Republican Miami Mayor Opposes Voter Purge, Says It Is ‘Scaring People’ Away From Voting

[kpete]

Source: Think Progress

Republican Miami Mayor Opposes Voter Purge, Says It Is ‘Scaring People’ Away From Voting
By Josh Israel on Jun 15, 2012 at 11:01 am


Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado (R) became the latest Florida Republican to buck Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) yesterday, attacking his error-riddled and likely illegal attempt to purge people his administration said were non-citizen voters from the voter rolls.

In an interview with NPR’s Michel Martin, Regaldo dismissed Scott’s notion that Florida is any kind of haven for wide-spread voter fraud:

REGALADO: I think that in Florida – and especially here in South Florida – we walk a very thin line in terms of communities. I mean, we are a real melting pot. And I think it’s not fair just to use one brush and paint everybody, because the perception that we’re getting throughout the country is that a bunch of Latino people just go out and vote right after getting off the plane or the raft when they come here. And that’s not the case. Problem are, the laws. I mean, you can go and get your voter ID with your driver’s license, and no questions asked. Well, the law has to be changed. But, you know, I doubt that we have a massive fraud going on here in Florida…

MARTIN: Have you expressed that to the governor, who shares your political party?

REGALADO: I have not spoken to the governor. And, you know, and I understand the governor is trying to cater to the conservatives, but that’s not the way to do it. I mean, I don’t see thousands of people not citizens voting here in South Florida. I mean, throughout the years, we have seen in the United States – remember Chicago many years ago – people that were dead voting and all that. But other than that, those are unique cases. I don’t think that there is, like, this massive fraud. What we should do is encourage people to register and vote if you are citizens, because the problem is that all these controversies about voters and investigators and Justice Department and police after the voters is scaring people to vote. The people are going to say, well, it’s too much trouble. So I might as well don’t even bother to vote. And that’s wrong because…

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/06/15/500242/republican-miami-mayor-opposes-voter-purge-says-it-is-scaring-people-away-from-voting/

[oldhippydude]

1. gee thats the idea

even if Snott is stopped.. theres still the feeling "awww, it's too much trouble"

[The Wielding Truth]

5. Exactly. Voting is a right. It should be very easy. In Some countries it is mandatory for all

citizens to vote.


[Over twenty countries have some form of compulsory voting which requires citizens to register to vote and to go to their polling place or vote on election day......
Compulsory voting in Australia was adopted in the state of Queensland in 1915 and subsequently adopted nationwide in 1924. With Australia's compulsory voting system comes additional flexibility for the voter - elections are held on Saturdays, absent voters can vote in any state polling place, and voters in remote areas can vote before an election (at pre-poll voting centers) or via mail.http://geography.about.com/od/politicalgeography/a/compulsoryvote.htm]

[Jamaal510]

16. Why can't our country have elections on Saturdays, too?

Americans always gotta do things the stupid way.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

2. ya think, Mayor Dipshit? It's supposed to scare away the "wrong" voters

namely people who will vote against High Royal Ass-ness, Dick Snott the First!

[Iliyah]

3. Its against the voter rights act

but we all know that zombie Scott don't care about acts, laws and rules. I believe the goppers know that Forida is leaning towards Pres O thats why Scott is doing that.

[klook]

14. They want the Voting Rights Act challenged and overturned

by the RW SCOTUS.

[bupkus]

4. This is the difference betwen the GOP and the Democratic Party

They just do whatever the hell they like, legal or not, while Democrats debate legality and whether or not they'll face criticism for actually doing something.

[oldhippydude]

6. it's not only Snott... the GOP is doing this in many states..

wherever the GOP has both the Governorship, and the legislature, (many states went red in 10).. they are pushing some sort of voter caging, this is legislation direct from ALEC.. the good news is that its being stopped by judicial action in a number of states, for the most part it wont be able to affect this election..

perhaps the DOJ can make a RICO case on ALEC for conspiracy to deny voting rights..

[Mika]

7. Regalado was involved in a vote buying scandal in Little Havana (Miami).

Miami has to be one of the biggest resident alien (of the ex-Cuban kind) voter fraud cities in the USA.
Regalado knows voter fraud - inside and out.


[hr]

| | | | |

[Judi Lynn]

11. All the corrupt crooked politicians who brought on the revolution in Cuba headed right to Miami.

They set up shop there, with the blessings, and financial support of the U.S. Government.

I've heard of Regalado for many years, his absolutely sliminess, corruption, and I don't live anywhere near Miami.

Stories about Miami's crookedness started getting known throughout the country long before the Cuban child Elian Gonzalez was discovered in an innertube in the ocean, after his mother and her felonious boyfriend, Lazaro Munero drowned as they tried to ferry people for money to Florida, in 1999.

[lunasun]

8. Scaring People’ Away From Voting

Duh
They know folks even with ID s for voting rights don't want to turn up for the circus at the polls if they are in the middle ring
Free embarrassment at the booth will keep legal voters away and GOP is the bully.

Not very American for what they promote.

But that is one issue in purging, they can not face these citizens some 3rd generation or older in FL as 'real' American with real voting rights IMO.
Plus they will vote for Obama.
Obama =No vote for you !

[Scurrilous]

9. K & R

[markmyword]

10. Is He a Republican?

Am I getting this right, a Republican that WANTS people to vote?

I think Scott's being successful, even if he doesn't purge the voter rolls, people won't bother to go to the polls and vote. It looks like too much trouble.

Can't see the Republicans letting their people stay at home on election day.

Holder START PROSECUTING ANY Governor or politician who tries to purge voters off the rolls.
The Constitution states that EVERY American citizen has the right to vote.

ENFORCE THE LAW!

[StateApparatus]

12. What's he worried about?

If you're a white Republican citizen, you've got nothing to be scared of.

[surrealAmerican]

13. Apart from being an abysmally poor speaker ...

... he just doesn't seem to see that discouraging voters is the whole point of this purge.

[Marksman_91]

15. You know you're doing a piss-poor job as a governor...

when even mayors of your own political party in your own state say they don't support your policies.

I hope Dick Snott serves jailtime when he leaves office, or sooner.

[hrmjustin]

17. The dems and media need to play this up more!!! n/t