While You Were Sleeping- House Bill 3

[Clara T]

With new legislation, Ohio Republicans plan holiday burial for American Democracy
By Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
Online Journal Guest Writers

Dec 7, 2005, 01:04


House Bill 3 has already passed the Ohio House of Representatives and is about to be approved by the Republican-dominated Senate, probably before the holiday recess. Republicans dominate the Ohio legislature thanks to a heavily gerrymandered crazy quilt of rigged districts, and to a moribund Ohio Democratic Party. The GOP-drafted HB3 is designed to all but obliterate any possible future Democratic revival. Opposition from the Ohio Democratic Party, where it exists at all, is diffuse and ineffectual.

HB3's most publicized provision will require positive identification before casting a vote. But it also opens voter registration activists to partisan prosecution, exempts electronic voting machines from public scrutiny, quintuples the cost of citizen-requested statewide recounts and makes it illegal to challenge a presidential vote count or, indeed, any federal election result in Ohio. When added to the recently passed HB1, which allows campaign financing to be dominated by the wealthy and by corporations, and along with a Rovian wish list of GOP attacks on the ballot box, democracy in Ohio could be all but over.

The GOP is ramming similar bills through state legislatures around the US, starting with Georgia and Indiana. The ID requirements in particular have provoked widespread opposition from newspapers such as the New York Times. The Times, among others, argues that the ID requirements and the costs associated with them, constitute an unconstitutional discriminatory poll tax.

<snip>

But HB3 will solidify the GOP's iron grip on the electronic voting process and all that surrounds it. Unless they break that grip, Democrats who believe they can carry any part of Ohio in 2006 or 2008 are kidding themselves.

When it comes to 2008, can you say "Jeb Bush"?

http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2005/1607

[For PaisAn]

1. A friend E-Mailed this to me

and it's so depressing and disgusting!

[Clara T]

2. Very wicked

and a form of technocratic fascism. People aren't realizing how late it is and how tight the screws are.

[For PaisAn]

3. You are so right

People haven't been and are still not truly realizing. It may very well be too late now. Technocratic fascism is the perfect term.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

4. The slide into a fascist state started on December 13, 2001.

[For PaisAn]

8. Did you mean December 13, 2000?

When the felonious five finalized their anointing of Bush to the White House

[Clara T]

6. Reading only half of this

bill makes ones head spin and the esoteric process involved in arranging such legislation is nearly impossible for anyone to grasp even those who follow this kind of stuff. And then wham! It's in place and has real live consequences that we are hammered with.

[mod mom]

5. HELLO DNC, HELP US ELECTION REFORMERS IN OH, THE OH DEM PARTY

is, as Bob and Harvey correctly say "MORIBUND"! this is the reason many progressives in OH will defect from voting DEM to support Fitrakis and other independents. I don't believe others outside of OH understand what we are up against!

PLEASE SEND HELP!

Please vot this onto the greatest page in hopes that someone with authority will take notice and support our fight!

[femrap]

9. I agree with you mod mom.....

So many dems are in complete denial over this....Ohio is Rove's lab rat....his 'experiment' will move on to other states. It has to be stopped....I truly don't think there is a more important issue than this...NONE!

I am writing Howard Dean NOW....please join me. And letters to the editors as well. I am just Sick, Angry, and Depressed over this (the SAD Syndrome...a newly diagnosed disease that has struck all democratic-loving people in Ohio.)

[mod mom]

14. Some Good News 4 Dem Senators walk out of vote:

In case you hadn't heard,

Senate Dems on the Rules Ctte grew a real set last night and walked out on
the vote.

Please call their offices and thank them for having moral courage...

Senate Rules Committee Members (D)Telephone:Email
Sen. C. J. Prentiss Ranking Minority Member 614/466-4857
[e-mail]
Sen. Robert F. Hagan 614/466-8285 [e-mail]
Sen. Teresa Fedor 614/466-5204 [e-mail]
Sen. Kimberly Zurz 614/[e-mail]

[Marie26]

16. Hagan is a good person to call

if you want to fight this bill or other Rep.-sponsored measures. He's been fighting the corruption in state gov. from the begininng & helped expose the Noe scandal.

[mod mom]

19. Teresa Fedor has been the strongest voice on elelction reform!

[Marie26]

23. OK

I don't think it's a competition. :) Hagan has concentrated mostly on the corruption & bribery in Ohio; I'm not as familiar w/Fedor, but I'm sure she's doing good work too.

