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TyeDyeWildebeest Unreasonably Quirky from Big Rock Candy Mountain Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: Dancing with myself
Unreasonably Quirky
#257476: Oct 11th 2018 at 1:56:57 PM

Republicans may be about to steal an election in Georgia. Brian Kemp's using his power as secretary of state to disenfranchise minority voters.

Two main policies overseen by Kemp have drawn criticism and legal challenges: Georgia’s “exact match” registration verification process and the mass cancellation of inactive voter registrations.

According to records obtained from Kemp’s office through a public records request, [Marsha] Appling-Nunez’s application —like many of the 53,000 registrations on hold with Kemp’s office — was flagged because it ran afoul of the state’s “exact match” verification process.

Under the policy, information on voter applications must precisely match information on file with the Georgia Department of Driver Services or the Social Security Administration. Election officials can place non-matching applications on hold.

An application could be held because of an entry error or a dropped hyphen in a last name, for example.

Appling-Nunez says she never saw any notice from Kemp’s office indicating a problem with her application.

An analysis of the records obtained by The Associated Press reveals racial disparity in the process. Georgia’s population is approximately 32 percent black, according to the U.S. Census, but the list of voter registrations on hold with Kemp’s office is nearly 70 percent black.

I love to learn, I love to yearn, and most of all... I love to make money.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#257477: Oct 11th 2018 at 2:04:12 PM

Typical Republicans, how disgusting.

Hopefully, we can plow through their cowardly tactics and win anyway.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Oct 11th 2018 at 5:05:03 AM

"Sandwiches are probably easier to fix than the actual problems" -Hylarn
danime91 Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#257478: Oct 11th 2018 at 2:20:06 PM

Seriously, it's so blatantly aimed at non-white people, who are more likely to have things like hyphens or other special characters in their names. A lot of Mexican people I know do the whole combining last names upon marriage thing. And now people can't vote because of a hyphen or a typo?

PhysicalStamina Since: Apr, 2012
#257479: Oct 11th 2018 at 2:21:27 PM

[up][up]The scale with which this is happening makes me doubtful.

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#257480: Oct 11th 2018 at 2:23:13 PM

Seriously, it's so blatantly aimed at non-white people, who are more likely to have things like hyphens or other special characters in their names. A lot of Mexican people I know do the whole combining last names upon marriage thing. And now people can't vote because of a hyphen or a typo?

Quite, if the Supreme Court wasn't filled with partisan hacks who hate anything that opposes Conservative dominance this would be rightfully illegal and the judiciary could actually take a stand against it.

The scale with which this is happening makes me doubtful.

Maybe.

Still, there isn't enough info to make any assumptions.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Oct 11th 2018 at 5:24:22 AM

"Sandwiches are probably easier to fix than the actual problems" -Hylarn
TyeDyeWildebeest Unreasonably Quirky from Big Rock Candy Mountain Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: Dancing with myself
Unreasonably Quirky
#257481: Oct 11th 2018 at 2:30:14 PM

[up][up]The scale with which this is happening makes me doubtful.

Yeah, seriously, how do you unseat a party that can just change the rules whenever they feel like it?

I love to learn, I love to yearn, and most of all... I love to make money.
TobiasDrake Queen of Good Things, Honest (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
Queen of Good Things, Honest
#257482: Oct 11th 2018 at 3:30:39 PM

Quite, if the Supreme Court wasn't filled with partisan hacks who hate anything that opposes Conservative dominance this would be rightfully illegal and the judiciary could actually take a stand against it.

Which is, of course, why a slightly increased chance of losing the Senate for the sake of gaining another Supreme Court Justice was a pretty good deal for the Right.

The best part of Kemp's shenanigans is that they don't even need to hold up in court. It just needs to take longer than November to rectify them.

Edited by TobiasDrake on Oct 11th 2018 at 4:34:03 AM

My Tumblr. Currently liveblogging Haruhi Suzumiya and revisiting Danganronpa V3.
kkhohoho Since: May, 2011
#257483: Oct 11th 2018 at 4:40:27 PM

Regarding that poll earlier, turns out the % for young voters is actually higher than in 2014. Back then it was only 19%. So 35% is actually an improvement.

