Voter Suppression in Ohio explained

So everyone who has ever read this blog, knows I was all over what was happening in Ohio on Election Day. Telling people where to vote, how to get there, to bring smart phone to prove their registration if they had been turned away at the polls, because this is Ohio and apparently if you want to vote there you have to white and republican or ready to fight.

Regardless on RustWire, I was reading a rant defending gentrification (by someone gentrifying Youngstown). It was a pretty awful post, but then I saw this gem.

My favorite line about the long waits in the cold where people were waiting despite long lines, dancing, singing, and generally enjoying themselves despite the attempted voter suppression was this could be described as "Somewhere between a civil rights march and a block party thrown by Karl Rove."

I couldn't help myself

This White People Mourning Mitt Tumbler is awesome, but I was trying to refrain. This is my favorite though because of the drama here. But also because this is the start of a movement: Republicans for Choice. See person on the right wanted kids, but now doesn't. Person on the left agrees. They want reproductive freedom, and they want it now. No more God's will. Also, I love how children (unborn) are things not people. That's some serious pro-choice language.

On behalf of pro-choicers everywhere, I'd like to welcome these two: Welcome privileged white people.

Voter demographics are changing

So, I can't help but think about how the Unites States is changing. Not in the hope and change rhetoric, but in the legitimate, the population of people of color is growing and that must be terrifying for the conservative right. Women are the majority and vote at a higher rate then men.  So because I'm a nerd and like to play with charts, I give you a few to demonstrate the demographic information from the 2012 Presidential Election, the stats were provided by Pew. I didn't have the data so I have to use the percentages they have, which are probably correct, but I couldn't calculate rate of change for myself, which I like to do. They have a nifty little write up of course.

Below, you'll see the percentage each candidate took in the categories, which are arbitrary and not very inclusive. None of this is very surprising.

Below, a chart of the 2008 voter percentages by category, not candidate.

Hey Ladies! How you doin'?

Hey guys, last night was a good night for the ladies.

But before I go there, I want to share my election day. I went to vote first thing and waited for 45 minutes in DC at 8:00am. I’m not complaining just saying this was the longest line I’ve ever seen in DC or OH. The line literally lined the length of the building and doubled back, for people at the end of this line it could have been a few hours wait.

I run to my train, only to get emails from my sister about the misinformation in Ohio, and now not only could she not vote before work, but she didn’t know when the polls close and where she had to vote. This is when I mastered the Ohio Board of Election’s website. Yeah, I own that. Full disclosure, we’ve had some problems with the polling locations in the past with turning people away and not having the appropriate information.

The afternoon comes, and a friend’s family member was turned away from the polls in Ohio, when he registered in April. The Board of Elections confirmed his registration, but refused to give him documentation because the location should have it. I’m not 100% where he was registered, but I’m thinking it was in Franklin County or out by Toledo. Can someone tell me how voting doesn’t matter and we all have that right?

Yeah, all over the country, particularly in swing states, we saw voter suppression. I agree we need election reform, and someone needs to legislate protections of these voters, but I’m proud of everyone who stood in ridiculous lines even though they shouldn’t have to, who had to deal with harassment within the polls, and the anti-choicer outside.

So as of 10:03 pm EST, of the 13 anti-choice candidate in the case of rape, 7 had been defeated. Yes, you read that right apparently, the lady parts got out the vote. I guess, running on an anti-women platform isn't a viable campaign strategies.

That being said, the 113^th Congress will have 19 female senators, which is the most ever, which is a sickening low percentage given the number of women in this country, but I’ll take it. Unless, someone wants to explain to me how we’ll benefit from not voting in protest. No one, good let this be the end of that.

So who won? Republican Deb Fischer (Neb.) and Democrats Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.). All six female Democrats up for reelection won: Sens. Maria Cantwell (Wash.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Claire McCaskill (Mo.), and Debbie Stabenow (Mich.).

We lost some women in the House of Representatives. Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev) lost to incumbent Dean Heller. Five Republican female candidates lost: Wendy Long to Gillibrand, Elizabeth Emken lost to Feinstein and Linda Lingle against Hirono. Linda McMahon in Connecticut and Heather Wilson in New Mexico lost.

