Group accuses Mike Pence of voter suppression after state police raid registration program in Indian

[Rose Siding]

Source: Washington Post

A progressive advocacy group is launching an advertising campaign accusing Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who also is the Republican vice-presidential nominee, of allowing voter suppression after state police raided the offices of a voter registration program aimed at signing up African Americans.

Patriot Majority USA will place the ads on black-oriented radio stations and in print and online with black newspapers throughout the state starting Saturday, said the group’s director, Craig Varoga. Patriot Majority is affiliated with the Senate Majority PAC, a super PAC that supports Democratic candidates.

On Oct. 4, one week before the state’s deadline to register to vote, state police raided the Indianapolis office of the Indiana Voter Registration Project, seizing computers, cellphones and records. The state police launched an investigation in late August after elections officials in Hendricks County, a suburb of Indianapolis, alerted authorities to some applications that seemed amiss. A spokesman for the state police told local news media that “at least 10” applications were confirmed to be fraudulent.

Varoga estimates that 45,000 people, most of them African Americans, might not be able to vote on Nov. 8 because their applications were seized during the raid. The group has asked the Justice Department to investigate, and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, an advocate for voting rights, sent a letter to Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson asking her to take steps to ensure that eligible voters who signed up through the voter registration drive will not be disenfranchised.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/10/15/group-accuses-mike-pence-of-voter-suppression-after-state-police-raid-registration-program-in-indiana/?tid=sm_tw

[TonyPDX]

1. Wow, 10 whole fraudulent applications and cops raid the voter registration program?

They really like their authority in Indiana, don't they?

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

4. Interesting they were able to find those 10 registration forms out of 45,000

It's sort of like someone, you know, planted the fake registrations. Looks like the Repugs found another way to repress the African American vote.

Can the accurately registered voters still vote with a provisional ballot?

[wordpix]

21. good catch, exc. point

[Stonepounder]

9. I also read somewhere that voter registration groups

are required by law to turn in all registrations. They don't have an option to try and weed out 'suspicious ones'. WTF?? So, we've got a Vice Presidential candidate actively trying to suppress the vote?

You don't mind if I rachet up my own personal paranoia meter just a bit, do you?

[Divine Discontent]

25. HEAR fuggin HEAR!!! The VP candidate has a raid of a voter registration group occur in his state

where he's governor, a few weeks before the election, and that group is almost entirely voting against him?

Help, US Govt, stop them!

[Mc Mike]

2. Come on, Feds. Time to have a little look see into bircher Pence's little nazi admin there. nt.

[Democat]

3. Pence blocking 45,000 people from voting?

They need a lawyer, fast.

[NastyRiffraff]

5. I knew Pence was a POS but

this blatant attempt to deny AAs a vote is too much even for him. He needs to either stop this shit or come forward and own it for all to see.

[Achilleaze]

13. Pinnochio Pence (R) got a whole lot going on under the surface

Anyone who can claim to be a 'christian' and then lie as blatantly, deliberately and consistently as he is while excusing Republican role model Comrade Casino, has a whole freaking lot going on way down deep and dark below the surface.

[NastyRiffraff]

16. You're right

I never trust anyone who trumpets christianity (or any religion) as a reason people should somehow trust them, particularly in politics. Hypocrisy is rampant when politicians constantly point to how religious they are.

And let's not even talk about some of the disgusting televangalists. I'm looking at you, Jerry Falweel Jr and Pat Robertson. Sometimes I wish there really were a hell just for people like this.

[Mc Mike]

20. He's a bircher. That style of 'christian' values fascism over 'deeply held' religious values. nt

[Coyotl]

6. Voter registration groups are required to submit the registrations, even if purposely fraudulent to

derail their efforts. So, someone trying to undermine them only needs to get a few bad registrations in their hands and vola, they call out an army of police and shut down the entire, state-wide effort. This is nothing more than a dirty trick and a conspiracy to suppress voter registration. It is also an abuse of political power to violate civil rights. U.S. DoJ needs to step in and put the Indiana racist redneck police in their place.

[Rose Siding]

8. Yep. And that's the specific detail missed in the noise that brought down Acorn

[Coyotl]

10. Same playbook, new election. Same racism, new faces on ballot.

Republicans target black voters and communities with their racist voter suppression efforts. Just as they think a black President is not legitimate, so also the think black voters are not entitled to equal rights.

[YOHABLO]

7. Sounds like the accusation of fraudulent applications is fraudulent.

They will try anything to suppress voting by minorites because it's the only way they can win.

[Coyotl]

12. No, they place the fraudulent applications with the group to enable the suppression.

The voter registration drive has to submit them or they are criminally liable. It is a Catch-22. You either submit the fraudulent applications or go to jail for not doing so. If you submit them, then the police state descends and blames you for submitting fraudulent applications. Absolute racism is why we have the state's/Pence's over-reaction.

[SunSeeker]

11. K & R for exposure of racist fuckwad Pence. nt

[Stuart G]

14. This is about defeating Evan Bayh...for Senator..never underestimate these assholes.

Those 45,000 could keep that seat Republican, and that one could keep the Senate Republican..that is what those 45,000 not voting is about..

[riversedge]

17. REC

[ColemanMaskell]

18. I hope they get an injunction so the 45,000 cannot be blocked from voting. Thanks for the post.

[texanwitch]

19. The Republicans are really afraid.

Anything to cheat.

[wordpix]

22. as the ConMan says, "The election is rigged"---at least in Pence country,

that is true

[Ruth Bonner]

23. I live in Indiana and feel the need to apologize for Pence.

[lindysalsagal]

24. YOu mean, this guy?

https://thinkprogress.org/indiana-bill-would-force-women-to-undergo-two-transvaginal-probes-to-take-a-pill-updated-912a6f528fa9#.6pzkccxdv