HONEST ARKANSAS ELECTIONS THEN AND NOW

HONEST ARKANSAS ELECTIONS THEN AND NOW

“Governor George W. Donaghey gave out a statement yesterday endorsing the proposed constitutional amendment, including what is known as the “grandfather clause.”  The governor declared that from every viewpoint it is better to eliminate the Negro from politics.  He said the Negroes, as a whole, are prevented from voting now and that it would be better to do this legally than by intimidation.  Until this is done, he declared honest elections cannot be secured in Arkansas.”   Arkansas Democrat Gazette 7/4/12—Other Days—100 years ago July 4, 1912

100 years ago the Governor of Arkansas, a Democrat, declared if we wanted to have “honest elections” we needed to exclude Negroes (Republican voters) from politics.

“SB 2 is seen by most Arkansas as a  ‘common-sense solution’ to voter fraud.  Senate Bill 2 would go a long way toward protecting the integrity of the vote here in Arkansas.”  Stephen Meeks R-Greenbrier Arkansas Democrat Gazette 4/2/2013

“Voter impersonation is voter fraud, it’s been occurring in Arkansas for many years and, unfortunately it has been denied by a lot of people…we need to improve the integrity of our elections…the one thing that we should get down here for the people of Arkansas is a fair shake for elections, and I believe this bill will do it.  Sen. Bryan King R-Green Forest sponsor of SB2  photo ID voter law. Arkansas Democrat Gazette 3/28/2013

100 years later Republican Legislators Meeks and King, declared they had passed a law to improve the “integrity” of  Arkansas elections and provided a “common sense solution to voter fraud” by excluding voters who didn’t have a photo ID.

During the debate on the photo ID voter bill there was no evidence presented of a single incident where a voter had lied about their identity.

During the time George W Bush was president (remember he was the one who received fewer votes than his opponent, but was anointed President by a 5-4 Supreme Court decision that stopped the vote count in Florida) he had his Department of Justice spend 5 years of time and taxpayers money trying to find voter fraud and did not find or prosecute a single case.

If the Bush Justice Department in five years found no evidence of voter ID fraud, and if no evidence of voter ID fraud in Arkansas can be found, why did Republican lawmakers  waste their time and waste taxpayers money passing such law?

Is it just coincidental that 30 Republican-controlled state legislatures passed similar photo ID voter laws?  Or is it more believable these 30 Republican-controlled state legislatures passed similar photo ID voter laws believing those laws would reduce the number of  people who would vote for Democrats?

House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) boasted to the Pennsylvania Republican State Committee in June 2012 that the recently passed Pennsylvania photo ID voter law was passed to deliver the State of Pennsylvania to Mitt Romney and had nothing to do with voter fraud.   Seems Mr. Turzai believed the Republican photo ID voter law can keep enough Democrats from the polls, enabling Republicans to take the White House again with fewer votes just as Bush did in 2000.

Republicans promise smaller government.   Adding millions of dollars to the tax bills of your grandchildren in 30 states to establish a department of photo ID appears to be a breach of the smaller government promise.  Should Republicans who voted for creating this big government photo ID voter department be called RINO’S and more aptly described as big government tax and spend liberals?

Musings are prepared and published in the spirit that the wise don’t need advice, and the fools won’t follow it.

611 words 4/30/ 8am