You are Likely Looking at Ground Zero of a 2016 General Election Meltdown

California held its primary on June 7, 2016, or at least it tried. The LA Times highlighted the nearly statewide debacles that left many wondering exactly what happened and why. Recently we discussed some of the issues facing California voters whose election officials have horribly mismanaged HAVA funding almost since its inception.

California voters faced a tough time at the polls Tuesday, with many voters saying they have encountered broken machines, polling sites that opened late and incomplete voter rolls, particularly in Los Angeles County.

The result? Instead of a quick in-and-out vote, many California voters were handed the dreaded pink provisional ballot — which takes longer to fill out, longer for election officials to verify and which tends to leave voters wondering whether their votes will be counted.

This year’s presidential primary race has already been one of the most bitter in recent memory. Before Tuesday’s vote, Bernie Sanders supporters accused the media of depressing Democratic turnout by calling the nomination for Hillary Clinton before polls opened in California.

Those feelings haven’t gotten any less raw Tuesday as hundreds of Californians complained of voting problems to the national nonpartisan voter hotline run by the Lawyers’ Committee For Civil Rights Under Law.

The seeds of dysfunction and disarray were on full display during the primary. Issues were plentiful and it leads you wonder if the issues were not intentional, serving as a distraction from the all too real issue of fraudulent zombie voters. The issues spawn confusion and more and more provisional ballots making it far more difficult to sort through the ballots and prove fraud. But that most likely will not stop some of the voters from trying. Especially Sanders’ supporters who feel that the election was rigged to begin with…

Sanders supporter Jonathan Daniel Brown accused Democrats of “purging votes” when he discovered he was not on the voting rolls at his polling station despite being registered.

Brown, an actor, refused to take a provisional ballot, and his complaints drew the attention of Los Angeles County Registrar-County Clerk Dean Logan, who intervened. Eventually, Brown said he was allowed to cast a regular ballot — though not before Brown said a poll worker called the police on him.

Writer Allison Bloom, 41, took her kids with her when she went to vote at the Kahal Joseph Congregation synagogue in Westwood on Tuesday morning.

“I wanted to show them what voting means,” Bloom said. But when she arrived, she said workers couldn’t boot up the vote-counting machine. Bloom left behind her ballot, with a worker promising it would be counted.

Bloom said her kids asked, “Is this what it’s always like?”

“It was just chaos,” Bloom said. “It was kind of an unfortunate first experience at the polls for them.”

Sowing chaos, generating confusion, and general misdirection . . .  sound familiar? It should. Nothing to see here. Pay no attention to the woman in the pant suit behind the curtain. If this sounds an awful lot like the result that is likely to occur in Ohio in November, there is likely a reason.

The left has little desire to make elections smoother. That simply does not help their cause. Requiring identification, actual citizen registration, and purging voter rolls all ensure that the process is efficient and fair as possible and yet they continue to actively work against such measures. If this was the result in the primary, I can only begin the fathom the cataclysmic catastrophe that will occur in November.

Quite frankly, California’s inability to manage HAVA funding should have already sent  a clear message to the legislature. The state needs to take action to fix the process, and fix it really. The election should be fair, honest, and free of zombies and fraud generally. 

Disenfranchisement of New Voters in Oregon Primary Benefits Clinton over Sanders

Yesterday, Joanne W. Young published a piece at the Daily Caller that further illustrates the dangers associated with mandatory voter registration. Oregon, a bastion for most things liberal, attempted to force mandatory registration through the DMV. This drew more than a few warnings from Young earlier this year. It turns out the initial concerns were well founded as new voters are likely being disenfranchised as a result of the system.

Oregon was the first state to enact a system of automatic or mandatory voter registration. At the beginning of 2016, Oregon began mandatorily registering its citizens to vote when they visited the Department of Motor Vehicles, changing from an “opt-in” to an “opt-out” registration system. Liberals hailed this as a leap forward in making voting easier for everyone and encouraging broader engagement by citizens in our democracy.