This information was pulled together by the Amanda Terkel over at the Huffington Post.

Other wins Sherrod Brown in Ohio, whom is a friend of the ladies.

Unions and Obama

So an article by Molly Ball in the Atlantic poses the question "Are Unions Obama's Secret Weapon in Ohio?"

The article starts with an anecdote about Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO. Ball asserts that Obama is in a good place to win Ohio and other Rust Belt states because of white working-class voters' distrust of Romney. However, this wasn't the goal of the campaign, but instead due to "Trumka and his minions," her language.

"A year go, all the talk was Obama could never win with high unemployment. The early conventional wisdom went further, writing off working class voters, asserting that the only path available to President Obama was upscale voters in states like North Caroline," says the AFL-CIO's political director, Mike Podhorzer. 

Ball argues that if Obama wins manufacturing states of the Upper Midwest it will provide insulation if he loses states like Florida, Virginia, and Colorado, and it will be due to union members working on his behalf. The AFL-CIO says its 128,000 volunteers will have knocked on 5.5 million doors, made 5.2 million phone calls, and passed out 2 million leaflets in six states.

The efforts are much bigger this year than four years ago, mostly because of Citizens United. Additionally, Ohio's Gov. Kasich gave unions a push in the right direction when he tried to strip collective-bargaining rights, which the voters of Ohio repealed with 62% of the vote (it was 2 to 1 in Cleveland). Finally, Senator Sherrod Brown, who is favored to win, has mobilized his supporters and ran as an unabashed liberal.

Ball describes her experience walking around in Ohio, which I guess is news. However, she says that,

"In poll, and in my own conversations with Ohioan, there's a clear sense that Romney is viewed as out of touch with the working class of this acutely class-conscious, industrial state, of which old-line unions still form the backbone."

Now, unions have not always been happy with President Obama particularly after The Employee Free Choice Act and I'd argue his lack of support for labor. There are union members who are grumbling, but they are falling in line because of how bad Republicans are on labor. The enemy you know I guess.

So unions have to work hard to not be taken for granted if Obama wins a second term. Happy Election Day!

Carried to Ohio by a swarm

Ok, so that's a song, but tomorrow is Election Day. I know we’re all really tired of the horserace, and with any luck Obama will win. I’m from Cleveland so I’m pretty used to be disappointed even when it looks like a sure thing.

Just remember by the end of the week, no one will be talking about Ohio for another four years.

Cleveland’s unemployment rate is 6.5% (seasonally adjusted) as of September. 

Ohio has a 7.0% unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted). Don’t worry though because we use a ridiculous metric for calculating unemployment in the US the real number in Ohio, the actual number is estimated around 14.7, which includes the total unemployed, plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force.

Finally according to the 2010 Census, the 2011 estimates for Ohio look like this:

Median household income: $45,749

Mean household income: $61,204

Poverty rate for all families: 12.0%

Poverty rate among families with female householder and no husband: 35.4%

Vacant Housing: 11.4%

Estimate without a high school diploma: 15.7%

Finally according to the 2010 Census, the 2011 estimates for Cuyahoga County look like this:

Median household income: $41,530

Mean household income: $59,602

Poverty rate for all families: 14.3%

Poverty rate among families with female householder and no husband: 34.8%

Vacant Housing: 14.2%

Estimate without a high school diploma: 18.7%

So go out and vote, and then promptly forget all about Ohio, that silly place that really has no influence except every four years when everyone cares and are trying to guess what those uneducated, poor, dependent jerks are going to do.

Ohio proudly cut welfare in 2012, about 15.5% between 2011 and 2012. The numbers declined from 421,423 Ohioans receiving cash assistance to 356,167, but Ohio doesn’t monitor what happens to the people who leave, so we have no idea the rate of return or who have been kicked off for time limits. Food assistance is still rising going from 2,330,187 to 2,392,880 between 2011 and 2012, an increase of 2.7%. Ohio is spending $389,177,325 on Ohio Works First Cash Assistance (which is cash), and $166,734,785 for Food Programs. That works out to $1,092 in cash per year for each recipient, which I know is skewed because of kids and the like, but damn son. Ohio unlike Maryland has not regularly adjusted for inflation. Click here if you want to read what I do to have nightmares.

