The Virginian-Pilot
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Still upset that voters had to wait hours to cast ballots last fall, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner and three colleagues are again sponsoring legislation to prod states to speed up and update their voting systems.
The Virginia Democrat also was critical Thursday of state legislators in Richmond for their rejection of proposals that would have extended voting hours and legalized no-excuse absentee voting.
"The extremely long lines and wait times that many Virginia voters experienced at the polls last November were unacceptable," Warner said in a statement. "While I'm disappointed the Virginia General Assembly last week failed to act... that doesn't mean we should stop fighting for election reforms."
The proposed federal legislation would let states compete for federal grants to develop online or same-day voter registration, early voting, no-excuse absentee voting, assistance to non-English-speaking or visually impaired voters, and other efforts to reduce the wait time at polls. Many of the proposals are currently not allowed in Virginia, and would require the General Assembly's approval.
In addition to Warner, the self-titled Fair, Accurate, Secure and Timely (FAST) Voting Act is sponsored by three Democrats: Sens. Chris Coons of Delaware, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. A similar bill has been introduced in the House by Rep. Gerry Connolly, a Democrat who represents a Northern Virginia district.
Identical legislation was proposed in November in response to complaints in Virginia and several other states of hours-long waits at polling places. The 2012 bill, introduced just a month before adjournment, died before any action was taken.
Warner said in November that the long waits were a "21st century poll tax" on working people, not unlike the now-illegal special tax used decades ago in Virginia and other Southern states to discourage black voters.
He argued that the bill should be acceptable because it doesn't impose new mandates or require new resources for states to change their voting rules and operations.
"We should be looking for opportunities to improve voting access, and voters should not have to wait in line for hours to exercise this fundamental right," he said Thursday.
In Virginia, a legislative committee in Richmond last week rejected a proposal to extend Election Day voting by one hour, closing at 8 p.m. instead of 7 p.m. Lawmakers also turned down a proposal to allow anyone to vote absentee - or early - without giving an approved excuse.
The state senate passed a measure to allow anyone 65 or older to vote absentee but the bill is not expected to pass the House of Delegates, where a similar measure failed in a House committee.
Bill Bartel, 757-446-2398, bill.bartel@pilotonline.com
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Here is an idea ... Why
Here is an idea ... Why don't you get your colleagues together in the Senate and pass a budget? Why don't you get your colleagues together in the Senate and pass meaningful spending and tax reform? Why don't you get your colleagues together in the Senate and just do your job for which you were elected to do? Oh sorry … That’s crazy talk.
FLAK!
FLAK!
The most important right in the Constitution
The most important right in the Constitution is the right to vote. Thank God, Senator Warner is trying to defend that right. The Republicans are trying everything in their power to suppress it.
As a Conservative (not a republican)
I would suggest a compromise: Pass early no excuses needed, in person, voting for all virginia citizens. And, pass a voter ID as well. The voter ID would be free so as to not disenfranchise the electorate with low income and early voting would include everyone with proper ID. This compromise would require equal concession from both conservatives and liberals and should be considered fair as well as preserving our constitutional right to vote. The law would have to include provisions to insure our military members would have an guaranteed means of voting while deployed through an effective absentee system.
Restoration of rights
You can not buy a gun Chris33. Its the law, not the NRA.
@'Crazy talk'
Let's direct some of that pent up frustration (which we all have) @ our elected officials known as the House of Representatives aka CONGRESS !!!
I agree that Sen. Warner could be spending his time more wisely..but his statements make sense....
If voting is....
If voting is no longer done in person you open up our entire democratic process to fraud. Our election process is 1 person, 1 vote. You could never truly verify that online short of having every voter enter their social security number and I'm sure the democrats would scream discrimination over that. Every 4 years, election day should replace president's day as a national holiday. Everybody should have the day off to vote. Then we wouldn't have to worry about long lines and we could eliminate early voting entirely. I'm sure early voting costs states thousands of dollars to implement.
