At last Thursday’s Republican Debate — the one which the four Republican front-runners refused to attend — sponsored by PBS and hosted by (egad!) African-American broadcaster Tavis Smiley, the question of Photo ID restrictions on voters was raised by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Cynthia Tucker.
California Rep. Duncan Hunter’s answer was interesting. And it’s no small matter given that trying to disenfranchise Democratic-leaning voters seems to be Strategy #1 (once again, but moreso than ever) for the desperate GOP in 2008.
That’s just one of the reasons why Barack Obama’s block of the Dem “deal” to slide through the nomination of Bush’s evil GOP anti-voter zealot, Hans von Spakovsky, to the FEC today is so important.
Tucker’s question from last Thursday: “Many voting rights advocates are worried about rigid voter ID laws which require photo ID like a driver’s license. Are you concerned that some eligible voters will be denied the right to vote simply because they don’t have a driver’s license?”
Hunter’s imaginative answer: “We have right now a real danger of people that are illegally in the country being rounded up, herded into the polls, we’ve seen that in California, voting illegally. That disenfranchises everybody in that community.”
Really? We’ve “seen that in California,” have we? Undocumented (illegal) aliens being “rounded up [and] herded into the polls” and “voting illegally”?
Living out here in the Golden State, we hadn’t heard of that one. And we do follow these issues fairly closely. So we checked with Hunter’s campaign to find out if they could offer any examples of such illegal votes from herded aliens in our state…
We sent an email inquiry to two different email addresses for Hunter’s campaign communication director, Roy Tyler. One was sent to the email address listed on Hunter’s campaign website, the other was given to us when we called his campaign office to inquire after not receiving a response to our first email. The woman who answered the phone at his Presidential campaign office refused to take a message, saying that they don’t speak to the campaign’s communication director, so she wouldn’t be able to pass on my message or my phone number. The second email address she gave us was not answered by Tyler either.
We then contacted Hunter’s Congressional office, leaving a voice mail for communications director Joe Kasper. As well, his office recommended we send an email to him, which we did. Kasper has similarly not responded to our queries seeking details of Hunter’s claim.
So we’ll do what Hunter and both of his offices failed to do, and that’s try to give some information on what the hell we think that he thinks he must have been talking about.
Our best guess as to what Hunter imagines he was referring to was the contested House election in California’s 46th district between Loretta Sanchez (D) and Bob Dornan (R) in 1996. Sanchez was ultimately declared the winner by less than 1000 votes. Dornan then contested the election, alleging thousands of illegal votes by non-citizens.
Actual evidence, as opposed to wild, unsupported allegations by Republicanist media outlets is difficult to come by. But what happened in that race — after a lot of Googling and even purchased articles from newspaper archives, far more research than we suspect Hunter ever did before making his unfounded accusations in a Presidential Debate — seems to be this:
Sketchy evidence from 14 months of county, state, and federal investigations suggests that there were some non-citizens who may have voted in the election, though not enough to change the election results even if they did. They did so without the intent of knowingly violating the law. Most of the allegations had to do with an Hispanic group that had registered immigrants to vote as they were preparing to become U.S. citizens. Most of those registrants had, in fact, become citizens by the time they actually voted.
Dornan contested the election under the Federal Contested Elections Act. The challenge was eventually dismissed in a lopsided 378 to 33 vote in the Republican majority-led U.S. House in 1998. That vote came on the heels of an 8 to 1 recommendation by the Republican majority-led House Oversight Committee, after a Republican majority-led task force, comprised of Republicans Bob Ney (now-jailed) and Vernon Ehlers (now ranking member of the House Admin Comm. who replaced Ney when he went to jail) and Democrat Steny Hoyer (now House Majority leader) ran an 18-month investigation into the allegations.
At the state level, the D.A. in heavily Republican Orange County and Republican Secretary of State Bill Jones both investigated the matter as well. Both state investigations ultimately decided against bringing any voter fraud indictments. Both were unable to prove that anyone had the intent of voting illegally, deciding instead that the voters in question “had registered in error and not from criminal intent,” according to Lorraine Minnite’s 1993 Demos report on “Securing the Vote: an analysis of Election Fraud” [PDF, see pages 40 to 42].
All told, according to Minnite, some $1.4 million in tax-payer dollars was spent in the state, county, and federal investigations. Nobody was ever charged with voter fraud.
