"We regret that we have experienced intermittent technical difficulties..."
On Tuesday, the last day of voter registration in Colorado, the state elections website got four times its normal traffic, enough to swamp the servers and crash the page. Republican Secretary of State Scott Gessler says the site got 162,713 visits that day, with 36,206 people either registering to vote or updating their registrations.
What could have motivated so many Coloradans to become voters at the last minute? Gessler credits a campaign by the state to get more people to sign up. By why so many in the last few days, and especially on October 9? Consider this report, from the advocates of legalizing marijuana at NORML, dated October 9, the last day of registration:
The University of Denver has just released a new poll of likely Colorado voters and the results are encouraging for marijuana law reform advocates. With just under a month until election day, Colorado’s Amendment 64, which aims to regulate marijuana like alcohol, is still enjoying a ten point lead in the polls.
For the record, the new poll (pdf) shows Colorado's current referendum to legalize pot is up 50 percent to 40 percent, with 10 percent undecided. It was released on Sunday, which is about when folks in Colorado say the system for online voter registration started going fritzy from heavy traffic.
Any connection between the ballot issue for legalizing pot and the rush to register is, of course, purely speculative. Far more concrete is the news that Gessler expects results this week on his challenges to the registrations of 2,400 people. His last purge led to kicking 14 people off the rolls, after he challenged the voting rights of nearly 4,000 people.
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I hope I'm not number 1 on this comment, but here goes...whatever works. I am number 1 so now should I delete? Nah, go chickenhawks.
This girl getting shot because she wanted an education is a perfect example of what happens, when you allow religious extremists out of control. These narrow-minded men sit there in their delusional state thinking up all kinds of nonsense. Extreme Religious narrow-minded men do not even come close to dealing with the realities of what every day life is for people. They will sit there demanding people hold to their delusional standards even to the point of killing people in senseless attempts to prove their point. And it doesn’t matter what religion it is you still have these extreme religious narrow-minded men and even women that will demand certain things that do not fit into any normal scheme of reality. This is one of the reasons why I will stand against any church, religion, or person because of this. These people do not even deserve to be listened to and should be handled appropriately as they really are as extremists of hatred. God has given each of us freewill to make our own choices and decisions and as a Christian Jesus has provided those statements on what we all can learn from. Because when you do listen to these narrow-minded people what you do get is little children shot in the head plus the added misery, despair, violence, and death for people’s every day lives. And that is definitely not a way to live, especially for a civil society. For me seeing these things happen are just a reminder of what happens when you have these religious extremists want power and control over people. They pretend they want what is best for you or you might go to hell, but in reality they are making sure you live in hell and go to hell after your life’s end. If anything they are the worst sinners of all for what they have done and still look to do to people. Instead of love, peace, compassion, understanding, etc, they want death, hatred, violence, misery, and despair. For me I know them too well don’t let them do it to you.
This is Obamas hole card, his ace. If the base is not going to get the job done, all he has to do is re-schedule cannabis by Executive Order. Everyone, even complete haters, will acknowledge that cannabis should not be Schedule 1 with heroin. I expect this to be a second term item anyway, it will open up legit research as well.
And the crash of the system was just a coincidence, right? Right? Reassure me here, Scott.
/snark
It's called "Dangle the Doobie"
They'll come in, punch "I want mah weed" and walk out.
I doubt any of them will actually vote for a candidate.
What a waste.
Rachel this is unrelated but I wasn't sure where to post this. This article talks about Chinese workers replacing US workers losing their jobs. In Freeport, IL nearly 170 workers lost their jobs due to Bain's outsourcing to China.
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/october112012/romney-us-flag-tk.php
Of course this was talked about in the NYT but got little coverage after that.
http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/bain-never-left-romney/
It would be great if you could shed some light on this matter.
Thanks, Anthropologiest.
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Being in Ohio I heard about the worker having to show their Chinese counterparts how to operate the production machinery.
Then I heard how those same workers had to box up that production machinery for shipping to China.
