Democratic Party and Clinton campaign to sue Arizona over voting rights

[reACTIONary]

Source: Washington post

Democratic Party and Clinton campaign to sue Arizona over voting rights
http://wapo.st/23IcGvr

Read more: http://wapo.st/23IcGvr

---

Go hill! Go dnc!

[iandhr]

1. But but but....

... DU says they don't care about voting rights. Something something Third Way oligarch conspiracy.

[reACTIONary]

3. +10!

[Skwmom]

4. They care about voting rights when they need it to benefit their corporate candidate.

[reACTIONary]

6. There's a reason that....

.... AA's seem to favor the, ummm, "corporate" candidate. Go Hillary!!

[Skwmom]

20. But in the 2000 elections when Blacks were purged from the voter rolls the Clintons

would do nothing.

[reACTIONary]

41. So what did burnie do?

Hillary Goes Right for Jeb Bush's Gut in Voting Rights Speech - In which the Democratic frontrunner gets real about voter suppression in the 2000 election.

http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a35497/hillary-clinton-voting-rights-speech/

[iandhr]

7. Now you people are changing are changing your line.

After the primary many Sanders supporters here were arguing the DNC was responsible for the long lines to allow Clinton to win and to sabotage Sanders. The fact that it was REPUBLICANS in AZ who created the situation fell on deaf ears. Now standing up for voting rights is a cooperate conspiracy.


As Senator Daniel Moynihan said. "Every man is entitled to his opinion. Not his own facts"

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

28. #FeelTheFacts

[msongs]

23. you left out a word that reflects the true view of the sanders crowd nt

[Loki]

42. Well it certain isn't "Feel" is it? LOL

[LanternWaste]

38. Post hoc ergo prompter hoc.

Post hoc ergo prompter hoc. DU's getting better... yours was only the second I've come across today.

[pnwmom]

43. Other Dems love vote-suppressing, non-inclusive caucuses because they benefited their candidate. n/t

[Iliyah]

2. Damn those corporate whores trying to protect voting rights for ALL

[disillusioned73]

5. Welcome to the party..

[geek tragedy]

8. Clinton has been filing suits against vote suppression since last year.

She's way ahead of Bernie and his people in that regard.

[pandr32]

9. Yep!

Not that truth matters to many around here.

[geek tragedy]

10. this place will get so much better in early June. nt

[disillusioned73]

11. If that is true..

good for her & her team, but in Arizona it seemed they were a bit more silent on the voting issues that plagued that state on that day..

I hope things are sorted out before November, because whomever the candidate ends up being - these shenanigans will most definitely benefit the R candidate in the general..

[geek tragedy]

12. their eyes are on November, and that's what this is about.

Republicans are going to try to steal the election with voter ID and other crap like this.

They screwed up by tipping their hand in AZ.

[reACTIONary]

14. Can't be more vocal..,

....than a lawsuit . Hillery defines progressive as one who takes effective action and actually makes progress. Forward!

[MyNameGoesHere]

70. You're right

She could have been shouting this whole time. And shaking her first.

[Blue Idaho]

13. Really?

Where's Bernie's lawsuit?

[Gothmog]

31. As Hillary Clinton Pitches Voting Rights On The Trail, Her Counsel Looks To Fight For Them in Court

Marc Elias, the chief counsel for the Clinton Victory Counsel program, is busy suing the GOP and fighting GOP vote suppression http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/16/voting-rights-lawsuits-_n_7594960.html

The general counsel for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign is heading up three high-profile lawsuits against Republican-backed voting restrictions in what is shaping up to be a perfect political and legal storm leading up to the 2016 election.

The attorney, Marc Elias, is involved in lawsuits challenging measures passed in Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin, arguing that laws cutting back early voting, restricting registration and requiring photo identification to vote, among other measures, disproportionately impact racial minorities.

Conservatives have argued such measures protect against voter fraud, and have called the lawsuits a political effort to energize Democratic voters. The financial involvement of the billionaire liberal philanthropist George Soros, who is supporting the suits, has only incensed them further.

