Subprime crisis victims may not be able to vote : Homeless, voteless?
30 October 2008 à 11h52
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They lose their house, maybe they’ll lose their right to vote. Since US citizens need a formal address to be registered on voting lists, thousands of new homeless Americans may not be able to vote in the upcoming elections.
It is generally thought that the subprime crisis will have an impact on the outcome of the election. And many experts predict that given Obama’s perceived supremacy when it comes to economics the financial crisis will be favorable to the Democratic party. But the Republicans may use this situation in an unexpected way and win the “swing states”… thanks to the crisis.
Since the beginning of the subprime crisis, about two million American homeowners have already faced foreclosure. According to the federal authorities, 400,000 people are believed to be living on the streets, sleeping under bridges or in their cars.
And it’s not over: the banking and financial crisis is ongoing and even more families will lose their home over the next months. As a consequence, thousands, maybe millions of voters, are threatened by politicians, all Republicans, to be sued if their name turns up on the eviction lists. And phone calls, mails, home visitors that imply that your registration is not valid are being reported by American citizens.
These efforts to undermine the access to voting lists is usually legitimized by the fear of massive voting fraud. The fraud issue became a nationwide problem in 2000, when many cases were suspected. But, as a matter of fact, very few real infringements actually occur: each year, in the whole country, about 6 people are convicted for voting fraud.
Facing what they feel is a threat to democracy, non-profit associations and public administrations are helping the victims of the subprime crisis to see their way through the registration difficulties. Even if their houses are repossessed, they may be able to use their former address, as the California State website says.
These efforts to let citizens cast a ballot have been useful. The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now ("ACORN") says it has turned in more than 1.3 million new voter registrations nationwide this year. As Greg Palast, an investigative journalist, recalls, the widespread suppression efforts played an important part in the Florida debacle in the presidential elections of 2000, when George W. Bush won with a 537-vote margin.
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10432334/was_the_2004_election_stolen
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/getinvolved/projects/vote/index.html
http://www.nlihc.org/template/page.cfm?id=156
http://www.michigandaily.com/content/2008-09-30/voice-your-vote-barred-residence-halls
http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/176293
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_faq.htm
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/10/15/voter_suppression/index.html
http://libertesinternets.wordpress.com/2008/01/13/elections-usa-comment-faire-disparaitre-6-millions-delecteurs/
http://libertesinternets.wordpress.com/?s=Palast
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/m.s.-bellows/voting-experts-bobby-kenn_b_134920.html
It is generally thought that the subprime crisis will have an impact on the outcome of the election. And many experts predict that given Obama’s perceived supremacy when it comes to economics the financial crisis will be favorable to the Democratic party. But the Republicans may use this situation in an unexpected way and win the “swing states”… thanks to the crisis.
Millions concerned
Voting rules are different in each American state; but one main general rule implies that voters should be a resident of the county where they want to vote. As more and more people are being evicted from the house they can’t pay for, the number of “illegal voters” is inevitably soaring.Since the beginning of the subprime crisis, about two million American homeowners have already faced foreclosure. According to the federal authorities, 400,000 people are believed to be living on the streets, sleeping under bridges or in their cars.
And it’s not over: the banking and financial crisis is ongoing and even more families will lose their home over the next months. As a consequence, thousands, maybe millions of voters, are threatened by politicians, all Republicans, to be sued if their name turns up on the eviction lists. And phone calls, mails, home visitors that imply that your registration is not valid are being reported by American citizens.
Fraud fear
Why are Republicans so willing to strike off this enormous number of voters? Low income citizens, among them numerous Americans from ethnic minorities, are often believed to be prejudiced against conservative politicians, and that means against McCain. And according to some points of the McCain program -tax cuts promised to the richest households- and the fact that Obama promised strong measures in order to help the poorest families, this election runs true to type.These efforts to undermine the access to voting lists is usually legitimized by the fear of massive voting fraud. The fraud issue became a nationwide problem in 2000, when many cases were suspected. But, as a matter of fact, very few real infringements actually occur: each year, in the whole country, about 6 people are convicted for voting fraud.
Facing what they feel is a threat to democracy, non-profit associations and public administrations are helping the victims of the subprime crisis to see their way through the registration difficulties. Even if their houses are repossessed, they may be able to use their former address, as the California State website says.
1.3 million new voters
The National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) explains that homeless people, when designating their place of residence, may indicate “a street corner, a park, a shelter, or any other location where an individual stays at night”. And the mailing address, generally required, can be provided by “a local advocacy organization, shelter, outreach center, or anywhere else willing to accept mail on behalf of a person registering to vote”.These efforts to let citizens cast a ballot have been useful. The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now ("ACORN") says it has turned in more than 1.3 million new voter registrations nationwide this year. As Greg Palast, an investigative journalist, recalls, the widespread suppression efforts played an important part in the Florida debacle in the presidential elections of 2000, when George W. Bush won with a 537-vote margin.
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10432334/was_the_2004_election_stolen
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/getinvolved/projects/vote/index.html
http://www.nlihc.org/template/page.cfm?id=156
http://www.michigandaily.com/content/2008-09-30/voice-your-vote-barred-residence-halls
http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/176293
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_faq.htm
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/10/15/voter_suppression/index.html
http://libertesinternets.wordpress.com/2008/01/13/elections-usa-comment-faire-disparaitre-6-millions-delecteurs/
http://libertesinternets.wordpress.com/?s=Palast
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/m.s.-bellows/voting-experts-bobby-kenn_b_134920.html
