First they take your house, then your vote
It doesn't get much lower than this.
Republicans in Michigan are planning to challenge the validity of votes cast by people who have lost their homes to foreclosure. The Michigan Messenger, a project of Center for Independent Media, has the story:
“We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will make sure people aren’t voting from those addresses,” party chairman James Carabelli told Michigan Messenger in a telephone interview earlier this week. He said the local party wanted to make sure that proper electoral procedures were followed.
Imagine it. You've lost your home. You have pressing priorities. You may not have mailed in paperwork changing your address. Perhaps you have rented an apartment a few blocks away. Maybe you move in with family across town. When Election Day comes you go to your old precinct. But a republican party operative is there with a list of foreclosures and your name is on it. When you attempt to vote, he challenges your right to cast a ballot.
Lose your house. Lose your vote.
Unfortunately, voter suppression is cheaper than voter turnout. Some people will do anything to win. Even disenfranchise citizens who have lost their homes to foreclosure.
And of course it's important to note that Michigan is a battleground state with a Republican Secretary of State.
Republicans in Ohio are also exploring this tactic:
Columbus ranked 32nd among U.S. cities in the number of foreclosure filings during the first quarter of 2008, according to RealtyTrac... Other battleground states rank high in foreclosure filings as well: Nevada led the nation in May with one filing for every 118 homes, while Florida was fourth, Michigan fifth, Georgia sixth, Colorado seventh and New Jersey 10th.For the record: Nevada and Ohio -- with help from SoS Project -- have democratic Secretaries of State. But republicans run the election in the key states of Michigan, Florida, and Colorado.
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