I think if Obama wins well forget about Ohio by Friday when finally the talking heads stop. Except Fox, who will complain for months to come about poor black people voting by race alone or women, they ruin everything. If by some act of God (proving his existence and liberation theology wrong), Mittens wins then everyone else will complain about voter suppression, and Fox will be gleeful about how Ohio represents the nation. But still no one will talk Ohio after November 16^th or when we get the Supreme Court decision on the legal side of this shit show.

A federal judge allows early voting in Ohio

A federal judge ordered Ohio to open its polling places three days before the November 6 election. Ohio Republicans have been doing their best to limit voting in Ohio with voter ID laws and restrictions on early voting. 

Friday's decision restored early voting the weekend and Monday before the election. In 2008, more than 93,000 Ohio voters cast ballots during this time. It is being called a win for Obama's campaign. 

Last week, a three-judge court restored the weekend early voting in parts of Florida that are subject to the Voting Rights Act. Another judge in Florida voided part of a state law that would have prevented groups from registering new voters. A Texas law was struck down by a federal judge as well including a strict photo ID requirement and election districts that undercut the voting power of Latinos and blacks. 

Voting-rights advocates are pretty pleased as they should be:

"It shows judges take very seriously the right to vote as fundamental in a democracy. And when politicians manipulate the rules for political purposes, their rules are not entitled to the normal deference," said Penda Hair, a veteran civil rights lawyer for the Advancement Project.

Naturally, this time of year election lawyers and civil rights advocates have been warring with one another over the new rules many states have come up with on casting ballots and counting votes. Florida and Ohio have adopted early voting after previous elections resulted in long lines at the polling places. The African American turnout the weekend before the election contributed to the narrow victories Obama had in both states in 2008. 

Conservative legislatures reduced early voting in Ohio. Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, a former Republican leader in the state House, claimed the early voting on weekdays is the only "uniform, fair" rule for all 88 counties. Later he said military voters and their families could cast ballots on the weekend. 

The Obama campaign sued claiming all voters should have equal rights to vote early and in person on the three days before the election day...weird, that sounds fair. 

U.S. District Judge Peter Economus agreed Friday. "Restoring in-person early voting to all Ohio voters through the Monday before election day returns to voters the same opportunity to vote as previously conferred under Ohio law," he said. Military families will benefit as well because they will be certain the polls in their area will be open, he said.

Naturally, Ohio is going to appeal the ruling:

Ohio Atty. Gen. Mike DeWine said he would appeal to the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Cincinnati. If his appeal is turned down, he could ask the Supreme Court to intervene.

Earlier this week, a different federal judge blocked an election rule in Ohio that caused 14,000 ballots to be thrown out in 2008. Ohio claimed that votes cast in the wrong precincts had to be discarded, even if the voter went to the correct polling place and was then sent to the wrong spot. The judge noted a single polling place can serve several precincts.

Both of these judges were appointees of President Clinton. The judge in Texas was appointed by President G.W. Bush. 

This comes after a pretty big loss in Pennsylvania when a state judge upheld the state's photo ID law. Pennsylvania's Supreme Court is considering an appeal. 

No accommodation for black voters in Ohio

No Blacks Allowed No accommodating black voters in Ohio according to Doug Priesse.

Mr. Priesse, an Ohio GOP election official, voted against the weekend voting rules that enables thousands to cast ballots in the 2008 election, said on Sunday that he didn't think that Ohio's early voting procedures should accommodate African-Americans. Explain yourself sir.

"I guess I really actually feel we shouldn’t contort the voting process to accommodate the urban -- read African-American -- voter-turnout machine. Let's be fair and reasonable."

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, a Republican, ordered all 88 Ohio counties to allow early voting on Wednesday. Early voting will be Monday through Friday until 7 pm for the final two weeks before the election. Weekend voting will not be allowed.

