I took my first on-line training session for “True the Vote,” a right-wing voter intimidation group that was formed in Texas by Tea Party types, and now has spread nation-wide. Think of me as a mole, infiltrating the group.
The first training session involved listening for an hour to a woman with a grating south Texas accent explain why fraud was rampant and what we citizens would have to do to preserve our rights. Afterward there was a quiz. I scored 8 of 10, but you are allowed to retake it until you get a perfect score.
I must note that I personally am not in favor of voter fraud, but I also should note that I am in favor of everybody voting, including felons and non-citizens who pay taxes. (Incidentally, non-citizens were once allowed to vote. I believe Arkansas was the last state to forbid them. If I remember correctly, the year was 1923.)
The major thing that bothers me about “True the Vote” is that they are concentrating on the wrong issue. One of their slogans says “If our elections are not truly fair...we are not truly free.” Ok, I’ll buy that. The irony is True the Vote says nothing about the funding of elections. Indeed there is evidence that True the Vote is partially funded by the Koch Brothers.
Note: I canvassed in Summit Hill today. I talked to the mother of a young voter who lacks voter I.D. and has been the the PennDot Center twice. Both times the lines were too long, and she couldn’t take that much time off work. Her mother said, “I guess she won’t vote this year.” Just what the Republican legislators were hoping. I can hardly stand it. Where is True the Vote on that problem?
I cannot understand why the state is making things so hard to get an ID to vote. You would think that if they are true to there words they would authorize the center to make a special line and only cater to voters. Its a separate function and should be separated from the license lines.
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