Oh please; don't make such
Oh please; don't make such ridiculous statements and expect to be taken seriously. Millions of voters, include most of our military members overseas, vote absentee with no problem whatsoever. Fact is, in many states now early and/or absentee voting is the norm. Even in Virginia, voters can vote absentee by providing a request and simply mailing it request to their voter register who will review the request and send a ballot to mark and mail back. So Senator Warner is absolutely correct that in this day and age, we ought to make voting convenient, safe, fast, and secure. And we can.
Ridiculous?
Are you actually claiming absentee voting for the military has no problems. Why don't you Google Virgina + Federal Voting Assistance Program + Military see just how well that went in Virginia 2012. See what the DOD IG and State Board of Elections had to say about it. Maybe Mark Warner can check into why his military constituents couldn't find voting officers at overseas installations, check on lack of voter registration assistance at overseas locations. Maybe he can fix absentee voting for the military first.
So your solution is not to
So your solution is not to create a better absentee voting system, but to require all voters to show up at their poll instead? That sounds a bit absurd on its face.
So your solution is not to
So your solution is not to create a better absentee voting system, but to require all voters to show up at their poll instead? That sounds a bit absurd on its face.
IF VOTING IS
Good idea except I would alternate swapping out MLK and Columbus Day.
Swapping out MLK Day, now
Swapping out MLK Day, now the true racism rears its ugly head.
MLK Worship
The man you worship would despise your political ideals, methods, and policies.
If he was still around today he would denounce and be ashamed of the Race Baiters like Sharpton and Jackson and would be proud of the true statesmen like Clarence Thomas.
Must hate Spaniards too
-
i totally agree with sen warner
Let me also say, this session of our GA has become a joke, and the biggest joke is Sen, John Watkins, but I don't want to change the subject.
The voter rights bill didn't even get out of comittee. In other words, that refused to even talk about it. They didn't even want to make it easier on the elderly to vote. They tried to block blacks and hispanics from voting, which didn't work, so now they will try to keep the elderly from the polls, and that won't wrok either.
Our current GOPT don't remember that Virginia has voted for a Democrat president in the past 2 elections....they need to get the message.
It's going to take fedral legislation to stop the insanity of making it hard for people to cast their vote.
Vote the GOPT OUT!
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH SENATOR WARNER
Gerta, your usually right on point but how did anyone try to block hispanics and blacks from voting. I work with a lot of both and we all voted and none of us had any problems registering to vote or actually casting our vote other than standing in line with other voters.
But...
But... their latest Gerrymandering shenanigan DOES 'try to block hispanics and blacks from voting', even MORE than before.
It was already stacked in their favor & they're STILL losing votes!
The Republicans are so desperate, at this point, that they'll try ANYTHING to push their extremist agenda past a true, fair majority!
Without getting in to the
Without getting in to the pros and cons of the gerrymandering process itself, can you explain to me how that process can block Hispanics and blacks from voting? It's purpose may well be to make those votes ineffective, but I don't understand how it could block them from voting.
An uninformed voter is a
An uninformed voter is a wasted vote
Vote with your heads, but with the educational level of people in this country-you get what you get
You make it sound as if when
You make it sound as if when you turn 65 years old you automatically become decrepit. My mother is 82 and had no problems voting.
"decrepit"
Nice try at twisting my words. I didn't have any problem voting either, but there were many elderly in line for hours that should not have to have been there for hours. Try thinking of othrs some time.
Let's face it, the
Let's face it, the Republicans are desperate and they will do anything to curtail voting.
Can Republicans win fair
Can Republicans win fair elections? NO!!
same argument just different people ranting
How many precincts had long waits? A dozen, twenty, maybe thirty?
How many precincts are in Virginia? several thousand
Remember all the rants about "voter fraud" being very low "if at all"????
The problem is not needing early voting but getting the local voter registrars to have sufficient material and people at precincts that have had long waits.
Keep it simple. Make it fun.
It fools Ds & Rs--stirs 'em delirious...
It'd be funny--if they weren't so serious.