Then those same workers are unemployed. Thats so wrong on so many levels.
That was well before the crash.
I believe this was covered on MSNBC, Rachael or Keith I believe.
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Isn't it time to warn us, prepare us, for a "stunning republican win" not because they got more votes but because -- take your pick -- voting machines errors, long lines, people did not know what day or where they could vote, the names on the ballot were mixed up, and any of a dozen ways voting has been manipulated this century. This is not a clean election any more. There are too many small and large dishonesties taking place already. How about checking who owns the voting machines in Ohio that magic place where elections are being decided. Or, and, almost certainly The House and The Senate are more important in the next four years than who is in the White House.
So basically you are saying if the Republicans win it must be illegal - which means this will be the third time that if a Republican gets elected, it was done by criminal activity. Two questions:
- Is this the way it will always be - Republian win, then its by fraud?
- If the Republicans have been doing this since 2000, how the hell did Obama win? I mean based on your comments of "voting machine errors, long lines, and dozens of other ways voting has been manipulated this century" you would think they would not let Obama win for sure.
Yeah, right, sure.
EXCEPT: there has been a record of well documented systematic republican voter suppression:
There are so many Republican gambits designed to make voting more difficult — specifically for Democrats, of course — that it can be hard to keep track of them all. So here’s a handy — and by no means comprehensive — guide to what’s happening in some of the key swing states.
Ohio
The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this month denied a bid by the state GOP to force Democratic secretary of state Jennifer Brunner to provide local election officials with lists of new voters whose registration information did not match that on other government documents. Voting-rights advocates had feared that making Brunner hand over the lists could lead to a slew of GOP challenges, forcing hundreds of thousands of voters to cast provisional ballots. Republican leader (and Ohioan) John Boehner — with helpfrom the White House — has asked the Department of Justice to step in, but few observers expect DOJ to take any action so close to the election.
New Mexico
The state GOP earlier this month held a press conference at which it released the names of 10 voters it said had voted fraudulently in a Democratic primary in June. After ACORN helped established that the voters, almost all Hispanic, were in fact legitimate, TPMmuckraker and others reported that GOP lawyer Pat Rogers apparently hired a private investigator, who intimidated some of the voters by going to their homes to question them about their voting status. Rogers, the P.I. and the state party are now being sued for voter intimidation by several voting-rights groups.
Indiana
The Lake County GOP sued to shut down early voting centers set up by the county election board in Democratic-leaning cities in the northern part of the county. A judge declined to shut down the sites, though an appeal isscheduled to be heard later this week. But in the meantime, early voting at the centers has been proceeding. In addition, the Republican secretary of state, Todd Rokita, has called on law enforcement to prosecute ACORN for submitting 1400 suspicious-looking voter-registration forms in the county.
Nevada
The chair of the state GOP wrote to Democratic Secretary of State Ross Miller, asking him to require newly registered voters to cast provisional ballots if they correct mismatches in their voter information at the polls. Miller responded with an interpretation of state law that rejected the GOP’s request.
Pennsylvania
The state GOP has filed a lawsuit designed to cast doubt on 140,000 voter-registration applications submitted by ACORN in four counties. Among other things, it would require the state to provide additional provisional ballots in the counties at issue. Democratic Secretary of State pedro Cortes has called the “frivolous”, saying it’s designed to undermine confidence in the system. The court has not yet ruled on the suit.
Montana
The state GOP announced earlier this month that it was formally challenging the eligibility of 6,000 people in Democratic-leaning counties, based in discrepancies in their addresses. After it emerged that among the challenged voters were a World War II veteran who had moved across town that year, and a member of the Army Reserve about to ship out to Kuwait, the move was condemned even by some prominent Republicans in the state. The challenge was withdrawn, and the man behind, it, Jacob Eaton, the party’s executive director, quit.