[mod mom]

26. Press Release from the OH Dem Senate Caucus:

PRESS STATEMENT

 From the Senate Democrat Caucus

For Immediate Release
December 7, 2005

Democrats walk out in protest of voter suppression bill

(Columbus) - Tonight three leaders of the Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus  
walked out in protest of an election bill that will suppress the rights of  
voters in Ohio. Assistant Minority Leader Kimberly Zurz, Minority Whip  
Teresa Fedor and Assistant Minority Whip Robert F. Hagan told Senate  
President Harris that they would not support a bill or a process that  
stifled the votes of Ohioans.
"This bill the Republicans have put forth will simply suppress the vote.  
Instead of increasing the number of voters at the polls, this bill will  
decrease voter participation," Senator Kimberly Zurz (D-Green) said. "I  
believe in working together to provide the best possible solutions for the  
state and for my constituents. This process and the outcome of this bill  
does not and will not do that."
House Bill 3 requires voters to show identification every time they vote,  
in effect limiting Ohioans' access to the ballot. The bill also places  
more restrictions on petition drives, and codifies tactics to limit voter  
registration drives.

"We didn't leave the committee tonight because we were personally  
offended," Senator Robert Hagan (D-Youngstown) said. "We're offended that  
the voices of our constituents are being suppressed. This bill is a sham  
because it ignores the fundamental rights of Ohioans. We want the voters'  
votes to count."
"HAVA is the 'Help America Vote Act.' The Republicans aren't helping  
people vote," Senator Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) said. "In fact, instead of  
making it easier for people to vote, House Bill 3 makes it harder. This is  
a multi-faceted voter suppression bill. These provisions are part of a  
well-orchestrated effort to create obstacles for voters."
- 30 -

  PRESS STATEMENT
 From Ohio Senate Democratic Leader C.J. Prentiss
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, December 5, 2005

Election Reform Bill needs significant improvements

Dems ready to fight to make voting easier

(Columbus)- An election reform bill being rapidly pushed by the Republican  
majority in the Ohio General Assembly will potentially make voting more  
difficult in Ohio.
A substantial redraft of House Bill 3 was delivered to Senate committee  
members last week. A redraft of the 400 page bill by the Republican  
majority is expected sometime today. The bill is planned to be voted out  
of committee this week and on the Senate Floor for a full vote by the end  
of next week.
However, Ohio Senate Democratic Leader C.J. Prentiss of Cleveland said  
some key provisions need to be included in the final bill that will make  
it a bill that truly reforms the way elections are handled in Ohio.

"The Senate Democrats are prepared and ready to fight to make this bill  
the best it can be for the voters of the state which means taking out any  
voter suppression aspects of the legislation. The bottom line is this bill  
should make voting easier, not create new problems and hurdles for Ohio's  
voters. Currently, there are aspects of the voter identification and  
provisional balloting that we have concerns about. We plan on putting  
forth amendments that will open the voting process up and make voting as  
simple and easy as possible for working families. In the past, Ohio has  
proven we don't have a good track record of making more people engaged in  
the basic right of our democracy."
-30-

Emily Benjamin
Constituent Aide
Senate Minority Leader C.J. Prentiss
21st District
614-466-4857

[Fovea]

7. Don't any of these freaks remember

vietnam? And what happened to Selective Service offices around the nation when American's had enough?

I am not advocating this, I am simply reminding the pugs that there are limits and redresses beyond the law.

[femrap]

10. Let's keep this kicked.....

we need the DNC to see we mean business....

[seafan]

11. Kick. SAD is exactly how I feel. (Sick-Angry-Depressed) n/t

[rateyes]

12. I hope someone in Ohio sues if this is signed into law...

it's a damned poll tax they are creating, unconstitutional to the core, and declared such by Georgia Courts, so there is precedent to overturn this "law."

[The Doctor.]

13. Take it to the Supreme Court...

Oh, wait... I just remembered.

[Marie26]

15. I'm so sick of this. nt

[realFedUp]

17. I kick for relevancy....nt

[Wilms]

18. n/t

[For PaisAn]

20. This needs another kick

:kick:

[Justice Is Comin]

21. "ILLEGAL" to challenge any presidential vote count

or federal election ? Even when the ballot boxes are video poker machines? Regulated by payrolled republican crooks ?

We have successfully evolved to the former Soviet Union version of democracy.

These Diebold bastards have GOT to be taken to their knees in the class action suit being prepared. :mad:

[Clara T]

22. "no credible security safeguards"

"The 2004 election in the Buckeye state was riddled with deception, fraud, intimidation, manipulation and outright theft, all of which were essential to the triumph of George W. Bush. In 2005, four electoral reform ballot initiatives were allegedly defeated despite huge poll margins showing the almost certain passage of two of them. The most credible explanation for their defeat lies in electronic manipulation of voting machines, tabulators and memory cards which the GAO confirms have no credible security safeguards."

[Marie26]

24. Sort of makes you wonder what they have planned for 2006.

Doesn't it?

[annabanana]

25. and yet STILL the alarm bells aren't ringing off the wall....

By the time people realize they have lost their much vaunted "freedom" it will be a distant memory.