George Miller proposes bill to reduce wait to vote
By Josh Richman
Thursday, November 15th, 2012 at 9:49 am in George Miller, U.S. House.
Inspired by the plight of battleground-state voters who had to wait in lines for hours to cast their ballots, a Bay Area congressman today announced he’ll carry a bill requiring early voting and adequate poll machines and staffing.
The forthcoming Streamlining and Improving Methods at Polling Locations and Early (SIMPLE) Voting Act from Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, would require early voting in all states for federal elections, for a minimum of 15 days before Election Day. Currently, 15 states lack any form of early voting; those with early voting allow it for varying periods, and in some states such as Florida – where some of the nation’s longest lines occurred – the number of days was shortened in last week’s election.
Miller also intends to require that states ensure all voting precincts have adequate resources – meaning voting machines and poll workers – so that no voter must wait in line for more than one hour to vote. And states will have to develop contingency plans for resolving situations in which long lines develop anyway.
“The right to vote is among our nation’s most sacred rights, surely we can do a better job of ensuring that voters do not have to choose between meeting their daily responsibilities to their families or employers and exercising this solemn responsibility,” Miller said in a news release. “There are a number of well-documented impediments to voting that must be corrected. My bill is in no way intended to solve all of our voting problems but it does offer two simple and clear-cut solutions that experts agree will make voting easier and help to reduce inexcusably long wait times for people casting their ballots in person.”
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November 15th, 2012 at 11:22 am
GM’s next bill will require the states to count all ballots in a timely and honest manner. Failure to comply could result in Santa and the Easter bunny skipping those areas at holiday time.
November 15th, 2012 at 12:44 pm
Oh yeah! Georgie Porgie’s latest insanity will go over really big in the R controlled House, I’m sure.
I can hardly wait for him to introduce General Pelosi’s bill endorsing motherhood and the flag.
November 16th, 2012 at 7:30 am
I vote from my recliner, sign it & put a stamp on it. Why can’t the rest of the country figure it out?
November 16th, 2012 at 8:28 am
40 years and still pedaling horse crap.
This guy has been in office since I was born. It is not supoposed to be like this. Is they guy a supreme court justice? Will he serve for life?
This bill is a waste of time. Move along. Fiscal Cliff, Middle East, Beghazi, Unemployment bomb, the Debt, Entitlements, are a little more important than early voting. George needs to retire. If you retire from a job that does nothing and produces nothing is it still considered retirement?
November 16th, 2012 at 9:35 am
Article I, Sec. 4 of the US Constitution states: “The times, places and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by law make or alter such regulations, except as to the places of choosing Senators.”
The federal government has inserted itself into the electoral franchise through Sixteenth, Seventeenth, Nineteenth, Twenty Fourth, and Twenty Sixth Amendments.
The federal government has inserted itself into the administration of elections through the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (plus amendments), Motor Voter Act of 1993, and the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
The obvious legislative efforts to interfere with our citizen’s Constitutional rights to freely express themselves through the voting process merits federal attention. The disparate treatment of citizens between the states is an offensive display of partisan manipulation.
As to who should address this issue is another matter. That fact is, we are all witnesses to a national effort to suppress voter registration and voter participation in our various states. Addressing this fact should not be a partisan issue. Sadly, it appears to be just that.
November 16th, 2012 at 11:43 am
@5 Steve Weir
A huge Amen to Steve’s last two paragraphs. Hopefully, he and other election officials who have not been party to the shenanigans regarding voter ID, voter registration and early voting can help inform and mobilize the public on this.
The phrase “American exceptionalism” is often used in a jingoistic way. Nothing makes us truly exceptional more than our system of free and fair elections. Take away or devalue that for political gain, and we’re just a second-rate country.
November 16th, 2012 at 2:33 pm
@6 –
What John W. said.
November 16th, 2012 at 4:13 pm
RE#5&6
“free and fair elections”
Voter verification will help secure the integrity of our elections. You can call it suppression, but asking someone to prove that they are who they say they are is a far cry from true voter suppression.
The Federal Government does have the right to intervene in elections, but it has no business in the “get out the vote” campaign and requiring a state to hold early voting. If a citizen does not have the sense or want to actively participate in an election it is not the responsibility of the government to make them engage in the process. Its really not that hard to vote, and its not that hard to get an ID. Citizenship requires a little work.
November 16th, 2012 at 4:41 pm
@ 8
Yes, but the current regime wants to make it easier for some than others.
The less motivated you might call them.
November 16th, 2012 at 6:04 pm
Re: 8
Every study, including one conducted by Bush’s Justice Department, shows that voter impersonation at the voting place is virtually non-existent. Think it through, and you will realize that would be the stupidest, least effective, least efficient, riskiest way to organize voter fraud. California has a long list of different kinds of documents — from drivers licenses to utility bills that can be used to prove identification in certain situations where some proof might be needed.
The recently enacted voter ID laws require very specific forms of ID that are the most burdensome to obtain and excludes the forms of ID that a targeted voter group might actually already have (e.g., student ID or Social Security card). But, in Texas, got a gun permit? That’s okay to use as voter ID. Those laws are totally rigged to reduce voter participation by blacks, Latinos, students, and elderly city dwellers. A Republican legislative leader in Pennsylvania admitted as much and bragged about it. It’s wrong, wrong, wrong. People died in the 1960′s trying to fix this type of voter exclusion nonsense. Look up Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner.
As for early voting, I agree that uniformity among states may not be the right approach. However, there should be uniformity within states. In Ohio, they initially tried to keep early voting in Republican-leaning counties and reduce it in Democratic-leaning counties. Sound fair to you?
Then there’s Florida. The Governor reduced early voting days from 15 to 8, even though they had a 10-page ballot. On election day, people stood in line until 1:30 a.m. Wednesday morning to vote. The presidential election had been called before those people ever got to vote. Guess which precincts had the longest lines?
November 16th, 2012 at 6:10 pm
And not one word from George Miller about ensuring an honest election. I never thought I’d feel this way, but I am losing confidence in the integrity of our elections. ALL Americans should be in favor of measures to ensure that only eligible citizens vote, that eligible citizens are only able to vote once, and that valid ballots are counted fairly and accurately.
The vast majority of voting-process “improvements” that come out of the Democratic Party seem aimed primarily at circumventing the above, and making it easier to stuff the ballot box.