There are high stakes to the lawsuits, as the Supreme Court displayed a certain skepticism about federal voting rights legislation when it struck down a key section of the landmark Voting Rights Act in 2013. That provision had required states and localities with a history of voting discrimination to first clear any changes to their voting laws with the federal government or in federal court. The VRA still bars voting procedures that discriminate against racial minorities, but the strength of that section hasn’t been tested since the court’s controversial decision two years ago.

So, while the politics of Elias’ cases have attracted most of the attention — Clinton recently decried measures supported by Republican governors, like fellow presidential hopeful Scott Walker of Wisconsin — there is an equivalent amount of intrigue on the legal side. Some of the provisions targeted in the lawsuits, like Wisconsin’s voter identification law, have already been challenged, while others, like Virginia’s photo ID law, haven’t yet seen the inside of a courtroom.

The GOP is very good at voter suppression and I am glad that Marc is fighting against the GOP. Unfortunately, the Wisconsin voter id law will be in effect for Tuesday primary. The Elias lawsuit is schedule to go to trial in May

[brooklynite]

15. MORE BREAKING NEWS! Bernie Sanders won't contest Arizona election results

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders will not challenge the results of Arizona's problematic presidential primary, an attorney for his campaign told The Associated Press on Friday.

The campaign had considered contesting the results of the March 22 election because of serious problems in the state's largest county, including hourslong lines and the rejection of about 20,000 provisional ballots. That amounted to about 80 percent of those cast, mainly by registered independents not allowed to vote in the state's closed primary.

"We concluded that an election contest is too narrow and restricting a venue to address the widespread problems in Maricopa County that occurred on Election Day and disenfranchised tens of thousands of Arizona voters," attorney Chris Sautter said.

The campaign determined that a challenge, which could at best add one or two Democratic delegates to Sanders' tally, did not justify the cost given that it wouldn't address the serious Election Day issues. Sautter is instead considering a federal lawsuit challenging Maricopa County's election practices, possibly partnering with other concerned groups.

http://www.abc15.com/news/state/bernie-sanders-wont-contest-arizona-election-results

Those charter flights don't pay for themselves...

[Human101948]

16. Yep, he's got to look into corporate contributions and speaking fees...

They sure can cover a lot of private jet flights. (No photos please!)

[WhiteTara]

17. I hope he joins the lawsuit, but of course it

does cost money for lawyers.

[beastie boy]

19. Bernie outspent Hillary by about $1.4 million in Wisconsin to get 10 extra delegates.

Surely he can afford one lawyer!

[WhiteTara]

22. Well, if he wins the nomination

he may pony up. But he says he can't afford a dollar for anything but his campaign now.

[beastie boy]

24. So Bernie will sue Arizona only if he wins the nomination...

How typical of the fair weather voting rights advocate that he is turning out to be!

[WhiteTara]

25. Of course, that is just my opinion

and I have no knowledge of his motives or desires. We would really need to ask Bernie, or just wait and see what he does.

[beastie boy]

26. fair enough. But I am not holding my breath for Bernie to ever sue Arizona.

There is just not enough of a photo op in it.

[Bubzer]

53. Your information is completely false.

This Friday, a group of Maricopa County voters will sue the state of Arizona over the disastrous primary election in March that left them waiting up to five hours in the desert heat to cast a ballot. They will be joined in the case by the campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Democratic National Committee, the Arizona Democratic Party , the president of the Navajo Nation, and the campaign of Ann Kirkpatrick, who is challenging Sen. John McCain for his seat in Congress.
...
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/04/14/3769482/arizona-lawsuit-voting/

[Helen Borg]

18. They care now, that the primary is over.

Before the primary, it was convenient for them.

[beastie boy]

21. Yeah, they should have filed a lawsuit before they had any standing in court.

That would have done everyone a lot of good!

[dbackjon]

33. Wrong again, Since Clinton lost more votes in AZ than Sanders

[onecaliberal]

27. Better late than never...

[reddread]

29. WOW!

thats real smoke.
I think I know who is getting Berned.

