In early May without much national attention, Iowa signed into law a measure that overhauls their state election laws. Republicans claim the changes will prevent (non-existent) voter fraud while Democrats argue it will suppress votes. It is the classic and repeated Republican playbook for voter suppression based on the repeatedly disproven, yet believed, lie that there is a voter fraud issue in the U.S.
Dictators stay in power by not allowing a vote for their position at all or staging an "election" that is controlled in a manner that pre-determines the results. In the United States, something so brazen seems unimaginable. Wake up. We need to view the executive order to eliminate non-existent voter fraud as directly from a dictator playbook, supported not just by Trump, but by a Republican Party determined to hold onto power at all costs.
Recently, Smart Dissent discussed the unacceptable actions of Attorney General Jeff Sessions directing federal prosecutors to crack down on illegal immigrants and “use every tool” they have to go after violent criminals and drug traffickers.
In another shining example of incompetence, Sessions doesn't have a single U.S. attorney in place.
Last week, cities and counties listed in a 2016 report for not complying fully with federal immigration authorities were issued letters by the Department of Justice to get in line or lose funding. This followed up an executive order in January promising significantly further action.
The recipients of the letters were warned that as a condition of receiving 2016 grants, they must certify by June 30 that they were in compliance with the law.
A federal court in Texas has again ruled the state’s 2011 voter identification law intentionally discriminated against minorities.
Judge Nelva Ramos Gonzales ruled that the law “was passed, at least in part, with a discriminatory intent in violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”
Texas claimed the law was necessary to combat in-person voter fraud, however Judge Ramos reminded the State what ought to be well known by now - there is no evidence of such fraud.