Domenici (R-NM) introduces legislation to amend Help America Vote Act

I had posted this in the Florida front page story, but I think it's important enough to warrant a diary.

Last week I posted in an open thread about an attempt to sue my county clerk to demand her to require newly registered voters to show id at the polls.

The case was dismissed due to the fact that the New Mexico Supreme Court will be hearing a similar case today (never mind that the Repugs already knew this when the filed the case, but they hadn't expected local opposition).

This is all part of an effort to make it more difficult for newly registered voters in NM to vote.

Now Sen. Domenici (R-NM) wants to do to the nation what they've been trying to do in New Mexico:

Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., has introduced federal legislation that would require more first-time voters, nationwide, to show identification before voting this year-- unless they registered in person with a government employee.
    His amendment to the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002 would take effect immediately and retroactively cover all people who registered since that provision of HAVA took effect in Jan. 1, 2003, Domenici spokesman Chris Gallegos said.

This would affect a a truly huge number of voters.

"It's tough to get it passed in time for this election," Domenici said Tuesday. "But I'm going to try my best-- very, very hard."

Right, Pete! If you are in New Mexico, let Domenici have a piece of your mind. Or even if you aren't in NM (but I think it has more effect if his constituents call).

If Domenici's amendment were to pass, it would cause massive chaos country wide. You can bet your bottom dollar that this wouldn't be happening if most of those new voters were Republican. Folks, they are scared of those huge numbers of the newly registered and how they will vote (and rightly so).

As a end note, a bunch of us troublemakers in Socorro, NM got together and wrote an editorial to the local paper about the attempts in New Mexico to keep new voters from voting (it's the second letter down called "Voting is a right"; they stick all the opeds on the same web page).

•  GO SOCORRO!

  Also...

  Pardon my language, but Domenici is a gaping asshole.

  And this legislation is shameless and evil.  I cannot imagine the number of voters it would affect.  I'll bet they'd adore that in Florida on Nov. 2, wouldn't they?

  I'll figure out what to say to him, then I'll let him know.  

  That's truly heinous.  And what Republican legislator wouldn't vote for it?  Seeing that they have a majority, we'd be fucked.

  by Plutonium Page on Mon Sep 27, 2004 at 01:57:24 PM PDT

  •  You said it

    Page, I couldn't agree more. The amount of chaos this would cause for county clerks nationwide is truly stunning.

    While I've never voted for Domenici, he's been a popular senator for the state. But after the horrible pork-ridden energy bill he introduced earlier in the year, and now this, I have no respect for the man. The behavior of all Republicans since Bush has been in power has gone downhill. Even some that used to be reasonably moderate, are now acting like right-wing thugs.

    by lanshark on Mon Sep 27, 2004 at 02:05:32 PM PDT

    •  Domenici

      is now so revered by New Mexico Republicans that my dad sarcastically calls him "Saint Pete".

      I met Saint Pete when I was a senior in high school.  I was at a science nerd thing in D.C., and each of us nerds got to meet our senators.

      I had an appointment with Domenici on my way to the airport, and he actually let me put my huge suitcase in the closet in his office.  He was really nice, and talked to me for a long time.

      But now, well, things are different.

      by Plutonium Page on Mon Sep 27, 2004 at 02:15:20 PM PDT

      •  Vision Thing

        What You Saw: He was really nice, and talked to me for a long time.

        What He Saw: Voting constituent.

        ;)

        by Bob in Atlanta on Mon Sep 27, 2004 at 02:31:50 PM PDT

        •  LOL!

          I was 16.  Can't vote in NM 'til you're 18... and I told him my parents were Democrats who'd met at Berkeley in 1965.

          by Plutonium Page on Mon Sep 27, 2004 at 02:49:03 PM PDT

•  Phooey on Domenici.

  I was on a plane from Albuquerque to Dallas/Ft. Worth in May, and Domenici was on it. So was Heather Wilson. Domenici seemed to be a self-important guy who loves to be at the center of attention; in the waiting area by the gate he could not stop telling boring anecdotes. It was scary that he referred to Bill Frist as "our leader".

  Oh yeah, and Heather Wilson struck me as the most Republican woman I ever saw. And probably closeted. She probably liked Janet Jackson a little too much for comfort.. but I digress.

  Anyway, this is clearly ridiculous, especially this late in the game.
  

  by Frank on Mon Sep 27, 2004 at 02:01:58 PM PDT

•  So this is merely the latest...

  in a long string of diaries that have me hopping mad  at all the Republican efforts to suppress, intimidate, or otherwise screw around with the (Democratic) vote this election.  I'm afraid that it's only going to get worse in the next few weeks.

  by handful of sky on Mon Sep 27, 2004 at 02:49:43 PM PDT

  •  What makes this one so bad...

    is that it would affect the entire country, if he manages to pass this. And he wants it to apply to voters going back to Jan. 1st 2003 (which doesn't make any sense to me since many of those folks have since already voted in local elections, primaries, etc. so they aren't technically new voters).

    Can you imagine if county clerks across the country now have to identify new voters on their rolls? I'm betting for many so close to the election it would be impossible.

    You've got to admire them for trying, I suppose. They don't just try one thing, they try hundreds of things, and somewhere they are going to succeed.

    by lanshark on Mon Sep 27, 2004 at 06:23:10 PM PDT

•  Unbelievable

  Having originally hailed from New Mexico, I unfortunately do not find this at all surprising.  I have, however, written my Senator, Ted Kennedy, the following note:

  Senator:

  I read this morning, with some alarm, that Senator Pete Domenici of New Mexico has introduced legislation in the Senate to amend the "Help America Vote" act so that all voters would be required to show identification at the polls.  I doubt that I need to inform you or anyone on your staff of the potential havoc such legislation would cause.  It is my own personal opinion that this attempt reflects alarm on the part of the Republican Party at the huge voter registration gains that have been made by
  Democrats in the run-up to the upcoming general election.

  I would strongly urge you, if you should be amenable, to resist this effort with every effort necessary, as the attempt it is to disenfranchise voters.  I would hope you consider this legislation worthy of a fillibuster if it should appear to garner the necessary votes for passage.

  Thank you so much for your tireless efforts on behalf of the common people of the Commonwealth, and the nation.

  by tamaracs on Tue Sep 28, 2004 at 06:07:05 AM PDT

  •  Thank you!

    I really appreciate that you took time to write your senator.

    by lanshark on Wed Sep 29, 2004 at 04:43:32 PM PDT