be enforced in the presidential election.

Tuesday's ruling comes just five weeks before the election. An appeal is possible. The 6-month-old law requires each voter to show a valid photo ID.

Democrats and groups including the AARP and NAACP mounted a furious opposition to a law Republicans say is necessary to prevent election fraud. Critics have accused Republicans of using old-fashioned Jim Crow tactics to steal the White House and have highlighted stories of registered voters struggling to get a state photo ID.

The law was already a partisan lightning rod when a top Republican lawmaker boasted that it'd allow GOP nominee Mitt Romney to beat Democratic President Barack Obama in Pennsylvania.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

… Read More