Mandatory voter registration is a new experiment in the United States, and there is no proof it will meet its intended goals. Indeed, there is evidence from other countries, such as Canada, that have had systems of mandatory voter registration for years that, instead of increasing voter engagement and turnout, it actually decreases it . . . .

The issue will undoubtedly effect many voters in the Oregon primary today as those who are not declared for a party will be unable to vote given the state’s primary rules.

Oregon is a closed primary state, meaning that only those voters registered with a political party may vote in that party’s primary. The government cannot choose a party for a person, so by default, all new voters registered through the mandatory voter registration system areregistered as non-affiliated voters. To be registered with a party, new voters, who did not take the initiative to register to vote, must take the initiative to proactively indicate a party on a follow-up postcard they mail back to the Secretary of State.

In what should come as a surprise to very few, many of those who were mandatorily registered failed to return the postcard and as a consequence will be unable to vote in the primary.

At the end of April, only 16 percent of new voters had returned the postcard selecting a party. Fully76 percent of newly registered voters did not return the card at all, meaning they are registered to vote but registered as not affiliated with any party. The Oregon presidential primary is May 17, and the deadline for registering with a party was April 26 . . . . 

Further complicating matters, Oregon is an entirely vote-by-mail state, meaning that those non-affiliated voters have not even received a ballot and may not realize they are being disenfranchised.

The mandatory voter registration process in Oregon has been a glaring failure on many levels. It has achieved only the exact opposite of what it was advertised to do. Other countries have shown its impact to be at best negligible, and more than likely detrimental. 

The recent voter disenfranchisement in Oregon simply adds to a growing list of questionable policies emanating from the left. Young goes on to discuss who the situation does likely help; none other than the Democratic “establishment candidate,” Hillary Clinton. While I personally loathe Sanders ideals and general platform, it is hard to look at the integrity of this election from his perspective and not cringe. Step by step, state by state, super delegate by super delegate, the establishment is stealing the Democratic nomination away from him. Elections should have integrity. As Joanne Young pointed out regarding the New Hampshire primary in February, elections should always be right and just, not stolen.

Hard to Tell Where the Incompetence Ends and the Fraud Begins

Democrats have been working to disenfranchise Republicans in many ways, whether it is by vote fraud or systems that enable fraudulent voting like automatic voter registration or same-day registration.  But the Democrat election officials in Harlem, New York, took it to a new level today.  

CORRUPTION IN FULL FORCE in Harlem...I'm told there are NO republican ballots available and I was given this one pic.twitter.com/qaDrctjhOG

— John Burnett (@IAmJohnBurnett) April 19, 2016

And to be clear, Mr. Burnett was a properly registered Republican:

After showing voter card I signed book and given @democrat ballot. I asked for @GOP ballot, told no more and to wait pic.twitter.com/iFBo3whmI8

— John Burnett (@IAmJohnBurnett) April 19, 2016

As one famous Republican election law expert is fond of saying, it is hard to tell where the incompetence ends and the fraud begins. On the latter, see this final tweet by Mr. Burnett:

Hope ballots are NOT like petitions that require everything to be correct. It's "Affidavit" not "Affidaivt" pic.twitter.com/Bhypi7rh9z

— John Burnett (@IAmJohnBurnett) April 19, 2016

RNLA Chair Randy Evan's Expertise on the Republican Convention and Delegate Processes

As the campaign for the Republican presidential nomination continues to be competitive, Randy Evans, RNLA’s Chair and a member of the Republican National Committee, has been sharing his expertise on the delegate selection process and the Republican National Convention.  Here are some of his recent statements:

On March 18, Randy spoke to the Atlanta Journal Constitution and provided "Five answers about an open Republican convention in Cleveland."  The key point is the Party will not try to change the rules to work against a candidate:

Q: Will the party change the rules to try to prevent a Trump nomination?