[Gothmog]

30. Hillary Clinton, Democratic Party To Sue Arizona For 5-Hour Voting Lines

Here is more on this story http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/04/14/3769482/arizona-lawsuit-voting/

This Friday, a group of Maricopa County voters will sue the state of Arizona over the disastrous primary election in March that left them waiting up to five hours in the desert heat to cast a ballot. They will be supported in the case by Hillary Clinton’s campaign, the Democratic National Committee, the Arizona Democratic Party, the president of the Navajo Nation, and the campaign of Ann Kirkpatrick, who is challenging Sen. John McCain for his seat in Congress.

“Arizonans were denied their constitutional right to vote because those who run the system weren’t prepared, and it can never happen again,” Kirkpatrick said in an e-mailed statement. “Today’s action is about representing every Arizona voter who stood in line for far too long or was forced to go home without casting a ballot.”

The case demands the U.S. District Court of Phoenix review why the county cut the number of available polling places from 200 to 60, leaving only one voting center for every 21,000 voters, and ensure there are adequate polls open for this November’s general election, which will have even higher voter turnout. Even in the lower-turnout March primary, some polling places ran out of ballots.....

The new lawsuit from the Democratic Party aims to remedy the problem before November, when the key swing state could help determine the fate of both the White House and the Senate. Democrats are also suing in four other swing states — Wisconsin, Ohio, Virginia and North Carolina — over allegations of voter suppression against students, people of color, and the poor.

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz argued Thursday that policies in these states are a deliberate attempt by Republican officials to maintain their power. “They want nothing less than to disenfranchise voting groups who are inconvenient to them on Election Day,” she said. “That’s exactly what Arizona’s officials did when they closed polling locations and rejected thousands of provisional ballots, and it’s exactly what they’ll continue to do if left unchecked.”

[reddread]

32. pure Python

or Gilliam

[Gothmog]

34. Really? The Clinton campaign has some of the best proposals on voting rights that I have seen

The Clinton platform is one of the best set of proposals to protect the right to vote that I have seen and this is one of my passions. https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/voting-rights/

Hillary has laid out her vision for how to expand access to the ballot box for all Americans and how to defend against the systematic, deliberate efforts to stop millions of citizens from participating in our democracy:

Repairing the Voting Rights Act. Congress should move quickly to pass legislation that would fix the damage done to the Voting Rights Act by the Supreme Court and restore the full protections American voters need and deserve. These protections are crucial for young and minority voters, seniors, and other underrepresented groups disproportionately affected by harmful Republican efforts to restrict voting.

Setting a new national standard for early voting. It’s time to set a standard across our country of at least 20 days of early in-person voting, including opportunities for evening and weekend voting. This will reduce long lines and give more people an opportunity to vote, especially those who have work or family obligations during the day. Early in-person voting isn’t just convenient—it’s also more secure, more reliable, and more affordable than absentee voting.

Implementing universal, automatic voter registration. Every citizen in every state should be automatically registered to vote when they turn 18, unless they choose to opt out. At the same time, we need to make sure that registration rolls are secure, up to date, and accurate. When you move, your registration should move with you. Modernizing registration will add tens of millions of voters to the rolls, cost less, and reduce the potential for errors or irregularities.

[FighttheFuture]

37. That's a good start, but unless the electronic machines are axed, it may be moot.

Hand counted paper ballots. Open monitoring via internet for any to watch. Totals posted fro all to see at each precent before "electronic" tabulation. that's the only way.

[Gothmog]

39. I have the fun of being my county party representative at the testing of the machines

Most states require that all electronic voting machines be tested and reset to zero before each election and each party gets to have representatives there. I have also served as an election judge at least once a cycle to make sure that I understand how the system works. There are statutory safeguards in most election codes to make sure that these machines are accurate.

The machines in use are about to be replaced and there are a couple of systems that will provide for more safeguard. In my county we can not use paper ballots easily because we have a ton of MUDs, cities, school districts and other entities and so last November we had 150+ ballot styles that would be needed. We also have county wide voting so that a voter can caste their ballot at any voting center in the county (I hated to have to tell voters that they were at the wrong precinct under the old system).

