Southern Maryland Online - Serving Calvert, Charles, & St. Mary's Counties.  Click here to go to the Front Page of somd.com.
 
| Write Us | Help | Sponsors | Classifieds | Employment | Forums | MarketPlace | Calendar | Headlines | Announcements | Weather | More... |


Go Back   Southern Maryland Community Forums > General Interest > Politics
Register Blogs FAQ Members List Calendar Chat Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Wireless

Politics Democrat, Republican, Independent.  Liberal or conservative.  We're talking politics here!

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 08-07-2008, 09:51 AM   #1 (permalink)
RadioPatrol
 
Posts: n/a
Who Here Thinks We Have the Right to Vote?



Quote:
Who Here Thinks We Have the Right to Vote?
Think Again. Jesse Jackson, Jr. Continues His Fight for a Constitutional Amendment...

Guest Blogged by Mary Mancini of the Uncounted Blog


For some reason our wild and crazy wig-wearing Founding Fathers didn't see the need to build the right to vote into the Constitution. Instead, they decided to leave it up to the individual States to determine who, where, when, and how we vote. Oh sure, some voting rights have been amended into the Constitution in the form of anti-discrimination prohibitions (15th, 19th, and 26th), but the fundamental and very human right of the franchise is nowhere to be found. Zero. Zip. Nil. Nada.

Turns out that while election integrity activists have been busy fighting against systemic disenfranchisement, Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., has been introducing House Joint Resolution 28 (H.J. Res. 28) --- legislation calling for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting everyone the affirmative right to vote --- in every Congress since 2001, noting that "It's time to scrap the states' rights-based system we have now, and place the right to vote alongside the constitutionally-protected right to free speech."

Today, Rep. Jackson furthered his cause by releasing a statement to the press citing a new report by the Advancement Project (which "details a dizzying array of Election Day meltdowns), as well as the documentary Uncounted: The New Math of American Elections (which offers "evidence of how voting machines themselves can create problems"). Both the report and the film, he says...

Quote:
...offer warnings about the fragile state of our electoral system. They support what I've been saying for years: Going to the polls --- which they're doing today in states like Michigan and Tennessee --- does NOT mean you have the right to vote."
After the momentary "Oh my God I forgot to vote and isn't that ironic?" panic I had after reading his quote - primary election day in Tennessee is Thursday, August 7th and not Tuesday (but if you live in Michigan and you didn't vote yesterday you snoozed and loozed...er, lost) --- his misstatement really does prove his point, "Until we put [the right to vote in the Constitution] we will continue to have presidents selected by the Supreme Court, partisan officials crafting rules in their favor, and voters disenfranchised by political games or plain old sloppiness." Yeah, what he said. What sloppy Tennessee election official mandated a Thursday primary election day?!?

The most important part of the report, besides identifying concrete strategies for ultimately achieving the right to vote, is the very accurate observation that our current system contracts, rather than expands, the franchise.

Disenfranchisement is not anathema to the system - it's part of it.

Cross-posted at the Uncounted Blog...

==

Mary Mancini blogs on behalf of the documentary film Uncounted: The New Math of American Elections. She lives in Tennessee and has not yet had her vote go uncounted in tomorrow's state primary election.


 
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Add post to Facebook
[ Reply w/Quote ]
Old 08-07-2008, 03:36 PM   #2 (permalink)
You Lie!!!
 
chernmax's Avatar
 
Member Since: Jul 2006
Location: Displaced New Yorker in Southern MD
Posts: 9,649
Maybe he wants to restore voter rights to the convicted felons which will increase the inner city NObama vote!!!
__________________
- Obamacare, "It's Shovel Ready"
- Dither Free Zone!
chernmax is offline  
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Add post to Facebook
[ Reply w/Quote ]
Old 08-07-2008, 03:58 PM   #3 (permalink)
Sham, WOW
 
aps45819's Avatar
 
Member Since: Nov 2003
Location: Highway to Hell
Posts: 28,172
I'm for a constitional ammendment that limits voters to citizens that own property.
If you don't own some dirt, you can't vote.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by vraiblonde View Post
What he said ^
*
It's time to stop comparing Obama to Hitler.
Hitler got the Olympics for Berlin.
aps45819 is offline  
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Add post to Facebook
[ Reply w/Quote ]
Old 08-07-2008, 08:25 PM   #4 (permalink)
Mavericky!
 