A: No. As a member of the Rules Committee, I can say there is no appetite to rig the convention. On the other hand, there are a number of rules proposals that the RNC Rules Committee will take up at the RNC spring meeting in April. They range from unbinding delegates to changing the number of states required for nomination to permitting pledging of delegates.

By then, we will have better picture of where things are, but I do not expect any significant rules changes. We may have to consider some modifications to address the logistics of an open convention if that remains a realistic possibility, but we will just have to wait and see on that.

While the rules committee process will be fair and no one is out to favor one candidate or another, there are still issues of legitimate debate. For example, Randy explained an issue  regarding the withdrawn candidates:

Another issue the RNC is likely to take up at its April meeting is the status of delegates belonging to candidates who have suspended their campaigns. “There’s a genuine debate on the rules committee, as to how a suspended candidacy or a terminated or withdrawn candidacy operates to release their delegates. 

“I think each candidate who earned those delegates should have an important say,” Evans said. 

More recently in the Augusta Chronicle, Randy summed up that this is still an election:

“They know at the end of the day it is just about counting noses. We’ll have a vote, and at the end of the day, you win the vote or lose the vote,” said Randy Evans, the Republican committeeman from Georgia and a member of the national convention’s Rules Committee.

We wish to thank Randy and the other hard working men and women of the Republican National Committee for striving for a fair process.  Randy is available for interviews; contact press@republicanlawyer.net for more information.

Left Cites Discredited, Inflated Statistics to Opposed Voter ID in Wisconsin

Wisconsin holds its presidential primary today, the first major election under its voter ID law.  The media and voter ID opponents continue to claim that 300,000 Wisconsin citizens lack the identification required to vote.  This is the number the district court relied upon to strike down the law in 2014.  What the media and voter ID opponents overlook, however, is that the 7th Circuit called that figure “questionable” because it both overestimated the number of citizens without a DMV-issued ID and overlooked other forms of ID acceptable under the law.  

As Don Palmer noted in his study of reliance on faulty, overstated numbers in challenges to voter ID laws:

The Wisconsin district court opinion is perhaps the most egregious example of a court’s failing to engage in meaningful data analysis of the number of voters who lack a driver’s license or DMV ID card but who may have one of the other photo IDs permitted under a voter ID law. Even a cursory examination would have revealed that a much larger number of Wisconsin voters (almost 1.5 million) possess non-DMV IDs that are valid for voting, including passports, Indian Tribe ID cards,naturalization certificates, and military or reserve military ID cards. 

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the district court. In that opinion, Judge Frank Easterbrook criticized the district court’s conclusions as to the supposedly large number of individuals without ID as “questionable.” He added that registered voters without a valid ID were not “disenfranchised,” as claimed by the trial court, and that the total number of voters without a valid ID is not the appropriate measure of the law’s validity anyway.

Even if it were correct in 2014 (which it was not), the 300,000 figure additionally fails to account for anyone who has obtained an ID in the two years since that figure was calculated.  Instead of engaging in a fact-based discussion of how to protect the integrity of elections, the media and the left continually cite the discredited 300,000 figure to claim that Wisconsin’s voter ID law disenfranchises voters. 

It Is a Big Day in Presidential Politics - Be Watchful for Vote Fraud

It’s a big day in the presidential primary with huge states like Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois, and Florida on the line. With the stakes being as high as they are, it is really difficult not to be concerned about vote fraud. Glenn McCoy noted that this is especially true in areas that have a significant history with the issue like St. Clair County, Illinois:

Kelly has charged 10 vote fraud cases since 2012, with four convictions and the rest pending. He is pursuing these cases and asking for the public’s help. 

Vote fraud robs democracy, so reporting the thiefs [sic] is an act of patriotism. Curbing the practices requires more voters to decide they will back a candidate based on beliefs rather than who slips them $5 or $10. 

