State officials in Texas and Iowa have succeeded in putting the United States in the company of countries like Iran and North Korea this week after pledging to block access of international observers with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to polling places — even going as far as threatening to arrest the monitors. The actions are in direct violation with our long-standing position vis-a-vis other nations. It is a shameful position that, again, makes our country look like a hypocrites in demanding such monitoring in other countries but not allowing it in our own.
Greg Abbott, the Texas attorney general, sent a letter to the 57-member observer mission, warning that “the OSCE’s representatives are not authorized by Texas law to enter a polling place. It may be a criminal offense for OSCE’s representatives to maintain a presence within 100 feet of a polling place’s entrance.”
Thomas Rymer, a spokesman for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, has said that the group always abides by local election laws. He correctly notes however that the denial of access to polling areas suggested by these officials, and the threats of arrest, contradict our own obligations under international law. Both Texas and Iowa officials have threatened to arrest monitors from the OSCE who come within a certain distance to the polling places. In Texas, it is 100 feet. In Iowa it is an extraordinary 300 feet.
Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz insisted that “Iowa law is very specific about who is permitted at polling places, and there is no exception for members of this group.” In the 2008 election, international OSCE election observers were turned away from polling stations in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Ohio and Texas as well has having problems in areas of Colorado, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Admittedly, these monitors act under generally defined provisions but these states are undermining our ability to take such a position in the future in other countries.
Yet, lawyer and Fox News Anchor Greta Van Susteren has defended the threats against international monitors: “The election is none of their business. We ought to be able to police our own election.” Of course, that is precisely the same argument used in Iran, China, and other countries. It is another example of what is often referred to as “American Exceptionalism” that we are simply unique and above the rules that we apply to other nations.
Even though state law may be clear, it is up to the State Department to make known to the states any clear obligations under international agreements. Notably, these monitors have been in the United States after being invited in by George W. Bush — a correct and admirable decision.
Source: Politico
SWM and Rafflaw, yes, Scott is the dregs of a bad barrel but Jon Husted of Ohio is running neck and neck for the honors with orders to election officials to fill out provisional ballots in such a way as to make them illegal and thus void. It’s not an error, it’s a plan; he knows exactly what he is doing. There never a good rope around when you need one.
***
“Ohio Republican Secretary of State sued over order to discard provisional ballots”
“Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, whose decision to try to restrict early voting was thrown out first by an Ohio judge, then a federal appeals court and denied a hearing by the U.S. Supreme Court, will be back in court again this month after he issued a last-minute directive on provisional ballots that not only contradicts Ohio law but is also in violation of a recent court decision and the opposite of what Husted’s own lawyers said he would do.
As reported by Judd Legum at ThinkProgress, Husted ordered election officials not to fill out a section of the provisional ballot that verifies what form of identification that the voter produced and that, if it is incorrectly filled out, the ballot will automatically not be counted. However, under the law establishing the provisional balloting procedures, according to the lawsuit filed against Husted on Friday, it is election officials that are supposed to record the type of ID provided, not the voter — and that election officials are supposed to attempt to resolve any questions on the spot.
Husted has until Monday to respond to the suit, and the court has said that it plans to resolve the issue before provisional ballots are counted on November 17, 2012.
The Columbus Dispatch reported on Thursday that poll workers — not just observers — trained by the Voter Integrity Project, the Ohio affiliate of the tea party True The Vote project, will be in charge of providing provisional ballots and recording IDs. The Voter Integrity Project advertises that its training goes “beyond” what the Secretary Of State offers to poll workers, even though they technically are supposed to follow only the instructions of the Board of Elections.”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/11/03/ohio-republican-secretary-of-state-sued-over-order-to-discard-provisional-ballots/
Hallelujah!
Does Wang know all the electors personally?
Raff,
There is going to be a quiz on Random Drift and Baysean Prediction. Have a #2 pencil and a blank sheet of paper ready. And a large bottle of tranquilizers to use as needed.
Swarthmore,
You are spot on about Scott. He is a criminal.
Great news OS!
Latest from Sam Wang. He only uses state polls, not national polls. More accurate when calculating how the state electors are going to go.
As of November 3, 3:00PM EDT:
Obama: 323
Romney: 215
Meta-margin: Obama +2.98%
Probability of Obama re-election: Random Drift 98.0%, Bayesian Prediction 99.8%
http://election.princeton.edu/
Yeah, sabotage Diebold machines. Those are owned by Romney et famille. And he owns Clear Channel.
What is his business idea? Vertical political conglomerate? From ballots to Prez? Hope it fails.
I wouldn’t put money on the outcome. Romney family owns some of the voting machines in key places.
SwM,
Re Florida governor,
yeah, we knew that. this is the problem with federalism, when no overiding fed law can cut his scrotum (the ugliest word I know) off and give black workers a chance to vote when they are not working. Not to speak of lost votes from solid dem districts. Wow!
