The 2012 battle over voter rights
Neither President Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney has voiced an opinion publicly on voter rights, though their parties have waged battles over the issue in many states recently.
Republicans in more than a dozen states have passed new laws that limit early voting periods, require photo identification at polls and place new restrictions on voter registration drives. These new laws were passed in order to prevent voter fraud, Republicans said, while Democrats have asserted that Republicans’ intent is to place more obstacles in the way of the voters who tend to vote Democratic – young people, people with lower incomes and minorities.
In Iowa, rights for most voters haven’t changed since the last national election, despite the state’s election of Republican Governor Terry Branstad in 2010. Only felons’ rights have changed, with the governor’s rescinding of an executive order made by former Governor Tom Vilsack, which automatically granted convicted felons voting rights after they served their sentences. Felons must now apply for restoration of their voting rights once all of their monetary obligations have been paid and they’ve served their sentences, including any parole or probation.
The candidates’ views have become more transparent in the wake of a lawsuit from the Obama campaign against Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted. Though neither candidate had direct involvement in the case, it represents the national trend of Republicans working to impose new restrictions on voting.
Republicans in Ohio attempted to limit early voting rights the weekend before the election to only include members of the military. In 2008 all Ohio voters were able to vote the weekend before the election. The Obama campaign and Democratic Party sued Husted, arguing that such restrictions to on early voting violate the Constitution’s equal protection clause.
After a U.S. appeals court ruled that the Republicans’ plan violated the rights of non-military voters, the U.S. Supreme Court threw out an appeal made by Husted and Ohio’s attorney general Mike DeWine. This action kept Republicans from implementing the restrictions, meaning all voters in Ohio will have the opportunity to cast their ballot in the timeslots designated by Husted the weekend before Nov. 6.
After the Obama campaign filed the lawsuit, which made early voting more accessible for all Ohio voters, the Romney campaign worked to re-characterize it to the public. The Republican presidential candidate claimed that the lawsuit meant that the Obama campaign thought that Ohio giving members of the military early voting privileges was unconstitutional, and called it an “outrage.” Romney’s claims that the lawsuit challenged the rights of military voters were determined to be false by Politifact.
Thirty-three states have voter ID laws, though only five are considered strict, or require specific types of photo identification. Six states have passed stricter laws that will be implemented after the 2012 national election if they receive pre-clearance under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
Republicans in states like Colorado and Florida have also made attempts to purge their voter rolls, which has been controversial leading up to the 2012 election.
In Florida, voter rolls were originally purged based on the state’s drivers’ license records, which included many voters who became citizens after they received licenses. In August, the state agreed to check voting rolls based on a more up to date U.S. Department of Homeland Security database.
Colorado Republican Secretary of State Scott Gessler backed off a decision to hold hearings to challenge the citizenship of some 141 Colorado voters. In September Gessler determined that there wasn’t enough time before the November election to hold all of the hearings, but said that he would pass the names of the suspected non-citizens to county clerks.
Battleground states:
Wisconsin – Wisconsin Act 23 was signed into law in 2011, which included changes to voting in the state. The act’s photo ID requirement is currently waiting to be ruled on by a Court of Appeals, after it was deemed to violate the state’s Constitution. Other provisions of the act include new residency requirements mandating that voters must reside in the address they register to vote at 28 days before an election; before the requirement was 10 days.
Ohio – Early voting times have been restricted on nights and weekends, though all voters will still be able to vote over the weekend prior to the election. Ended the state’s weeklong period of same-day voter registration.
Florida – Early voting period was limited to 8 days in all counties except Monroe County, which will retain its 12-day early voting period.
Pennsylvania – Voter ID law was passed in 2012, but in October its implementation was delayed until after the Nov. 6 election, after a state judge determined that not enough action was taken to ensure the state’s citizens had “liberal access” to the picture identification cards or alternatives.
--Matt Wettengel
Republicans in more than a dozen states have passed new laws that limit early voting periods, require photo identification at polls and place new restrictions on voter registration drives. These new laws were passed in order to prevent voter fraud, Republicans said, while Democrats have asserted that Republicans’ intent is to place more obstacles in the way of the voters who tend to vote Democratic – young people, people with lower incomes and minorities.
In Iowa, rights for most voters haven’t changed since the last national election, despite the state’s election of Republican Governor Terry Branstad in 2010. Only felons’ rights have changed, with the governor’s rescinding of an executive order made by former Governor Tom Vilsack, which automatically granted convicted felons voting rights after they served their sentences. Felons must now apply for restoration of their voting rights once all of their monetary obligations have been paid and they’ve served their sentences, including any parole or probation.
The candidates’ views have become more transparent in the wake of a lawsuit from the Obama campaign against Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted. Though neither candidate had direct involvement in the case, it represents the national trend of Republicans working to impose new restrictions on voting.
Republicans in Ohio attempted to limit early voting rights the weekend before the election to only include members of the military. In 2008 all Ohio voters were able to vote the weekend before the election. The Obama campaign and Democratic Party sued Husted, arguing that such restrictions to on early voting violate the Constitution’s equal protection clause.
After a U.S. appeals court ruled that the Republicans’ plan violated the rights of non-military voters, the U.S. Supreme Court threw out an appeal made by Husted and Ohio’s attorney general Mike DeWine. This action kept Republicans from implementing the restrictions, meaning all voters in Ohio will have the opportunity to cast their ballot in the timeslots designated by Husted the weekend before Nov. 6.
After the Obama campaign filed the lawsuit, which made early voting more accessible for all Ohio voters, the Romney campaign worked to re-characterize it to the public. The Republican presidential candidate claimed that the lawsuit meant that the Obama campaign thought that Ohio giving members of the military early voting privileges was unconstitutional, and called it an “outrage.” Romney’s claims that the lawsuit challenged the rights of military voters were determined to be false by Politifact.
Thirty-three states have voter ID laws, though only five are considered strict, or require specific types of photo identification. Six states have passed stricter laws that will be implemented after the 2012 national election if they receive pre-clearance under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
Republicans in states like Colorado and Florida have also made attempts to purge their voter rolls, which has been controversial leading up to the 2012 election.
In Florida, voter rolls were originally purged based on the state’s drivers’ license records, which included many voters who became citizens after they received licenses. In August, the state agreed to check voting rolls based on a more up to date U.S. Department of Homeland Security database.
Colorado Republican Secretary of State Scott Gessler backed off a decision to hold hearings to challenge the citizenship of some 141 Colorado voters. In September Gessler determined that there wasn’t enough time before the November election to hold all of the hearings, but said that he would pass the names of the suspected non-citizens to county clerks.
Battleground states:
Wisconsin – Wisconsin Act 23 was signed into law in 2011, which included changes to voting in the state. The act’s photo ID requirement is currently waiting to be ruled on by a Court of Appeals, after it was deemed to violate the state’s Constitution. Other provisions of the act include new residency requirements mandating that voters must reside in the address they register to vote at 28 days before an election; before the requirement was 10 days.
Ohio – Early voting times have been restricted on nights and weekends, though all voters will still be able to vote over the weekend prior to the election. Ended the state’s weeklong period of same-day voter registration.
Florida – Early voting period was limited to 8 days in all counties except Monroe County, which will retain its 12-day early voting period.
Pennsylvania – Voter ID law was passed in 2012, but in October its implementation was delayed until after the Nov. 6 election, after a state judge determined that not enough action was taken to ensure the state’s citizens had “liberal access” to the picture identification cards or alternatives.
--Matt Wettengel