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#257484: Oct 11th 2018 at 4:50:45 PM

[up] Just shy of double.

https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2018/10/11/day-630/

Day 630: Highly unusual

1/ U.S. intelligence intercepts indicate that the crown prince of Saudi Arabia ordered an operation to coax Jamal Khashoggi back to the kingdom in order to capture him. Khashoggi, a prominent critic of Mohammed bin Salman and the Saudi government, disappeared last week after he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. A bipartisan group on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee invoked the Magnitsky Act to force the Trump administration to investigate the disappearance of Khashoggi, which requires the administration to respond within 120 days of potential sanctions against officials responsible for human rights violations. Trump said he is reluctant to cut off arms sales to Saudi Arabia, believing it "would be hurting" the U.S. economy. (Washington Post / Politico / CNN / Bloomberg)

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/11/trump-saudi-arabia-arms-sales-khashoggi-disappearance-892060

2/ Trump pledged to "weed out" individuals inside his administration who he doesn't like or trust. When asked if that included Jeff Sessions, Trump replied that he is focused on the midterm elections. Melania Trump, meanwhile, said Trump has people working in his administration she doesn't trust and it is hard for the president to govern when "you always need to watch your back." Melania added that she is "the most bullied person on the world." #Be Best (Politico / ABC News / CNN / Washington Post)

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/11/trump-weed-out-administration-893190

3/ Trump spoke with Jeff Sessions' own chief of staff about replacing him as attorney general. It is not clear whether Trump wanted Matthew Whitaker to take over on an interim basis or to be nominated in a more permanent capacity. White House officials say they expect both Sessions and Rosenstein to remain in their positions at least until after the midterms. (Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-talked-with-jeff-sessionss-own-chief-of-staff-about-replacing-him-as-attorney-general/2018/10/10/e010211c-ccc5-11e8-a3e6-44daa3d35ede_story.html?utm_term=.3191dc0a0175

4/ Trump is considering as many as five candidates to replace Jeff Sessions if he leaves as attorney general. The candidates include Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Transportation Department general counsel Steven Bradbury, former Attorney General Bill Barr, Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and Janice Rogers Brown, a retired appeals court judge from the District of Columbia Circuit. Sessions isn't currently planning to leave, but has privately said he expects to be asked to resign. (Wall Street Journal)

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-is-mulling-candidates-who-could-replace-jeff-sessions-1539290740

5/ Georgia's Secretary of State is holding more than 53,000 voter registration applications – nearly 70% from black voters – due to the state's "exact match" law, which requires that information on the application must match information on file with the Georgia Department of Driver Services or the Social Security Administration. Brian Kemp's office has cancelled over 1.4 million voter registrations since 2012 and nearly 670,000 registrations in 2017 alone. (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/fb011f39af3b40518b572c8cce6e906c

poll/ 35% of young Americans ages 18-29 say they are absolutely certain to vote in the midterms, while 81% of seniors 65+ say they're certain to vote. 69% of Americans say their feelings about the state of the country are primarily negative. (The Atlantic / Public Religion Research Institute)

https://www.prri.org/research/american-democracy-in-crisis-civic-engagement-young-adult-activism-and-the-2018-midterm-elections/

Notables.

Trump's legal team is preparing written answers to questions provided by Robert Mueller related to the investigation into collusion between the Trump campaign and Russians. The two sides have still not agreed on whether Trump will be interviewed in person regarding obstruction of justice related to the firing of FBI Director James Comey. (CNN)

https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/11/politics/trump-lawyers-preparing-answers-mueller-questions/index.html

The judge in one of Paul Manafort's criminal cases wants to move ahead with sentencing and whether Mueller's prosecutors will retry him on deadlocked counts. Manafort's plea deal, however, deferred sentencing until after his cooperation with Mueller's team concluded. It also pushed off the decision to retry him on 10 of the 18 counts that Virginia jurors couldn't agree on. Judge T.S. Ellis called the timeline in Manafort's plea deal "highly unusual," saying it didn't adhere to the usual schedule in his court. A hearing is set for next week. (Associated Press / NBC News)

https://apnews.com/90fa9f48e4964be3b9b5862de2c4eef1

Trump accused Hillary Clinton of colluding with Russia during the 2016 election campaign. "There was collusion between Hillary, the Democrats and Russia," Trump claimed during a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania. His supporters chanted "lock her up." (NBC News)