But for those whose altruism isn’t developed enough to keep our elections honest, prosecution seems like a good alternative.

And that is the reality we all face. Prosecution is required to protect our elections from fraud. As the author continues, it becomes clear that voter ID laws are having the desired effect at the ballot box, ensuring election integrity. However, those committing the fraud are beginning to strike earlier and earlier and finding new ways to game the system, thereby robbing law abiding citizens of their right to vote. The risks to our elections have never been higher, and elections must be protected.

Michigan’s and Mississippi's Primaries Disprove the Left's Feckless Rhetoric About Voter ID Laws

Both Republican and Democratic voters turned out en masse last Tuesday providing yet another glaring example, among the rapidly expanding list of examples, that voter ID laws do not disenfranchise voters. Michigan broke a record set in 1972:

With more than 2.4 million voters turning out for Michigan's presidential primary on Tuesday, the record set in 1972, when 1.9 million people cast ballots, was shattered. 

Turnout in areas of Michigan was so high Tuesday that some clerks were reporting that some precincts were running out of ballots. The high number was fueled by a huge increase in absentee voting this year over previous elections. 

Clerks ran out of ballots in Redford, Ingham County and in one precinct in Kent County. Additional ballots were quickly sent to those precincts, but some voters reported having to wait for more than an hour in line until more ballots were delivered. 

Turnout was so high at a Redford Township polling station, Precinct 25, that the station ran out of Democratic ballots for at least half an hour, an organizer said.

States with voter ID laws continue to see record turnouts this presidential cycle on both sides of the aisle. Like most states, Michigan, typically classified a swing state, did not seem to have an issue with its citizens finding and using their ID. 

Mississippi also had strong turnout at the polls, with no significant issues reported:

"Voting's been pretty steady," Smithka said. "We've had a pretty good turnout. No real problems with voter ID. A couple people forgot their IDs and had to go home and retrieve them, but other than that it's been pretty smooth." 

Alma Myers, who was in charge of the Walthall School Precinct on Southern Avenue, said everything was fine. 

"Things are going pretty good," she said. The precinct had serviced 171 voters by late afternoon.

Additional states with voter ID laws, specifically Missouri, Florida and North Carolina, have presidential primaries tomorrow. Given the turnout in early voting in North Carolina, it should be another banner day.

Voter ID on Super Tuesday - Record Turnouts Despite Voter ID Laws

The opponents of voter ID are eerily silent after record-setting turnouts occurred yesterday in states with voter ID laws. It’s now exceptionally clear that the alleged claims of mass voter disenfranchisement are overstated fiction. The five Super Tuesday states with voter ID laws -- Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia -- experienced record-breaking turnouts.

Alabama anticipated high turnout, and it was high:

"We expect [turnout] to be as high as 750,000 people in the Republican primary and 350,000 in the Democratic primary," [Secretary of State John] Merrill said. Turnout could be "higher than every election that we've seen since 2000, with exception of the 2008 race, where it was a very competitive Republican primary" and then-presidential candidate Barack Obama boosted turnout in the Democratic primary, he added.

Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas also experienced much higher than average primary turnout.  Virginia had 30% of eligible voters cast a ballot in the primary:

Elections officials say turnout in Virginia's Republican presidential primary was substantially higher than it was in 2008, the last primary in which no incumbents were running.

The Virginia Department of Elections said approximate figures late Tuesday show that about 800,000 Virginians cast votes in the Republican presidential primary. About 575,000 people voted in the Democratic primary.    

In 2008, roughly 489,000 people voted in the Republican primary, while about 986,000 people cast votes in the Democratic race.

The left's claims of confusion and mass disenfranchisement if voter ID laws are passed should now fall on deaf ears. On Super Tuesday, voters turned out, disenfranchisement was non-existent, and electoral integrity took a huge step forward. The left will likely continue to assert absurd claims of voters being disenfranchised but, on the heels of many record-setting primaries in states utilizing voter ID, everyone should know better.