In the meantime, the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 included a mandate for identification to be presented by new voter registrants. As well, the federal law requires that first-time voters who registered by must show ID at the polling place when they show up to vote for the first time.
In lieu of information to the contrary, offered by either of Hunter’s offices to demonstrate people in California being “rounded up [and] herded into the polls” and “voting illegally” such that it “disenfranchises everybody in that community,” we’ll instead have to simply conclude that Duncan Hunter is entirely full of shit.
Given the lack of response since the weekend from either of his offices (both Congressional and Presidential Campaign), we’ll also have to presume they must know that as well.
A video of Tucker’s question, and Hunter’s answer concerning the Voter ID issue is below, along with a transcript of the pertinent sections…
…
REP. DUNCAN HUNTER (R-CA): On the issue of allowing…mandating some type of ID, you know the first twenty-one black Congressmen were Republicans who came out of the South. And they went into a series, they went into a series of poll taxes and, and all types of…all types of…deals that the Democrats, roadbloacks that the Democrats put in their place to keep them from voting. So I don’t, I don’t agree with those types of stumbling blocks. But I would say this: We have right now a real danger of people that are illegally in the country being rounded up, herded into the polls — we’ve seen that in California — voting illegally. That disenfranchises everybody in that community. I think you have to have some IDs.
He’s the Coultergeist’s candidate, so naturally he would be full of shit.
Since you sitting republicans are the support system for real 9/11 terrorists in the white house responsible for bushit wars in 2 countries and cheney’s despicable anti-environmental agenda, support yours statement Mr. Hunter. You bastards are so into surveillance, lets see your video or audio evidence to support your statement you treasonous lying criminal. i definitely want to see your neo-con 1%er herd go to prison.
I”m thinking he was using the Royal ‘We’, and simply spouting $#!+, with this Repug talking point.
Brad-
Your review of results of Dornan’s challenge of his loss to Sanchez in the 1996 Congressional race demonstrates just how much the culture of the Republican Party has changed in the past 11 years. Can anyone imagine the current Republicans in Congress (if they still held the majority) or Bush’s JustUs Dept. coming to the same conclusion that there was no fraudulent intent by the improperly registered voters or even allowing Sanchez to be seated? They would be all over this like flies on a pile of shit and would make it the centerpiece of their voter suppression efforts as evidenced by your speculation that Hunter, a Republican Congressman and Presidential candidate, may be using it even though it was discounted by a prior version of his own party when it occurred.
We bitch about them not speaking English, yet he thinks they just march into a polling place and ask for a Provisional ballot (in Spanish no less). I would demand that he come up with the proof of what he is stating and who exactly is “rounding them up”.
I live in Duncan Hunter’s district and write a Voter’s Watchdog column for the local paper, but I don’t recall ever hearing about any herding up of illegal aliens to vote in his distrct.
I’m from Missouri, “show me”.
How do guys like Hunter get away with making unsubstantiated accusations like this, without their constituents following up on them? Is it possible for that many uninformed voters to reside in one congressional district?! Are the news reporters in that district that clueless?! How can this be?
If we citizens are going to go ahead and be this stupid and uninformed /misinformed, then we frankly don’t deserve to keep our democracy. Maybe it’s time to turn things over to some demographic that actually cares about what’s going on outside of their TV sets and their commutes to and from jobs they don’t really care about.
I’ve said it before Linda (#8),
Maybe our 200 years are up.
Most civilizations thru history had only about 200 years of true greatness and then their time was up.
The Greeks, the Romans, the Egyptians, the Persions.
All had long timelines as major countries, but only 200 years of true greatness.
Times up USA!
From now on, we’re 2nd level…
Basic benign tyranny, or worse…
What’s the next great country? Don’t see it yet…
China?
What do y’all think?
shw
SHW, it will have to be some country that doesn’t equate greed with freedom.
We know it won’t be the good ol’ US of obese white males walking around with fiat money hanging out of their pockets and drinking Bud Light.
It seems to me that they’re trying to break this country on purpose.
… Floridiot said on 10/5/2007
“It seems to me that they’re trying to break this country on purpose.”
———————————————————————————-
For what purpose do you guess?