Weekend voting helped 93,000 Ohioans vote in the final three days before the 2008 election. Black churches promoted voting on the Sunday before the election, which will not be possible if Husted's ruling stands. The Obama administration has sued to restore the final three days of early voting.

Early voters in 2008 in Cuyahoga (home!) and Franklin counties were disproportionately African-American. Northeast Ohio Voter Advocates released a study that found blacks accounted for 56 percent of all in-person early votes in Cuyahoga County and 26 percent of overall votes. Cleveland's racial make-up is 2-1 black according to the 2010 Census; I don't know the figures in Columbus off the top of my head. In Franklin County (Columbus), African-Americans cast 31 percent of early votes and 21 percent of overall votes.

Who started the class war? Not us says Obama and Romney

Mittens is accusing President Obama of destroying welfare. Yeah, I know, it makes no sense, but hear him out.

In an effort to win the Presidency, Mitt Romney has launched a campaign to warm up the middle class and keep the wealthy in his pocket. This can be tricky given how wary the middle class has been of the wealthy. So how do you do it? Hate on the poor. Everyone beats up on the poor, after all if you don't you might become one. This irrational fear keeps the middle class (the stratified middle class) from joining the poor in the streets and launching a full on confrontation with the power holders i.e. corporations and politicians. Poverty sympathizers, fools.

According to Mittens, Obama has gutted the welfare reform pioneered by Clinton in the 1990s, which created peace and good will among welfare recipients and definitely wasn't an appeasement to the wealthy and middle class who were feed this idea of the welfare queen. It didn't force people into low-wage, low-skill employment that provided a standard of living under the poverty line...oh wait. It did.

Mittens is accusing Obama of granting new flexibility to state welfare programs, such as empower low-income recipients to collect government checks without working or looking for work.

"Under Obama's plan, you wouldn't have to work and wouldn't have to train for a job. They just send you your welfare check." Romney asserts, he "will restore the work requirement."

Naturally, this is supposed to scare white blue-collar voters into voting Mittens 2012 (because you know welfare is for brown people?). Obama is painted as the big government solutions guy who aims to fix the economy at the expense of personal responsibility and job creation. Mittens is the self responsibility guy, teach people that welfare isn't for free, you have to work, end the culture of dependency in America, etc (I'm sure there is a Jesus myth about fish that should go here). Mittens sees this as some kind of great accomplishment. Just a reminder the original legislation and law lacked any discussions of a fair wage or even a minimum wage. Yep, sounds like something Mittens would be proud of.

Obama's plan is actually a Republican argument, which was to increased state flexibility to avoid healthcare reform. Additionally, Mitten's amnesia struck again, having pushed for something similar in Massachusetts. Someone get this man to a doctor.

A member of the Obama camp, Lis Smith says that Mittens is flat out lying. Smith says:

"The truth is that the President is giving states additional flexibility only if they move more people from welfare to work--not fewer. By falsely attacking a policy that both he and his Republican allies have supported for years, Romney is once again flip flopping on a position he took in Massachusetts, and demonstrating that he lacks the core strength and principles the nation needs in a President." 

The issue surrounds a memo issued last month by HHS offering TANF waivers to states that want to try alternative and innovative strategies, policies, and procedures to improve employment outcomes for needy families. Those lazy commie bastards, are you reading this "improve employment outcomes"? HHS included a list of sample projects that might be of interest to states.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (Mich.) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah) of the Senate Finance Committee, who are blocking any administrative move to waive the workforce requirements, are pissed.  Hatch says:

"Gutting welfare work requirements with a stroke of a pen and without congressional input is simply unacceptable and cannot be allowed to stand."

Democrats have been speaking out too, Rep. Sandy Levin (Mich.) of the Ways and Means panel, says the HHS waivers do nothing to change funding levels or extend the length of benefits:

"The only change is states are allowed to focus on outcomes, rather than on process and paperwork. Republicans used to support state flexibility, but now they seem to think Washington knows best."

Burn. So to be clear, no one actually cares about welfare recipients, just how they can spin this to help in an election, and both Obama and Mittens are pro-big government in one way or another.