Bukko Canukko,
Been a patient in a hospice as a rehab patient. Watch the slow demise of my suite mates in the neighboring room as they “departed” in my 3 months there. My wife spent her months at home until the day before. So the value of your job is well known to me. The nurses were indeed special, and each had his/her own profile.
Only problem was we had a Nurse Ratchett as head of our floor, she was of the old school. My experience of my latest stay in the heart ward a few weeks ago was another world as far as eariier experiences on acute wards. You should have seen the teamwork in those who did my coronary artery x-ray check. BTW, clean as they were ten years ago. It was an undiscovered atrial flutter.
I know you are not rich, but one is not dumb for that.
And tsste can’t be bought. Be thankful for what you have learned, for it is you that does the work and develops it. Me, I’m a poor rat, who has had the luck that angels can give, if I believed in them. I am sitting here wondering when my electronic savings will disappear. Here you are not allowed to store gold bullion in a safety deposit box any longer.
Aussies are really a mystery to me. Other than reading Bruce Chapman’s book “Songlines” and a halfhour chat recently with a young woman tourist from Perth, I have little to offer. The direct way of talking to the point of rudeness, and being callous and uncultured is as most characatures part truth and part fiction. Your views appreciated.
From those few words it would seem that Swedes are similar to Canadians, although I believe the difference is far larger than being unexciting.
More later. We can chat until we tire. OK?
http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/opinionzone/2012/11/02/did-scott-reject-early-voting-extension-to-help-romney/
The wait to vote in Florida is 4 to 5 hours. Rick Scott is disgraceful.
Texas & Iowa are fully justified and legally entitled to deny international observers access to polling locations. To object because it makes the U.S. look like a nation of hypocrites – we are !!! Furthermore, it serves no useful purpose to allow international observers validate an election in which dogs, dead people and illegal aliens are encouraged to vote while members of the armed services are disadvantaged from voting. Consider also that the main stream liberal media has deliberately ignored the conclusive evidence that the certified true copy of Barack Obama’s long form birth certificate is an apparent forgery. Furthermore, Barack Obama has gone to great lengths and expense to have all of his documents & records to support his claim of legitimacy and eligibility sealed.
P.S. That video of the SWAT clampdown on the house eviction protesters (shades of farmers resisting repossessions in the Depression!) is getting traction on libertarian econoblogs, too. The ugly face of the unfolding police state. Today, cursing and bullying in service of monied interests, tomorrow mass shootings of anyone who dares resist the commands of the men with the guns. More reinforcement for why I expatriated…
After being in Australiea as you have, wonder why you chose the wettest place in Canada—can’t stand hot dry places I guess. Do you two travel to dry out?
Idealist, assuming you’re still following comments on this thread, we chose Vancouver because we used to live in San Francisco, where my wife still has many friends. She wanted to be as close to S.F. as possible, while still outside the borders of the U.S. We do not think highly of Obama as a politician, considering him the Third Term of George Bush, although I acknowledge he’s a decent guy. We also fear a sudden collapse of the U.S financial system, followed by the rest of the world’s, should there be another sudden, un-squelchable “Lehman moment” that triggers a money-panic.
I loved Australia, in part because we lived in Melbourne, which is relatively wet. And the Aussies are fun people. Canadians are fine, but a bit boring compared to those madcap ‘Strines. We might move back. We just enjoy travel. It’s a big, wonderful world, and there’s so much I haven’t seen. It’s so great that I have a licence to wipe peoples’ bums, because I can flitter around the planet as a LEGAL immigrant, as long as I adhere to the proper red tape.
The real deal, coming to a town near you (if it isn’t there already):
Lotta,
I think we must use old metaphors here. He has been the teflon kid the whole campaign. Flip-flops, major items of critique just die out. Media cnntrol by Repugs= You tell me.
Smoking gun for Romney. Should be major headlines. Why not?
He runs, proof available, a businees based on fraud, and when pressed, predates afterwards his separation as retiring CEO from Bain Capital by 2-3 years, thus disclaiming responsibitly for the exposed fraud.. How is that legal?
Does filing a revised form constitute evidence of fact?
Oh yes, somebody must have attested it. Wonder who?
And he is the Repub candidate. Time for a new party or a party split. Time for the Repugs to bring out the big money to strangle the press. Who in the media has the guts to run with it?
Rapid escaltion of FBI investigation? Big publicised raid on Bain Capital? Seizure of laptops of key
Romney advisors as material evidence?
If we can deal the Repugs a deadly blow, then we have a greater chance to do so to the Dems. Thus we get a five party system and voter attentiveness again from all the five parties. It suddenly is possible.
Francoise T.
It would take an FBI investigation for each one. Sadly.