Voter Suppression, Not Voter Fraud
Voter Suppression, Not Voter Fraud
Voter suppression is alive and well in the good old USA. Republican (Democrats are guilty too, but not in the scope of the Republicans) election officials continue to purge voters based on felon lists. They can claim, for example that a James B. Horton, MD (fictional), matches a convicted felon named Jackson B. Horton (fictional), and thus purge the doctor. This purging effects Latinos, African-Americans and many orientals to a very high degree. The idea is to purge voters that may vote non Republican. One fiendish example is “Interstate Crosscheck”, the brainchild of Kris Kobach of Kansas. Used by a number of states, it “matches” voters from state to state, so, if a name “match” is found in two states, both people are purged. How convenient.
One example, in Florida, is the case of attorney Thomas Joseph Brown who was purged because he “matched” a felon named Thomas Jerald Brown, who lived in Daytona while the victim, yes victim, lives in Tallahassee. The following is a statement from the victim about what happened:
I am a licensed Florida and Texas attorney who was wrongfully removed from the voters list and not allowed to vote. I was removed because of the felon list and documents (see criminal judgment of conviction of another attached) provided by the State of Florida to the Leon County Supervisors of Elections. This was both embarrassing and upsetting to be denied my fundamental right to vote as a U.S. citizen and Florida resident – a right that I cherish and exercise faithfully considering how my ancestors and others fought for African Americans such as I to vote. Upon presenting my valid Florida Driver’s License with my full name “Thomas Joseph Brown” at my voting precinct, I was told that I had been purged from the voters list and could not vote.
After traveling to the Leon Country Supervisor of Elections Office and speaking to the Supervisor and staff, I was provided a copy of a criminal Judgment from 2005 for a “Thomas Jerald Brown” whose address was in Daytona Florida which is more that 200 miles from Tallahassee, Florida as support for purging me from the voters list. Again my improper removal from the voting list without notice to me, a registered Leon County voter since 1990, is a clear example as to why I and others are against Florida’s unfettered use of the Felon list to purge voters, including lawfully registered voters such as I, from the voting list.
Although my rights were re-established due to my actions, I am deeply concerned for other citizens who are not lawyers and may not have known how or had time to re-establish their voting rights to be able to cast a regular ballot before the polls close at 7:00 p.p.. It was embarrassing to be purged as a convicted felon, unable to vote, especially when a colleague noticed that I was not allowed to vote and asked if he needed to vouch for me.
With kind regards, I am
Sincerely,
Thomas J. Brown, Esq.,
BROWN AND BROWN
ATTORNEYS AT LAW, P.A.
1102 E. Tennessee Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32308
He fought back and won. Many people are ignorant of their rights and just give in, which is what is expected when these purges are conducted. The problem is that purges are conducted by the various secretaries of state, who run the elections and may have a vested interest in the outcome. Plus the state canvassing boards in some states include the Governor, who may be running for office, the secretary of state, and other members of the state cabinet. In Florida, for example, the Florida State Division of Elections is run by the secretary of state, currently Ken Detzner, a Republican.
The Florida Elections Canvassing Commission, which is responsible for certifying the results of an election is headed by the Governor (Rick Scott, who is running for a Senate seat and wants the vote count stopped, even accusing Broward County election officials of fraud), and two members of the cabinet appointed by the governor.
Georgia is also doing some voter suppression of its own; Brian Kemp, the secretary of state, who is running for governor has purged an estimated 300,000 people in the past two years, mostly African-Americans, as is his opponent for the governor’s office. One of his victims was 92 year old Christine Jordan, who after 50 years of voting stated her voter registration records had vanished.
So, why are state officials with partisan vested interests in the outcome of elections running them? Shouldn’t they be kept away from running elections? Would it not be better to have an independent state elections office that does not answer to the governor and handles everything associated with elections free of interference by corrupt state officials? With Florida’s Amendment 4, restoring voting rights to felons that have completed their “debt to society”, things may change a bit, but corrupt officials will still find a way to suppress the vote of people the think will not vote their way.
So long as the Democrats and Republicans continue to own the system, the only way to repair this mess is by citizen’s initiative. In Florida, a constitutional amendment to place all elections, including the handling of voter rolls, under a truly independent Florida Elections Commission, might be in order.
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