Once again we're reminded that the goals of TANF are not to help people, but instead to get them off welfare rolls and into low-wage employment to benefit the corporations and out of the public's line of sight.

Student Loan Debt and Congress

The Senate rejected the motion to proceed to legislation that would keep federal student loan interest rates from doubling. The vote was 52-45; they needed 60 votes to move to a debate on the legislation. Democrats and Republicans were unable to reach a deal to prevent a GOP filibuster.

So now, no one really knows what is happening in respect to moving forward. However, Congress would have to take action or the rates will rise from 3.5% to 6.8% on July 1.

President Obama is trying to use this issue against Republicans, but the Senate's refusal to move on the legislation makes it harder. Obama has threatened to veto a measure that would keep interest rates static, which has already passed the House. Obama supports extending low interest loans, and opposes the GOP cuts to preventive care funds from the healthcare law, which is how House Republicans want to pay for this measure.

So now, the Republicans and Democrats are playing politics per the usual. All and all, I think this is a clear depiction why nothing will ever happen in Congress, and how their constituents get screwed.

Ohio Dems Given the ok to Mobilize against the Gerrymandering

So you may remember, Ohio Republicans are trying to gerrymander and force Democrats out of office.  However, Ohio's Supreme Court has ruled to allow Democrats to move forward with a petition to stop the Republican congressional redistricting plan that has thrown the 2012 congressional elections into chaos.  So, candidates for Congress may have to wait and when they should file and if the districts they plan to run in will exist.

So at this point we're not sure, but the candidates will file petitions to run for office by the Dec 7th deadline for districts that may not exists by the planned March 6th primary.  Or they could be forced to run in a statewide primary election for Ohio's 16 U.S. House seats.  This could mean that the top 16 Republicans face the top 16 Democrats in the November 2012 election.  Or this could mean the candidates could run in vastly different districts than they expect to, provided the Republicans and Democrats work out a solution. If the March 6th date holds, the primary would be held on Super Tuesday, when the presidential primaries take place.  However, if the primary is pushed back till May, the filing deadline could be pushed back and the primary could lose some significance (particularly in the national GOP race).  The head of the petition effort, Chris Redfern, Ohio Democratic Party chairman, must collect 231,147 valid voter signatures to get the GOP congressional redistricting plan on the November 2012 ballot.  If he does, it would force an election where candidates for Congress in a statewide race next year and that the Ohio primary might be pushed back to May or June.  He's planning on collecting them on November 2, 2011, you know when everyone turns out to vote against Issue 2.

If no agreement is reached, it could mean a federal court could draw up Ohio's congressional map.  Republicans would not be happy about this.

Ohio House Speaker William Batchelder, R-Medina, said:

“warned the public that the Democrats’ plan was to stymie the General Assembly’s constitutional duty to pass a congressional redistricting plan, and ultimately have a map imposed on Ohio by unelected federal judges, who may be judges from Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee.”

The decision came out of the Ohio Supreme Court (7-0) said the referendum petition from the group called Ohioans for Fair Districts plan to submit a challenge to the GOP redistricting plan by putting it on the November 2012 ballot.  Of course some are arguing that the bill creating the new congressional districts isn't subject to referendum because Republicans wrote into the law a $2.5 million appropriation for local boards of elections, and referendums aren't allowed on appropriation bills under Ohio law.  Ohio's Supreme court (6 Republicans and 1 Democrat) disagreed.

The last time Ohio congressional district mapping was on the ballot was 1915, when Democrats forced a vote and Ohio voters rejected the Republican map (fingers crossed for a repeat).  Republicans are naturally defending their plan, and Batchelder are calling the Ohio Supreme Court decision "the first step into judicial interference in this process." You know the same lame argument whenever they are trying to screw us...not like union busting.  Batchelder went on to call the map, "fair and legal" or as Fox News would call it "fair and balanced."  The ruling actually doesn't say the map is unconstitutional, but instead that the appropriations inserted into the bill doesn't meet the criteria to shield it from a referendum effort.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine (R) issued a brief saying:

the 16 Ohio congressional districts must be finalized by Dec. 7, in order to “ensure proper administration of the March 2012 congressional primary.” 

