-by Ryan J. Reilly
August 29, 2011- The Justice Department wants more information about South Carolina's new voter ID law, which was signed by Gov. Nikki Haley (R) in May.
Under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, South Carolina is required to have changes to the state's voting laws precleared by federal authorities or by a federal court to insure they're not discriminatory.
-By Andrew Jones
August 22, 2011- The law requiring Wisconsin's citizens to show photo ID in order to vote is facing a possible lawsuit, as opponents of the law say it violates the state's Constitution.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the League of Women Votes of Wisconsin is preparing the lawsuit that alleges the law violates 'right to vote' provisions of the state constitution not present in the U.S. Constitution.
"It is absolutely clear that the Legislature paid no attention to the (right to vote) provisions of the Wisconsin Constitution when it passed voter ID," said their attorney Lester Pines. "I'm not aware of any point in which they came up."
New ID laws combat an imaginary crime wave.
-By Roger Bybee
August 12, 2011- Voter fraud is virtually nonexistent in America, but this imaginary crime still serves to justify a wave of onerous new voter registration laws—often requiring a state-issued photo ID—that Republican legislators have rapidly spread across the nation. The implications for the 2012 elections are huge.
“The overall idea is pretty obvious,” says Frances Fox Piven, author of three books outlining America’s unusually harsh and restrictive voting laws. “Both parties expect close elections in 2012, and if you peel off just a couple percentage points, you can determine the outcome.”
-By David Edwards
August 5, 2011- Fiscal responsibility has been a battle cry for Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, but his voter photo ID law is going to cost the state big bucks.
After passing the new law, Walker had tried to close at least 10 Division of Motor Vehicle (DMV) offices — allegedly in Democratic districts — but that plan was scrapped in the face of public outrage.
The DMV announced Thursday that it would instead expand services, a move expected to cost $6 million in the first year and $4 million in each year after that, according to The Wisconsin State Journal.
As a part of the move, the total number of DMV offices will be increased from 88 to 92. Overall, office hours will be expanded by 32,000 hours.
Critics claim that the new voting restrictions disenfranchise minorities, students, the poor and the elderly — all groups who tend to vote Democratic.
-By David Catanese
August 01, 2011- Americans for Prosperity is sending absentee ballots to Democrats in at least two Wisconsin state Senate recall districts with instructions to return the paperwork after the election date.
The fliers, obtained by POLITICO, ask solidly Democratic voters to return ballots for the Aug. 9 election to the city clerk "before Aug. 11."
A Democrat on the ground in Wisconsin said the fliers were discovered to be hitting doors in District 2 and District 10 over the weekend.
"These are people who are our 1's in the voterfile who we already knew. They ain't AFP members, that's for damn sure," the source said.