Subject: POLITICO: Clinton takes on Republican field in push for early-voting rights
From: Adrienne Watson <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 2015 11:01:16 -0400
List-Id: <ctrfriendsfamily.correctrecord.org>

*Friends and family – see highlighted paragraphs below for a summary of the
GOP’s abysmal record on voting rights.*

*POLITICO: Clinton takes on Republican field in push for early-voting
rights
<http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/hillary-clinton-early-voting-rights-gop-118636.html>*

By ANNIE KARNI

6/4/15 10:07 AM EDT

Hillary Clinton on Thursday is expected to call for expanded early voting
in every state, and attack some of her Republican opponents in the
presidential race, who as governors oversaw initiatives that reduced voting
flexibility.

The former secretary of state is expected to call for a new national
standard of at least 20 days of early in-person voting in every state, a
move she will argue reduces long lines at the polls and expands
participation.

It’s not clear if she will single out former Texas Gov. Rick Perry or
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker by name as she blasts those states for passing
legislation that reduces early voting.

But Clinton’s remarks are similar to her statements on equal pay earlier
this month in South Carolina, where she drew a contrast with past remarks
on the issue by Walker, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and Kentucky Sen. Rand
Paul. And her positioning is similar to how she took on immigration at a
roundtable discussion in Las Vegas last month, where she challenged
Republicans to attack her by moving beyond President Barack Obama on the
issue and telling the participants, “this is where I differ from everyone
on the Republican side.”

While her campaign maintains Clinton is squarely focused on the primary,
the speech in Dallas on Thursday will mark the third time Clinton has
embraced an issue that is a flashpoint between Democrats and the GOP.

Democrats, and particularly minority groups, are energized and angered by
what they see as a blatant Republican attempts to disenfranchise them.
Obama has claimed that the very right to vote is threatened today.
Democrats have hit the issue hard, not only on the merits but also because
it galvanizes the base and helps raise money.

On the GOP side, leaders argue restrictive voting laws they support are
necessary to maintain ballot box integrity. But many of those laws
disproportionately impact minority communities.

On Thursday, Clinton is expected to focus on Texas, where in 2011 Perry
signed voter ID laws that are considered the most stringent in the country
— student IDs are not accepted as valid identifications at the polls but a
concealed weapons permit is valid. Perry is launching his second bid for
president on Thursday as Clinton swings through his state.

Clinton will also set her sights on Walker, who in 2011 signed a voter ID
bill and whose state in 2014 passed a law eliminating early voting on the
weekends.

But many others in the Republican field could also prove strong targets for
Clinton on the issue.

In 2013, in the middle of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s reelection
campaign, he was accused of “catering to his national base” when he vetoed
a bill that would have allowed early voting at polling places.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed legislation that eliminated same-day
registration in his state, and cut down early voting.

Rubio in 2012 shrugged at the controversy over presenting a photo ID in
order to vote. “What’s the big deal? What is the big deal?” he said,
arguing that a photo ID is required to board a flight or even rent sports
equipment.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who joined the 2016 GOP field earlier
this week, backed a federal voter ID law in his state in 2011, which
requires voters to present a photo ID in order to vote at the polls. And he
praised the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision to strike down section 4 of the
Voting Rights Act.

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has said he is supportive of photo IDs at polls.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Paul set up a less clear-cut
contrast for Clinton on the issue. Santorum in 2012 supported voting rights
for felons, even surprising Mitt Romney by attacking him on the issue
during a debate in South Carolina. Sen. Rand Paul has also advocated for
restoring voting rights for non-violent felons, and said it’s up to each
state to institute its own voter ID laws.

Outside groups supporting Clinton see the overall contrast with the
Republican party as a strong play for the former secretary of state. As
senator, they note, Clinton introduced the Count Every Vote Act, which
would have made Election Day a national holiday and put in place early
voting, same-day registration, and instituted uniform standards for IDs
across the states.

“Nearly the entire Republican party has worked to restrict voting, from
Republicans like Scott Walker and Marco Rubio who supported limiting
opportunities for early and weekend voting, to Rick Perry who signed
legislation that disenfranchised up to 600,000 registered Texas voters,”
said Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the pro-Clinton group Correct the
Record. “Hillary Clinton her entire life has championed the right of
Americans to have a voice at the ballot box.”

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