Special Coverage: Democracy and Elections

Three States Accused of Illegally Purging Voter Lists

Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. July 25, 2008.
The states are swapping data files to find duplicate names, but civil rights attorneys say they are not following federal law to remove them.

From the blogs

House Hearing on 2004's Lessons Sheds No New Light on Flawed Election

by Steven Rosenfeld

Old arguments and explanations abound about the last presidential election.

Voting Rights Groups Step Up Criticism on VA Voting Policy

by Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet

Four voting rights groups urge the VA to become voter registration agencies

Fight Over the VA's Ban on Voter Registration Heads to Court

by Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet

Connecticut is looking at litigation after VA issues new restrictions on voter registration drives.

House GOPers Defeat Back-up Paper Ballot Bill

by Steven Rosenfeld

Another attempt to have back-up paper ballots for November dies in the House

Lobbying Firm Brags About Smoothing Way for a Stolen Election

by Lindsay Beyerstein, Majikthise

Lobbyist Stephen P. Payne, a new rising star of pay-to-play politics, makes Jack Abramoff look like a piker.

Blogger Fired After Criticizing US Attorney

by Lindsay Beyerstein, Raw Story

Alabama US Attorney denies any involvement in university editor's termination.

Coalition Plans to Register 500,000 Recent Immigrants to Vote

by Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet

The immigrants' rights movement announces an unprecedented effort to register new voters before the 2008 presidential election.

Arianna Huffington on Karl Rove's Contempt of Congress

What's next for Bush's Brain?

McCain Thinks the Recession is All in Our Heads

by Steve Benen, The Carpetbagger Report

Got that, whiners?

Electronic voting without software?

by Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet

Computer voting expert Avi Rubin says e-voting can be "software independent."

Nine Senators, Including Obama, Introduce Bill to Help Vets Register to Vote

Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. July 23, 2008.
At issue is whether injured vets living at VA facilities will be helped to vote for president in 2008.

Arizona Activists Outline Evidence of 2006 Electronic Vote Theft

Bill Risner, Election Defense Alliance. July 22, 2008.
The attorney who won the country's first case declaring electronic voting records are public now summarizes the case for vote count fraud.

ACLU Sues to Reverse Alabama Ex-Felon Disenfranchisement

The American Civil Liberties Union. July 22, 2008.
At issue is the Alabama attorney general's list of crimes that prevent former offenders from voting.

The Internet Is No Substitute for the Dying Newspaper Industry

Chris Hedges, Truthdig. July 22, 2008.
The decline of newspapers is about the rise of the corporate state, the loss of civic and responsibility to inform the public.

Scary Politics in Alabama: How the GOP Framed Gov. Don Siegelman

Larisa Alexandrovna, Ig Publishing. July 21, 2008.
Once a popular governor of Alabama, Siegelman was framed in a crooked trial and sent to prison by the corrupt Bush administration.

Redistricting: A Shadowy Process Needs Sunlight

J. Gerald Hebert , Susan Gershon, Campaign Legal Center Blog. July 18, 2008.
As insiders ponder redrawing the political map, voting-rights lawyers say the process needs less secrecy and more public input.

VA Ban on Voter Registration Drives for Injured Vets Becomes National Fight

Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. July 18, 2008.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs rejects a request by 19 secretaries of state to allow voter registration drives on VA facilities.

Federal Judge Orders Missouri to Register Low-Income Voters

Demos , Project Vote , The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. July 16, 2008.
The state failed to offer more than 1 million people the chance to register to vote.

Ballot vs. Bullet: Elections in Kenya and Zimbabwe

Briggs Bomba, AlterNet. July 12, 2008.
The best path to democracy in Africa? Strengthening institutions and pressuring them to uphold their protocols on human rights and good governance.

Top Senator And 10 States Attack VA for Banning Voter Registration Drives

Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. July 10, 2008.
Officials overseeing the VA and state elections say the VA's policy is unnecessary and insulting to veterans who sacrificed for our country.