Voting rights are important and Clinton has the best proposals for dealing with these rights

[FighttheFuture]

45. These machines can be hacked, any of them. Howard Dean was shown an example some years

ago.

Other counties do it, we can too. In terms of all your various ballots, those can be printed at site and used for voting so I do not see it being that big a deal to use paper.

One other thing, expand the number of polling places to make the counting easier.

[Gothmog]

50. There is a new generation of machines being tested

Travis County in Texas and other groups are working on new machines. Most counties do not have the funding to replace machines.

[DesertRat]

36. Thanks for this

[DesertRat]

35. k&r

[Bubzer]

40. Hillary is trying to step on the people who've already launched a lawsuit. Back off hilly!

We've had enough of your tampering. This is the people's suit...not yours... and not the DNC's.

[Gothmog]

48. And yet it was Marc Elias who is the head of the Clinton legal team who filed lawsuit

[Bubzer]

51. Wrong. Marc is a johny-come-lately to the lawsuit. They are JOINING the existing suit.

This Friday, a group of Maricopa County voters will sue the state of Arizona over the disastrous primary election in March that left them waiting up to five hours in the desert heat to cast a ballot. They will be joined in the case by the campaigns of Hillary Clintonand Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Democratic National Committee, the Arizona Democratic Party , the president of the Navajo Nation, and the campaign of Ann Kirkpatrick, who is challenging Sen. John McCain for his seat in Congress.
...
The new lawsuit from the Democratic Party aims to remedy the problem before November, when the key swing state could help determine the fate of both the White House and the Senate.

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/04/14/3769482/arizona-lawsuit-voting/

[Gothmog]

55. Two separate lawsuits

The state court case is a poorly written piece of dreck filed by a lawyer from a 4th tier law school

[Bubzer]

57. Still wrong. The Dem party and DNC JOINED the suit. Your reading comprehension is failing you.

Please, though, keep demonstrating your ignorance of the situation! It amuses me!

[Gothmog]

59. Do you tire of being wrong?

Here is the pleading in the Elias lawsuit http://kjzz.org/sites/default/files/Feldman%20v%20Secretary%20of%20State%20Complaint.pdf

Here is the piece of dreck you referenced filed by a lawyer from a 4th tier law school http://archive.azcentral.com/persistent/icimages/politics/ElectionContestlawsuit04082016.pdf

One lawsuit is filed in federal court and the other is filed in state court. The quality of the pleadings in the two lawsuits speak for themselves

[Bubzer]

52. Just in case my last post wasn't enough for you, here's who actually started the lawsuit.

For all those Arizonans out there worried about voter suppression during the presidential preference vote, rest assured that a local activist with a history of taking on problematic elections is trying to get to the bottom of what happened here.

John Brakey, co-founder of AUDIT-AZ (Americans United for Democracy, Integrity, and Transparency in Elections) filed a lawsuit in Maricopa County Superior Court against election officials, both accusing them of misconduct and demanding a partial recount of ballots.

As New Times has written previously, Maricopa County’s attempt to save money by drastically cutting the number of polling stations for the March 22 election totally backfired. Thousands waited more than two hours to vote – some as long as five hours – and the lines at some polling stations still were wrapped around the block as the first results trickled in at 8 p.m.

What’s more, hundreds of people showed up to the polls assuming they were registered as a voter in one party only to be told they were weren’t, and therefore they could only fill out a provisional ballot – according to Dianne Post who worked at a polling station in Phoenix and filed an affidavit in Brakey’s lawsuit, this disproportionally happened to Democratic voters.

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/lawsuit-alleges-voter-suppression-in-arizona-s-presidential-preference-election-8210842

[Gothmog]

54. Do you tire of being wrong?

No decent attorney would sign on that piece of crap lawsuit. I read the pleadings in that case and it was filed in state court by a lawyer from a fourth tier law school who did a very poor job in his pleadings. That lawsuit is separate and distinct from the lawsuit brought by Elias.

I read the pleadings in the piece of dreck you referenced and was not impressed.

