America Suppresses the Vote 2006

More reports are coming in about Republican voter suppression tactics across the country. In Virginia, the state board of elections is intervening:

Over the past several days, voters throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia have filed complaints of incidents aimed at suppressing voter turn out in heavily Democratic and African American neighborhoods. Today, the Secretary of the Virginia State Board of Elections Jean Jensen concluded that the incidents appear widespread and deliberate.

“There are now credible reports from multiple jurisdictions around the Commonwealth that establish a pattern of dirty tricks being employed to confuse and frustrate Virginia's voters from exercising their right to vote tomorrow. In addition to reports that have been received by the Democratic Party of Virginia, these local election officials have been receiving reports from concerned voters,” said Jack Young, co-chair of Promote the Vote.

Listen to this call to a Democratic voter saying that he will be arrested if he attempts to vote.

In addition, Democrats are being called and told their polling place has changed when it hasn't. They're going to be faced with ballots that only say "James H. 'Jim'" as the name of the Democratic candidate for Senate (because Jim Webb was clearly too long).

Everyone wondering about the electronic voting machines has to ask themselves this: if that was such a foolproof plan, why would Republicans attempt to systematically depress turnout nationwide, with harrassing robocalls and threats of jail and other instances of disinformation?