Ironic "poll tax"argument, since most voting issues
were in heavy suburban i.e. white districts in NOVA, Virginia Beach, Henrico(Richmond), and Chesapeake, and not the urban majority minority voting districts.....Warner is just like another Dem playing the race card to deflect the real issues facing this country....
clueless
16 Trillion in debt and counting and instead of passing a budget Warner wants to hand out "free" Federal grants. He should be fired at the next opportunity.
typical democrat
Congresses has passed a budget the last three years. Senator, it's time, pass a budget.
There is much needed change
The rights of citizens to cast their votes should be not controlled by committees. Blocking proposed bills from coming up for vote without explanation should not be allowed. Elected official are put in office to do the will of the people. They are not in office to rule the people. Holding representatives accountable on how they vote is imperative. I believe that if a committee decides to block legislation the names of those involved needs to be published with explanations of their actions. That same information should be published for bills that have been passed. Public officials and the business they conduct should be available for scrutiny. They are employees and are accountable to the people who pay their salaries.
How did they do it?
How did our grandparents and great grandparents manage to vote back in the day of time-consuming hand-marked paper ballots?
How did they manage to get to the polls without invoking all the whining, excuses, and accommodations?
How did our democracy survive?
EVEY FOUR YEARS THERE'S A SUPPOSED CRISIS
Ideas to ponder: 1. Allow early voting in person. 2. Increase the number of reasons for absentee voting. 3. Increase the number of pollbook officers for voter check in during a Presidential election. 4. Decrease the voter registration deadline before an election from 29 days to 14 days.
Increasing the number of reasons for absentee voting will allow many Virginians to vote absentee in turn decreasing lines at polls. If voting is a "right" as described by some then voters should make every initiative to show up and express that "right." If they can't then mark the reason you can't show up and mail in your request for a ballot. Increasing early voting in person will increase turnout and the number of voters physically showing up.
committee rules
Since the house of delegates is GOP controlled, they select how many of who sits on what committee. Obviously, all are GOP controlled. If the GOP doesn't want a bill passed, no matter how beneficial to the populace, it will NEVER make it out of committee.
FLIP SIDE
If the house of delegates was DEM controlled, they would select how many of who sits on what committee. Obviously, all would be dem controlled. If the DEMs didn't want a bill passed, no matter how beneficial to the populace, it would NEVER make it out of committee.
Solution?
As was said, make all committees publish the reason and rationale behind all "tabling" of bills. Perhaps if the constituents were more aware of the action, it might make the legislators stop and think.
Paraphrasing something I heard from a high administration flack:
"When you win the election, you get to make the rules."
Cuts both ways.
That's a laugh riot
In Virginia there is an all-out assault on the voter, period. When the popular vote doesn't produce the results elected officials like, they set out unflinchingly to undermine democracy itself. Case on point: the recently enacted (but not yet signed into law) redistricting plans in Virginia. Not only did the Republicans in the legislature demonstrate a remarkable lack of integrity in its determination to thwart the will of the people, but here's how it would have altered the last election if such changes had been in place in the other states during this past election:
http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/electoral-votes-by-cd-map-4_1.png
Any questions?
STUCK IN TRAFFIC FOR TWO HOURS? MUST BE JIM CROW!
"The extremely long lines and wait times that many Virginia voters experienced at the polls last November were unacceptable,"Warner said in Nov. that the long waits were a "21st century poll tax" on working people,not unlike the now-illegal special tax used decades ago in Va. and other Southern states to discourage black voters.-VP Article.WOW! Waiting in line is akin to a poll tax?What self absorbed narcissist individuals we have become,or maybe just some of us.How is waiting in line comparable to the Jim Crow era?Have we become so self centered and impatient that we cannot wait in line for anything? This bill is designed for the low information sporadically engaged voter who can't be bothered with waiting in line to express their "right."
higher turnouts benefit
higher turnouts benefit democrats therefore republicans do everything in their power to lower the number of votes cast. It is just that simple. Everything else is flack and propaganda. In Va, the Dominionnists are in control and they are doing everything in thier power to make sure they remain in control despite the will of the people.
This is reality folks. Virginia is turning into a theocracy. You all better hope that you're just the right brand of "christian" when the purges come down.