Dupe

[malaise]

The Great bailout debate

The Politics of News

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/10032008/profile.html

<snip>
October 3, 2008
Imagine that it's November fourth, election day. You've read up on all the candidates, local and national, and are ready to cast an informed vote. You get off work a little early and head to the polls.

But after waiting in line, you find out you are not on the voter rolls.

You argue with the poll worker — you've voted before! They don't know why you aren't on the list, and weren't trained on what to do. Frustrated and embarassed, you leave without voting.
Purged?
Scenes like this happen more often than you might think, according to a new report from the Brennan Center for Justice. The study found that "thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia reported purging more than 13 million voters from registration rolls between 2004 and 2006." And while affirming that purges correctly-done are an important way to ensure voter rolls are dependable and up-to-date, the study found that:

"Far too frequently, however, eligible, registered citizens show up to vote and discover their names have been removed from the voter lists. States maintain voter rolls in an inconsistent and unaccountable manner. Officials strike voters from the rolls through a process that is shrouded in secrecy, prone to error, and vulnerable to manipulation."

Though the report notes that the "secret and inconsistent manner in which purges are conducted make it difficult, if not impossible, to know exactly how many voters are stricken from voting lists erroneously," it lists multiple instances where tens of thousands of voters were improperly stricken from the rolls.
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