——
I’ve figured for some time that they see the demographics going against them and an inevitable and inexorable shift to the Left would wipe out the current Republican party and shift Real Power away from Corporate America for a few decades. So, they’re gonna ruin our system of government to “prove” it doesn’t work and needs to be rejiggered with a new Continental Congress. Somehow I’d guess they figure on setting up a theocratic government or something else even more horrendous.
To that end Dems have to get the vote for DC Blacks (who go Dem mostly) and Repubs would naturally see the destruction of DC as politically necessary and possibly even destroying the whole city (a la 9/11 and Katrina).
Sound fun?
These Crazies got their nickname for a reason.
So why doesn’t Hunter and his GOP buddies just disenfranchise them..like they did the poor and blacks in Florida, Ohio..etc…even with that, they still would have lost if the machines had not been “fixed”…or is the big “voter fraud” issue that they (GOP) will try to declare the 2008 elections..null and void… ? There isn’t one of them I trust…
I wouldn’t be too insulted that Duncan Hunter won’t respond to your inquiry. I live in his congressional district and he doesn’t respond to his constituents.
Hunter has been in Congress for too many years and thank goodness he’s leaving. His funniest quote involves his reaction to rumors of Duke Cunningham’s bribe accusations. He said that if Cunningham told him he didn’t do it that’s good enough for him.
He’s a joke as a Congressman and as a Presidential candidate.
“Duncan Hunter: We’ve Seen Illegal Aliens Herded into the Polls, Voting Illegally in California”
WHERE is your proof? I love the way these guys just “say” things with no proof! Just like the whole GOP voter fraud scam…NO PROOF!
Apparently they are letting illegal mexicans vote here in oklahoma too, or they wouldn’t be fighting so hard for them….DUH!
I can say as a fact, that I have been in a situation where I lost my drivers license, and decided not to get another one for MORE THAN 10 YEARS! and if these thugs were to force me to have an ID, I would not have been able to vote.
This is interesting because there really wasn’t a problem with ID cards until after this whole patriot act crap.
Not to mention I was still able to survive without an ID the whole time, I only recently got an ID card for a specific reason.
If your mailed a sample ballot and you on the voter list there’s really no reason you should have to have an ID card, you should only need to say your name, and spell it.
This will absolutely make it so some citizens can vote.
And isn’t it interesting they always bring up this “Bus-ing people in to vote” crap. I think I first heard that crap on Michal Savage’s AM radio show.
It’s bad legislation, arguably unconstitutional, since it removes citizens constitutional right to vote.
There may be a REASON or REASONS (like more than one, financial, time) someone does not have a valid ID card!!
Duncan Hunter is sewage from the swamp.
Vote by mail like Oregon, then all this racist nonsense goes away. No polling place, no ID at the polls, no brown shirts making sure the ‘right’ people vote. Ugh, just exactly where did the United States go? I swear it was right here just a few precious years ago…
Yeah it was GLENNPDX, but now as a NATIONAL vote I want more proof. The mailbox is fine if your state is honest… but now a days I’d be more comfortable with a PAPER BALLOT counted PUBLICLY.
How bout we make election day a big deal on the 2nd still, but let the votes continue to be sent in and tallied for a couple of weeks, so no one has to take off work or be stiffled. We can have a 2 week citizens counting committee. The post office’ll gives us the votes for the day? What’s that, you can’t verify everyone is honest enought for that? So now what?
duncan hunter: We’ve Seen Illegal Aliens, Space Aliens, Martians,
Coultergeist, Cyclopes, Succubus etc. Herded into the Polls, Voting Illegally.
If this were so, the gop (gang of perverts) would be waiting there to probe them . . .
You silly Anti-War Pro-Open border Dems! We Americans just want his San Diego border fence build across the Mexican border and maybe the Canadian border right NOW!
And you’re willing to lie in order to encourage it??
Herded into the polls? That is sheer lunacy. If he keeps up like this, a very patient male nurse will soon be dragging that very expensive looking pinstriped suit and tie off of Hunter and confiscating his Gucci wingtips. Such dapper attire is not usually allowed in a hospital.
Jimmy Carter wrote a book ,in it, it stated that “the dead voted alphabetically”. In every election, voter fraud and abuses can occur on any side. I am just amazed that you put so much effort on a statement that Duncan made. Tou make a big issue of it, then you support his claim with a factual event, then you minimize it, then you slam Duncan with it. So in essence , you are shooting the messenger. This article had zero value.