[Bubzer]

56. Your impression is irrelevant. It remains fact that it's the people's suit, not Marcs and not hillys

[Gothmog]

60. You are wrong again

We are talking about two different lawsuits. One filed in state court by a lawyer from a 4th tier law school and the lawsuit filed by Elias. I have posted links to both sets of pleadings

[Bubzer]

61. Nope, you're still wrong.

a group of Maricopa County voters will sue the state of Arizona over the disastrous primary election in March that left them waiting up to five hours in the desert heat to cast a ballot. They will be joined in the case by the campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Democratic National Committee, the Arizona Democratic Party , the president of the Navajo Nation, and the campaign of Ann Kirkpatrick, who is challenging Sen. John McCain for his seat in Congress.

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/04/14/3769482/arizona-lawsuit-voting/

You might want to look into a prescription for glasses.

Keep trying though! Maybe one of these days you can be right.

[Gothmog]

63. Laypersons are so silly when they try to understand legal concepts

The lawsuit was filed by Marc Elias' firm on behalf of voters. Marc Elias is the attorney who is heading up the lawsuit. Here is the signature line from the petition http://kjzz.org/sites/default/files/Feldman%20v%20Secretary%20of%20State%20Complaint.pdf

/ Daniel C. Barr
Daniel C. Barr (# 010149)
Sarah R. Gonski (# 032567)
PERKINS COIE LLP
2901 North Central Avenue, Suite 2000
Phoenix, Arizona 85012-2788
Marc E. Elias (WDC# 442007)
(pro hac vice to be filed)
Bruce V. Spiva (WDC# 443754)
(pro hac vice to be filed)
Elisabeth C. Frost (WDC# 1007632)
(pro hac vice to be filed)
Amanda R. Callais (WDC# 1021944)
(pro hac vice to be filed)
Perkins Coie LLP
700 Thirteenth Street NW, Suite 600
Washington, D.C. 200

I have actually read the pleadings in both this lawsuit and the lawsuit filed by the lawyer from a 4th tier law school. More importantly, I understood what I read

[Uncle Joe]

44. The title of your OP is now incorrect per your WAPO link.

Democratic Party, Clinton and Sanders campaigns to sue Arizona over voting rights

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democratic-party-and-clinton-campaign-to-sue-arizona-over-voting-rights/2016/04/14/dadc4708-0188-11e6-b823-707c79ce3504_story.html

Thanks for the thread, reACTIONary.

[Gothmog]

47. Marc Elias is the head of the Clinton Victory Counsel program filed this lawsuit

Marc Elias is going to have fun in this lawsuit http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/voting-lines-arizona-spur-democratic-lawsuit

This is not, however, one of those instances in which people complain and move on to the next problem. The Washington Post reported yesterday on an important new lawsuit, filed by Hillary Clinton’s and Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaigns, targeting the state of Arizona over voters’ access.

The lawsuit, which will be filed on Friday, focuses on Maricopa County, the state’s most populous county, where voters faced the longest lines on March 22 during the Democratic and Republican primaries after the county cut the number of polling places by 85 percent since 2008.

Arizona’s “alarmingly inadequate number of voting centers resulted in severe, inexcusable burdens on voters county-wide, as well as the ultimate disenfranchisement of untold numbers of voters who were unable or unwilling to wait in intolerably long lines,” the lawsuit says.

The case, to be filed in federal court, also alleges that the system was “particularly burdensome” on minority communities, and as the Post added, Maricopa County’s black, Hispanic, and Native American communities “had fewer polling locations than white communities and in some cases no places to vote at all.”

The case is being brought specifically by Marc Elias, the Clinton’s campaign elections lawyer, but the litigation is being filed in conjunction with the Sanders campaign, the DNC, the DSCC, and Arizona Democratic Party, several local Arizona residents, and Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D), the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate running against John McCain.

If the courts are amenable, it’s likely Arizona’s plan for polling locations in the general election will need to first be approved by a judge before being implemented.