Clearly, the man is delusional.  So for those of you who hoped that after Issue 2 was over this pissing contest between Dems and Republicans would be over too bad, sucker.  The reality is it will more than likely get worse the closer we get to elections because Republicans are going to make a grab to hold onto power.  I just wish that the politicians remember who are actually getting screwed here: it isn't those of who might lose their district, but really the workers, their families, and those being systematically disenfranchised.

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201110151320/NEWS01/110160322

Ohio Dems Smack Down in 2012

I'm really sad to write this.  At first I kind of thought it was a joke.  I mean look at the new Ohio Congressional District map.  But it is true one district will snake around from from Toledo to Cleveland.  What does this mean for voters?

1. This area is packed with democrats, life long dems actually.  This are the old steel towns going up the lake.  So we're going blue, but now we have to choose between Marcy Kaptur and Dennis Kucinich.  I'm hoping the campaigns are civil, and they should be give these two are friends.
2. A non-representative government.  I like Kaptur; she's great and a good representative of her district.  However, Toledo is not Cleveland.  The demographics alone demonstrate the differences in Cleveland we are 2 to 1 black.  I think Toledo is 70% white (that may be a dated stat).  Kucinich has always been good to Cleveland's poor.  My first memory of this man is when he came to Mound Elementary School (on the corner of Mound and E 55th) to keep it open after the roof fell in.  He rallied with a neighborhood with one of the lower income tax rates in a recession.  My family became life long supporters.  I'm sure Kaptur has done for her district the same sort of things, but I also know some problems are regional.

To sum this up: gerrymandering.  Ohio republicans think they are redistrict and keep their seats after the voter suppression and anti-worker bills they are forcing through the Ohio Assembly.  No friends.  Not going to happen.  Vote these sons of bitches out of office.  

The Cleveland Plain Dealer ran an interesting article laying things out for us.  Particularly interesting is their list of "winners" and "losers"
And the "winners" are"
1. Republicans, of course.
2. Steve LaTourette (14th District), he's gaining a lot of ground in Cuyahoga county, but only where there are no democrats.
3. Steve Stivers (15th District) and Pat Tiberi (12th District), more suburban landscape on top of Columbus.  No need to fear the democrat is one of the Klan strong holds is voting.
4. Columbus Democrats, there are a lot of Dems in Columbus and this will give them a chance to get back in there.
And the "losers"
1. Dennis Kucinich (10th District), see above.
2. Betty Sutton (13th District), loses her home town and Akron.  She won't win, which will make that ass who told her to go back to the kitchen happy.
3. Steve Austria (7th District), he will have to run in a primary against Republican Mike Turner (3rd District).

http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2011/09/new_remap_will_give_democrats.html

AFL-CIO to Democrats: Game on

Does anyone else long for the days of "if you're not with us, then you're against us" labor?

I do. I'm less than 30 pages from finishing We Are Wisconsin, and this book has played with my emotions. But now at the end, I'm just angry. I'm angry labor blinked and backed down. Wisconsin workers should have called for a general. If nothing else, at least the other Governors trying to push similar legislation through would have had the fear of god put in them, but I digress.

AFL-CIO President, Richard Trumka, told reporters this morning that labor groups are planning on pulling back their involvement and support for the Democrats in the upcoming 2012 election. Trumka and labor have apparently realized that the Dems have failed them or are willing to sell them out. Saying:

“We’re going to use a lot of our money to build structures that work for working people” Trumka said. “You’re going to see us give less money to build structures for others, and more of our money will be used to build our own structure.”

Additionally, the AFL-CIO are going to set up a super PAC, which will allow the them to spend unlimited amounts of money on political activity. I'm not a fan of this, but if corporations are aloud to do it and Stephen Colbert is aloud to try then why the hell not get labor involved.

Trumka admits that he know some affiliates aren't going to fall in line on this, but the AFL-CIO is moving forward. They are continuing to discuss the affiliates who are not willing.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/62057.html

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/203879/20110825/afl-cio-scale-back-ties-to-democrats.htm