God gave the savior to the German people. We have faith, deep and unshakeable faith, that he was sent to us by God to save Germany.
               Hermann Goering, speaking of Hitler

Why is this man in the White House? The majority of Americans did not vote for him. Why is he there? And I tell you this morning that he's in the White House because God put him there for a time such as this:
Lt Gen William Boykin, speaking of G. W. Bush,
New York Times, 17 October 2003

 

    Bush Seeks to Limit Voting Rights Lawsuits
In election news, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that Bush administration lawyers are now attempting to overturn decades of legal precedence by claiming that only Attorney General John Ashcroft and not individual voters have a right to ask federal courts to enforce voting rights. In legal briefs filed in Ohio, Michigan and Florida, the Bush administration is arguing that the new Help America Vote Act stipulates that only the Justice Department, and not voters themselves, may sue to enforce the voting rights. Veteran voting rights lawyers say this would overturn decades of legal precedent and could greatly affect any legal challenge to Tuesday's election. According to the LA Times, since the civil rights era of the 1960s, individuals have gone to federal court to enforce their right to vote, often with the support of the NAACP, the AFL-CIO, the League of Women Voters. J. Gerald Hebert, a former chief of the Justice Department's voting-rights section, said he was dismayed that the government was seeking to weaken a measure designed to protect voters. Hebert, who worked in the voting-rights section from 1973 to 1994 told the Times, "This is the first time in history the Justice Department has gone to court to side against voters who are trying to enforce their right to vote. I think this law will mean very little if the rights of American voters have to depend on this Justice Department." Even the Supreme Court has backed the idea of private suits. In 1969, the justices issued a ruling in a case related to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that "the achievement of the act's laudable goal would be severely hampered ... if each citizen were required to depend solely on litigation instituted at the discretion of the attorney general."
                                  

1,000 Rally In Ohio Outside Sec. Of State Office
And protests have already begun over the election. In Ohio on Monday civil rights leader and Georgia Congressman John Lewis led a march of over 1,000 people to the office of Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell. Lewis said, "We will not and we cannot forget about what happened in Florida, and we're not going to let it happen here in Ohio." Concerns have been raised for months over how fair Blackwell Republican, will be on Election Day. Similar concerns have been raised about the Secretary of State in Florida, Glenda Hood. She was appointed by President Bush's brother Jeb last year and in 2000 she served as an elector for the Bush/Cheney ticket. The New York Times recently editorialized that she "cannot be trusted to run an impartial election."

Up to 58,000 Absentee Ballots Missing in Florida
In election news, as many as 58,000 absentee ballots have gone missing in the heavily Democratic Broward County in Florida. The ballots were said to have been mailed two weeks ago but many have disappeared. The county is blaming the postal service but the post office denied it is at fault. Now county officials are attempting to get ballots sent out in time to voters. In the 2000 presidential elections Al Gore won 67 percent of the vote in Broward County.

As a federal judge in Ohio temporarily blocks the GOP from challenging the voting rights of 35,000 people ahead of the election, we go to Ohio to speak with State Sen. Teresa Fedor, one of the lawmakers leading the calls for Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell to resign.

A federal judge in Ohio has temporarily blocked the Republican Party from challenging the voting rights of 35,000 people ahead of the election. Local election boards were preparing to hold hearings in the next few days to decide on the eligibility of the voters in question.
The Democratic Party hailed the decision. But Republican attorneys said the party will now be forced to challenge the voters on Election Day at the polls in order to prevent voting fraud.
Meanwhile, Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell has come under fire in recent weeks for his directives on provisional ballots in the state that many say would disenfranchise voters.
Several Ohio Democratic Senators are calling for the immediate resignation of Blackwell, stating in a letter

Anecdotal stories bring problems to light in a way that dry data simply can't.
The more information we can collect, the clearer our picture of the situation will be:
www.commoncause.org/voterstory

Jimmy Carter Warns About Election in Florida
In election news, former President Jimmy Carter is warning that voting arrangments in Florida do not meet "basic international requirements" and could undermine the presidential election. Carter, who has monitored elections around the world, accused Florida of not implementing the necessary changes following the 2000 election. He said, "It is unconscionable to perpetuate fraudulent or biased electoral practices in any nation." Carter noted that the state recently tried to disqualify 22,000 African Americas becaused they were allegedly felons. He added, "With reforms unlikely at this late stage of the election, perhaps the only recourse will be to focus maximum public scrutiny on the suspicious process in Florida."