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-accuses-hillary-clinton-colluding-russia-crowd-chants-lock-her-n918836

Andrew Mc Cabe says the FBI is stalling publication of his book, "The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump." The former deputy director of the FBI said he has been singled out for what he calls "irregular unfair treatment." Mc Cabe was fired in March for what the Justice Department called a lack of candor following an inspector general report accusing him of misleading investigators. He has denied any wrongdoing. (ABC News / NBC News)

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fired-official-andrew-mccabe-accuses-fbi-stalling-upcoming/story?id=58420204

Michael Cohen changed his party registration from Republican to Democrat. Trump's former attorney pleaded guilty in August to eight criminal counts of tax fraud, making false statements to a bank and campaign finance violations. He implicated Trump by suggesting that the violations were at his direction. (Axios)

https://www.axios.com/michael-cohen-becomes-democrat-a73c59a5-2000-4f8f-b4d5-29d66deda15c.html

Trump blamed the stock market correction on the "out of control" Federal Reserve, criticizing chairman Jerome Powell for "going loco." Trump said he won't fire Powell, but is "just disappointed." Presidents for more than two decades had avoided publicly criticizing the Fed's interest-rate policies as a way of demonstrating respect for the institution's independence. The Dow traded 200 points lower, bringing its two-day losses to more than 1,000 points (Bloomberg / CNBC)

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/11/trump-says-the-stock-market-correction-caused-by-the-federal-reserve.html

Instead of discussing prison reform, Kanye West plunged into a 10-minute rant in the Oval Office, referring to himself as "a crazy motherfucker" akin to "tasting a fine wine" with "complex notes" for supporting Trump, complimented the president for making him "a Superman cape" by way of the red "Make America Great Again" hat, pitched the president on replacing Air Force One with a hydrogen-powered "iPlane 1" that he'd like Apple to design, and repeatedly complimented Trump, saying the president "is on his hero's journey right now." After West finished his soliloquy, Trump said: "That was quite something." (Reuters / NPR / Rolling Stone / Buzz Feed News)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-kanye/kanye-west-defends-support-for-trump-in-front-of-trump-idUSKCN1ML26N

Edited by sgamer82 on Oct 11th 2018 at 5:56:54 AM

tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
Professional Forum Ninja
#257485: Oct 11th 2018 at 4:54:54 PM

Trump admin has waived 28 environmental laws for to help speed up building Trump's border wall alongside the lower Rio Grande in Cameron County, Texas.

Laws waived:

  1. The National Environmental Policy Act
  2. The Endangered Species Act
  3. The Clean Water Act
  4. The National Historic Preservation Act
  5. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act
  6. The Migratory Bird Conservation Act
  7. The Clean Air Act
  8. The Archeological Resources Protection Act
  9. The Paleontological Resources Preservation Act
  10. The Federal Cave Resources Protection Act
  11. The Safe Drinking Water Act
  12. The Noise Control Act
  13. The Solid Waste Disposal Act
  14. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
  15. The Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act
  16. The Antiquities Act
  17. The Historic Sites, Buildings, and Antiquities Act
  18. The Farmland Protection Policy Act
  19. The Coastal Zone Management Act
  20. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act
  21. The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act
  22. The National Fish and Wildlife Act
  23. The Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act
  24. The Administrative Procedure Act
  25. The River and Harbors Act
  26. The Eagle Protection Act
  27. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
  28. The American Indian Religious Freedom Act

Edited by tclittle on Oct 11th 2018 at 6:55:20 AM

"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#257486: Oct 11th 2018 at 4:55:47 PM

Which is, of course, why a slightly increased chance of losing the Senate for the sake of gaining another Supreme Court Justice was a pretty good deal for the Right.

