Texas AG Abbott Settles Vote Suppression Case

[sonias]

May 28, 2008
Contact: Matt Angle
On the web at www.LoneStarProject.net

BREAKING NEWS: Texas AG Abbott Settles Vote Suppression Case
Terms favor Plaintiffs

Events unfolded in dramatic fashion today in Marshall, TX. As the case was set to go to trial, the Plaintiffs, including the Texas Democratic Party and Democratic activists, were approached by lawyers for the State of Texas offering a settlement agreement. After negotiations, a settlement was reached that included the following terms:

* The Texas Attorney General has agreed to rewrite prosecution guidelines to reflect that voters who merely possess the ballot of another voter with that voter's consent will not be investigated or prosecuted unless there's evidence of actual fraud. Prosecutions will be limited to cases exists such as when a person illegally votes a ballot for another person or causes a person to vote for a different candidate than they wish.

* By agreeing to this settlement, the Texas Attorney General has essentially acknowledged that those who have been prosecuted to date for hypertechnical violations of failing to sign a mail ballot envelope did not commit any fraud, as he has falsely claimed for years.

* The Attorney General's filings in the case also revealed that two of the plaintiffs, Gloria Meeks and Rebecca Minneweather, were no longer under investigation, a point the Attorney General had failed to tell these voters.

* The Attorney General also agreed that the Secretary of State would change instructions to voters who vote by mail in 2008. The Secretary of State had already made changes to the ballot envelope and instructions to voters, acknowledging that such changes were made as a result of the lawsuit. The Attorney General and Secretary of State also agreed to consider additional revisions to voter instruction language that make it clear to voters, and those who assist them, the proper procedures for voting by mail. The Plaintiff will also help the Secretary of State's office create training materials and guidelines so those who help their neighbors vote will do so in accordance with the law.

* Plaintiffs agreed to drop all pending claims except for the pending challenge to the State's restriction on a person's acting as a witness on only one mail ballot application.”

Quotes From Lone Star Project Director Matt Angle
* “Voter suppression and intimidation are tools in the Republican political arsenal. Greg Abbott used them enthusiastically in prosecuting these citizens. Citizens fought back, and by agreeing to change his prosecution policies, Greg Abbott has acknowledged that he was wrong. Like any typical bully, he backed down."

* "This is an important victory. Texans can now assist elderly or disabled neighbors participate in elections without fear of improper prosecution."

* "By agreeing to this settlement, Greg Abbott is acknowledging that his office was engaging in improper prosecutions. He felt the political heat from citizens willing to fight back."

* "It is not surprising that Greg Abbott would attempt to spin this as a victory for his office. But the fact remains that he changed his prosecution policy because he knew that his office was racially selectively prosecuting minority activists and Democrats for hypertechnical violations of the law."

:woohoo:

:dem:

Sonia

[sonias]

1. The Texas Observer recap story

The Texas Observer
Vote by Mail, Go to Jail
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott prosecutes Democrats who help seniors vote by mail while ignoring Republican ballot-box stuffing.

Steven Rosenfeld | April 18, 2008 | Features

Willie Ray was a 69-year-old African-American city council member from Texarkana who wanted her granddaughter, Jamillah Johnson, to learn about civil rights and voting during the 2004 presidential election. The pair helped homebound senior citizens get absentee ballots and, once they were filled out, put them in the mail.

Fort Worth’s Gloria Meeks, 69, was a church-going community activist who proudly ran a phone bank and helped homebound elderly people like Parthenia McDonald, 79, vote by mail. McDonald, whose mailbox was two blocks away from her home (she recently died), called Meeks “an angel” for helping her, a friend of both women said.

And until he recently moved out of state, Walter Hinojosa, a retired school teacher and labor organizer from Austin, was another Democratic Party volunteer who helped elderly and disabled people vote by getting them absentee ballots and mailing them.

:kick:

Sonia

[hobbit709]

2. Lock Abbott up

Voter intimidation is a good place to start with the charges. After all, that statement is a confession.

[sonias]

4. Boy you are on a roll today

Have you been watching a lot of "Law and Order" lately? :shrug:

I like your thinking. Maybe we should try and convict him of VRA violations. :evilgrin:

Sonia

[hobbit709]

8. No, I've been hurting lately and it makes me vicious on repukes.

Lately I've been leaning towards Get a rope, find the nearest lamppost and leave them dangling as an object lesson.

[tbyg52]

5. I hear that. Sheesh - only in America

can you come right out and confess crimes and nothing happens. Well, maybe in Russia.....

[tbyg52]

3. Abbott accidentally speaks the truth:

This didn’t stop Greg Abbott from congratulating himself for his sly and slick maneuvering against these Democratic activists. From his website:

“Election fraud is a serious crime that undermines our democratic system of government,” said Attorney General Greg Abbott. “After more than a year and a half of pre-trial maneuvering and discovery, the plaintiffs discovered that their claims were without basis in fact or law. Today’s dismissal marks an important victory for the integrity of the electoral process”.

Emphasis mine.

Hey, Greg, what'cha doing prosecuting anything if you don't know the difference between election fraud and voter fraud?

More:http://halfempth.blogspot.com/2008/05/texas-attorney-general-agrees-to-end.html

[cosmik debris]

6. You probably saw this coming

http://www.lonestarproject.net/

The Lone Star Project can't do this without help.

And by help, I mean $money$.

While we are all concentrating on giving to our candidate of choice, we can't forget the people in the trenches fighting year around for our rights as Texans.

Toss 'em some cash, Please.

[sonias]

7. They do good work

Let me provide the http://www.lonestarproject.net/contribute.html">direct contribution link.
They take all credit cards and PayPal too!

:yourock:


Sonia