A Lesson From the '04 Election in Ohio: How Latinos Were Disenfranchised

Richard Hayes Phillips, AlterNet. July 8, 2008.
An excerpt from a new book describes how Ohio’s voting system failed Latino voters.

The Latest Spin From Voting Machine Makers: What Problems?

Dan Wallach, Freedom to Tinker. July 7, 2008.
At a Texas legislative hearing, manufacturers say scientists who studied their machines were not looking at "real world" issues.

America Is in Major Need of Electoral Reform

Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation. July 7, 2008.
America is experiencing a surge of hope -- the time is right to invigorate our damaged democracy and capture greater power for the people.

How Obama Could Radically Alter the Election Map This Fall

Adam Doster, In These Times. July 7, 2008.
Obama's experience as an organizer taught him a crucial lesson: Activating underrepresented communities can dramatically alter close elections.

Now Let's Talk About Populism for Real

Ruth Rosen, Truthdig. July 5, 2008.
A new book explores the real populist vision that lies behind the shallow rhetoric to which we've been subjected during this election year.

Looking Back at Tom Paine's Radical Legacy

Nick Penniman, American News Project. July 4, 2008.
An Independence Day look back at the radical influence of Thomas Paine, whose words helped spark the American Revolution.

Republican Campaign Against Likely Democratic Voters Begins

Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. July 2, 2008.
The GOP’s latest accusations are long on rhetoric but short on facts.

Ignorant America: Just How Stupid Are We?

Rick Shenkman, Tomdispatch.com. July 2, 2008.
Millions of Americans are embarrassingly ill-informed and they do not care that they are.

Florida’s 2008 Election Landscape Looking More Like 2000

Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. June 28, 2008.
A court ruling means processing errors by local election officials can be cause to reject new voters.

Supreme Court Casts a Vote for Millionaires

Lindsay Renick Mayer, Capital Eye. June 27, 2008.
Millionaires running for Congress will no longer have to worry if spending their own money in a race will give their opponents an advantage.

The Big Outcome of the '60s: The Triumph of Capitalism

Slavoj Zizek, In These Times. June 27, 2008.
After the social tumult of the '60s capitalism usurped resistance itself, turning attempts at subversion into commodities.

The Pornography of Power: How Defense Hawks Hijacked 9/11 and Weakened America

Robert Scheer, Twelve. June 27, 2008.
The huge "defense" spending going on in our name is irrational and costly, but there are powerful vested interests that want to keep it that way.

McCain Camp Says It Will Scale Back GOP Voter Suppression Tactics

Marc Ambinder, The Atlantic. June 26, 2008.
But Obama’s top campaign lawyer is skeptical the GOP can break with its past.

Abuse of the Filibuster: Republicans Play Dirty 'Block and Blame' Game

Christopher Moraff, The Philadelphia Tribune. June 23, 2008.
It works like this: Republicans hijack the Senate, block important legislation, then complain nothing is getting done.

Americans Disenfranchised Again

Tad Daley, AlterNet. June 23, 2008.
No instant run-off voting? No national popular vote? And this is democracy?

Religious Right Groups Want Pastors to Cross the Partisan Line and Spark Court Showdown

Rob Boston, Church & State Magazine. June 23, 2008.
The nation's most prominent Religious Right legal group is looking for a pastor who will knowingly break the law and spark an IRS penalty.

When Did the Vice Presidency Become Such a Prize?

Stanley Kutler, Truthdig. June 20, 2008.
In the past, being second-in-command conferred far less power and prestige than now. Has Cheney imposed a new standard for the vice presidency?

Donors to Party Conventions Spent Over $800 Million on Federal Campaign Contributions and Lobbying Since 2005

Steve Weissman, Jennifer Sykes, The Campaign Finance Institute. June 19, 2008.
Obama and McCain will star at party nominating conventions that are largely financed by unlimited contributions from corporate treasuries.

Veterans Affairs Tells Court It Can't Imagine Voter Registration Drives for Its Wounded Veterans and the Homeless

Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. June 12, 2008.
The VA's attorney tells a federal appeals court that voters registration drives are a partisan distraction.

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