Group with Clinton ties deceives NC voters

We have gotten used to voter suppression tactics being used by Republican campaigns to discourage election turnout, especially among minority and first time voters. In fact, the US Supreme Court recently gave it’s approval to the modern version of the poll tax, mandatory voter IDs. The biggest weapon that those who wish to stifle turnout has in its arsenal is confusion.

There have been many cases of Republicans attempting to prevent people from voting, be it by jamming telephone lines for groups providing rides to the polls, ID requirements, placing people in polling places to challenge voters‘ right to cast a ballot or by creating confusion about eligibility to vote or the registration system itself. These tactics are designed to lower turnout and prevent populist candidates from getting votes.

In North Carolina a group has been calling voters to let them know that the forms for them to register to vote have been mailed to them. This causes confusion as many of those receiving the all have already registered to vote. They may, thinking they are actually not registered, not turn out on election day. There are also some voters who may choose to not go to register to vote, thinking the forms are on their way, not knowing the deadline to register by mail is already passed.

These sorts of tactics are onerous, and in this case are likely illegal as the calls come from a blocked number and no indication is given during the call of its source. They are an attack on the democratic system itself, on our ability to choose our leaders. They are, simply put, wrong and undemocratic. They are exactly the sorts of tactics we’ve come to expect from the modern Republican Party, so well versed in the Karl Rove school of politics.

In North Carolina these calls are currently coming, not from a radical right wing group but from a group called Women’s Voices, Women Vote which officially is supposed to be an independent group working to increase the turnout of unmarried women. If only things were that simple. In fact the group has deep ties to the Clinton campaign.

The Executive Director of the group, Joe Goode, was a pollster for Bill Clinton during his ‘92 run. Board members are also heavy contributors to the Clinton campaign. The president and founder of the group is also a major Hillary donor.

This has all the markings of an arms length effort by the Hillary campaign to disenfranchise likely Obama voters in a state he needs to make a strong showing in. It’s beyond the pale. There is no room in the Democratic Party for anyone working against Democracy itself. Confusing voters by giving them the impression they are not allowed to cast a ballot is not a tactic we should allow anyone in the party to adopt. It’s time for Hillary to take a public stand against this group and to demand they stop their effort to undermine our political process.