[Bubzer]

58. No. Marc Elias JOINED the EXISTING lawsuit. Nice try... except that it wsn't.

[Gothmog]

64. And yet the pleadings say that you are wrong

Thank you for the laughs. Read the pleadings or have someone read these pleadings and explain them to you. I have posted links to both lawsuits. One case is in state court and the lawsuit that the OP describes was filed in federal court and only lists one law firm which is Marc Elias' firm.

Again, read the pleadings

[Uncle Joe]

66. Do you have a link to the actual lawsuit? n/t

[Uncle Joe]

67. Never mind I just found it on the other thread. n/t

[Gothmog]

68. Elias filed a 50 page pleading and the tier four law school lawyer field a 7 page pleading

[Gothmog]

46. For this thread

[Gothmog]

49. Marc Elias is up to his fifth lawsuit this cycle suing to defend voting rights

Marc Elias is up to his fifth lawsuit trying to stop GOP voter suppression efforts https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democratic-party-and-clinton-campaign-to-sue-arizona-over-voting-rights/2016/04/14/dadc4708-0188-11e6-b823-707c79ce3504_story.html

The Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign will sue the state of Arizona over voter access to the polls after the state’s presidential primary last month left thousands of residents waiting as long as five hours to vote.

The lawsuit, which will be filed on Friday, focuses on Maricopa County, the state’s most populous county, where voters faced the longest lines three weeks ago during the Democratic and Republican primaries after the county cut the number of polling places by 85 percent since 2008.

Arizona’s “alarmingly inadequate number of voting centers resulted in severe, inexcusable burdens on voters county-wide, as well as the ultimate disenfranchisement of untold numbers of voters who were unable or unwilling to wait in intolerably long lines,” the lawsuit says.

The lack of voting places was “particularly burdensome” on Maricopa County’s black, Hispanic and Native American communities, which had fewer polling locations than white communities and in some cases no places to vote at all, the lawsuit alleges.

?uuid=5TUtLgJeEeaLsfEkpD-E3A

I love the fact that Marc is now suing five different states

For Democrats, there is more than the presidential race at stake. Republican Sen. John McCain is likely to face Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick, who has launched the most serious challenge to the longtime senator in years. The Kirkpatrick for Senate campaign will also be party to the lawsuit.

Arizona will be the fifth state that Elias is suing over voting issues following cases in Ohio, Virginia, Wisconsin and North Carolina.

[Doctor_J]

62. She was the last dem on board with gay marriage too

So? She is lucky that these bandwagons don't have a seating capacity.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

65. But not New York, go figure. nt

[Gothmog]

69. The State court lawsuit was tossed out today

The Elias federal case was not affected by this ruling

The court just threw out the lawsui filed in state court http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/04/26/judge-tosses-lawsuit-challenging-arizona-presidential-primary-results/83561630/

After two days of testimony, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge dismissed a lawsuit filed to invalidate the March Arizona presidential preference election.

The suit was filed against Secretary of State Michele Reagan and every Arizona county by attorney Michael Kielsky on behalf of a Tucson man named John Brakey, who says his occupation is "election integrity activist." In their pleadings, they alleged that voter-registration requests were mishandled and the number of polling places in Maricopa County was improperly cut.

Hearings Monday and Tuesday were to determine if there was legal cause to go forward with trial.

The state and the counties countered that the complaint was neither timely nor adequately prepared. And they questioned whether election law applied to presidential preference elections. Judge David Gass took the matter under advisement but allowed the evidentiary hearing to go forward.....

Brakey himself asked to testify as an expert witness in the case, but said under cross-examination that he had no formal computer or legal training and that he had not published peer-reviewed books or articles on the subject. He was denied the chance to testify as an expert.

"These are always emotional issues," Gass said. "Elections are human endeavors; they are never perfect."

"Otherwise, what we face is trying to undo an election," he said. Gass acknowledged that the number of polling places was inadequate — some voters stood in line for 5½ hours — but said that such issues should be worked out ahead of time.

After the hearing, Brakey said he did not intend to appeal the ruling.

It is never a good sign when your named plaintiff wants to testify as an expert witness when he is not an expert