This is only true if you ignore the fact that by completely unnecessarily doubling down on Kavanaugh they confirmed a man who is historically unpopular amongst the General Public and thus would hurt the legitimacy of the Court. Which is deeply bad for them in that the legitimacy of the Court is where its power is derived from.

Just because the Right are rape apologists who are obsessed with owning the Libs does not, in fact, mean that it was a good deal for them. There is a non-zero chance that this could explode in their faces.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Oct 11th 2018 at 7:58:18 AM

"Sandwiches are probably easier to fix than the actual problems" -Hylarn
tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
kkhohoho Since: May, 2011
#257488: Oct 11th 2018 at 5:19:50 PM

[up][up][up]Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I'm reading the article right, the Trump Admin has only waived these acts or laws in the areas it plans to build the wall. If that's even possible.

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#257489: Oct 11th 2018 at 5:21:18 PM

Some news on the Georgia voting situation, Georgia NAACP readies lawsuit against Kemp over voter registration.

Good for them and I very much hope they win.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Oct 11th 2018 at 8:23:32 AM

"Sandwiches are probably easier to fix than the actual problems" -Hylarn
dRoy Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar from Most likely from my study Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just high on the world
Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar
#257490: Oct 11th 2018 at 6:46:32 PM

"35% of young Americans ages 18-29 say they are absolutely certain to vote in the midterms, while 81% of seniors 65+ say they're certain to vote."

Here's hoping that in the actual elections, more percentage of people vote.

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.
kkhohoho Since: May, 2011
#257491: Oct 11th 2018 at 6:49:22 PM

[up]Again, that's still twice as many as the last midterms.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#257492: Oct 11th 2018 at 6:49:41 PM

It's worth noting that 35% is an improvement. In 2014 or so it was more like 19%.

[nja]

Edited by M84 on Oct 11th 2018 at 9:50:02 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
dRoy Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar from Most likely from my study Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just high on the world
Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar
#257493: Oct 11th 2018 at 6:54:12 PM

I am fully aware it's an improvement. I'm saying it's still not anywhere near enough.

Edited by dRoy on Oct 11th 2018 at 10:54:59 PM

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.
dRoy Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar from Most likely from my study Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just high on the world
Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar
#257494: Oct 11th 2018 at 6:54:20 PM

Edit: Double post

Edited by dRoy on Oct 11th 2018 at 10:54:46 PM

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#257495: Oct 11th 2018 at 6:58:58 PM

I am fully aware it's an improvement. I'm saying it's still not anywhere near enough.

Lets avoid making assumptions, just because one demographic has a higher turnout doesn't mean that it has a higher number of voters.

If the youth vote increases and women go Democrat, then old people having a high turnout wouldn't stop things going very badly for the Republicans. When both sides vote Republicans tend generally to lose.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Oct 11th 2018 at 9:59:35 AM

"Sandwiches are probably easier to fix than the actual problems" -Hylarn
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#257496: Oct 11th 2018 at 7:00:56 PM

It's not necessarily a higher number of voters but...well, there's a reason they are called Baby Boomers.

Disgusted, but not surprised
kkhohoho Since: May, 2011
#257497: Oct 11th 2018 at 7:05:38 PM

[up]On the other hand, the population's naturally a lot bigger than it was back when the boomers were born. So that might be in the millennial's favor.

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#257498: Oct 11th 2018 at 7:08:23 PM

It's not necessarily a higher number of voters but...well, there's a reason they are called Baby Boomers.

Boomers are powerful because they vote reliably, not because they're the highest number of voters.

Especially considering that Millennials will most likely be the largest voting bloc, thus their turnout doubling is quite good news for the Democrats.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Oct 11th 2018 at 10:09:03 AM

"Sandwiches are probably easier to fix than the actual problems" -Hylarn
kkhohoho Since: May, 2011
#257499: Oct 11th 2018 at 7:14:21 PM

Also, millennials and baby boomers aren't the only voters out there. There's still everyone in between.

Friendperson Since: Aug, 2018
#257500: Oct 12th 2018 at 6:47:48 AM

[up] It's amazing how quickly we forgot generation "X".


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