Bann's Avatar
 
Member Since: Mar 2006
Posts: 6,725
Quote:
Originally Posted by RadioPatrol View Post

Most people do not realize there is no constitutional right to vote.
__________________
Proud member of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy!
Bann is offline  
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Add post to Facebook
[ Reply w/Quote ]
Old 08-07-2008, 08:28 PM   #5 (permalink)
Mavericky!
 
Bann's Avatar
 
Member Since: Mar 2006
Posts: 6,725
Quote:
Originally Posted by chernmax View Post
Maybe he wants to restore voter rights to the convicted felons which will increase the inner city NObama vote!!!

I wonder how many states have a law which revokes the privilege to vote if you're convicted of a felony?
__________________
Proud member of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy!
Bann is offline  
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Add post to Facebook
[ Reply w/Quote ]
Old 08-07-2008, 08:30 PM   #6 (permalink)
Imagine no liberals
 
MMDad's Avatar
 
Member Since: Aug 2005
Posts: 15,505
Quote:
Originally Posted by aps45819 View Post
I'm for a constitional ammendment that limits voters to citizens that own property.
If you don't own some dirt, you can't vote.
So nobody gets to vote?


If you think you own property, try not paying your "rent" to the Government. If you "owned" it, could they sell it on the courthouse steps?
__________________
"Today does mark the beginning of the end.” (B. Hussein Obama) 2/17/09, while signing the "stimulus"
Quote:
Originally Posted by JollyRoger View Post
H1N!! Neatles are comeing!
MMDad is offline  
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Add post to Facebook
[ Reply w/Quote ]
Old 08-07-2008, 08:30 PM   #7 (permalink)
Barack N' Roll
 
vegmom's Avatar
 
Member Since: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,815
Quote:
Originally Posted by aps45819 View Post
I'm for a constitional ammendment that limits voters to citizens that own property.
If you don't own some dirt, you can't vote.
Us renters pay taxes too.
__________________
Check today's Obameter Reading:http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/
vegmom is offline  
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Add post to Facebook
[ Reply w/Quote ]
Old 08-07-2008, 08:54 PM   #8 (permalink)
WDF. So worth the wait.
 
Sula's Avatar
 
Member Since: Mar 2008
Location: gone to Carolina
Posts: 1,368
Quote:
Originally Posted by aps45819 View Post
I'm for a constitional ammendment that limits voters to citizens that own property.
If you don't own some dirt, you can't vote.

That would sure suck for many members of the military.
__________________
She hardly knew at times what it was she feared, and what she hoped for. Whether she feared or desired what had happened, or what was going to happen, and exactly what she longed for, she could not have said.
Sula is offline  
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Add post to Facebook
[ Reply w/Quote ]
Reply




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:50 AM.



| Home | Help | Contact Us | About somd.com | Privacy | Advertising | Sponsors | Newsletter |

| What's New | What's Cool | Top Rated | Add A Link | Mod a Link | Link to Us |

| Announcements | Bookstore | Chat | Calendar | Classifieds | Community |
| Contests & Surveys | Culture | Dating | Dining | Education | Employment | Entertainment |
| Forums | Free E-Mail | Games | Gear! | Government | Guestbook | Health | Marketplace | Mortgage | News |
| Organizations | Photos | Postcard | Real Estate | Relocation | Sports | Survey | Travel | Wiki | Weather | Worship |

Brought to you by Virtually Everything, Inc.   ©1996-2009, All rights reserved.


SEO by vBSEO 3.1.0 ©2007, Crawlability, Inc.