Florida
In early September, Secretary of State Kurt Browning, a Republican, instructed election officials to reject voter registration applications that do not pass a computer match test. Voter rights groups say the system can disqualify voters based on nothing more than a missing middle initial on their voter form, and that the late date of the order could cause additional confusion. They fear the move could disenfranchise tens of thousands of legitimate voters. And in a rare case of a Republican making voting easier, Governor Charlie Crist yesterday ordered extended hours for early voting centers, after long lines were reported in many parts of the state.
Wisconsin
Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen filed suit against the state’s election board, demanding that it confirm the eligibility of tens of thousands of new voters. In a recent interview with CNN, Van Hollen admitted that the GOP “may have asked lawyers in my office to file the lawsuit.” A county court threw the suit out, but Van Hollen soon announced the formation of a “voter fraud task force”, which would involve stationing 50 state prosecutors and other law-enforcement agents at the polls on election day, a move state Democrats have denounced as an effort to intimidate voters.
Colorado
A voting-rights group, filed a lawsuit against Republican Secretary of State Mike Coffman, alleging that over 35,000 voters were purged from the rolls illegally. The suit, which was heard in court today, claims that voters have been removed from the rolls based on a faulty system for identifying illegitimate voters, and within 90 days of the election — both of which violate the federal Voting Rights Act. Coffman, who is running for the U.S. Congress in this election,denies that any rules were broken.
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/10/republican_voter_suppression_a.php
(con't)
So if it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck it is a HUGE effort on behalf of the GOP to suppress votes, which is CHEATING. <QUACK>
And Obama won because HUGE numbers of young people, and people of color voted, the EXACT demographics that the GOP are trying to keep from voting. Obama's ground game was overwhelming, and the GOP underestimated him, which was their mistake.
So if the GOP were truly interested in everyone voting and a GOP person wins, fine. Fair is fair. But when you start suppressing the rights of young people, of black and latino people, it is cheating.
But a troll like you wouldn't see that.
Another great post. Thanks Donna.
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Don't Bogart the Joint, My Friend.
;)
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I really genuinely do hate to say this but why is this sounding like a Cheech & Chong Skit?
Personally I say good for the people of Colorado. I would offer the Netherlands as an example of a society not imploding or coming to a grinding halt because the population has the right to smoke marijuana or hash if they wish, and contrary to what I am sure is a popular belief in much of the US, Most of the Dutch actually Don't.
"Any connection between the ballot issue for legalizing pot and the rush to register is, of course, purely speculative."
Yeah, sure it is! Wink, wink! Guess I need to visit Colorado....
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Heres a thing.
I have slipped, bulging and partially ruptured disks, nerve stenosis in the vertebrates, and osteoarthritis of the back.*
I also have sugar problems.*
Small amounts of marijuana help reduce the pain, and or help me not care about the pain as much, and assist in controlling the sugar.
But my health care is through the VA and I don't want to know what would happen if I popped positive for marijuana.
So I'm condemned to use pharmaceuticals for pain management which isn't really all that healthy, and the sugar management drugs have been known to kill vital organs, and I can't even use weed, which is pretty benign, as an adjunct to the far more dangerous pharmaceuticals.
(insert primal scream of frustration)
* I had private insurance and it is somewhat disgusting the amount of time I lived in .... discomfort .... before the private doctors finally x-rayed, CTed and MRIed my back. Only thing I can figure is the private doctors thought I was making up a story about pain to try and get opiates or something out of them. Really "Doctor(s)", All you had to do was look.
The Sugar? How do they miss the sugar? That was incompetence.
But like I say, I'm now at the VA and getting better
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Should Colorado's Amendment 64 pass, our government best be careful...and finally recognize that these DEA raids on cultivation schools, private homes and medical dispensaries are no longer going to be tolerated by the American people. Too many politicians, like AG Melinda Haag in California, are making their careers on the backs of sick people for whom "marijuana" is medicine. Please be attentive to the upcoming US Appeals Court hearings beginning MONDAY, October 16th. Cannabis has the potential to launch a whole new field of cancer-fighting drugs. Educate yourselves, there is such potential in this humble plant...
An interesting subpoint there, of an online registration site being swamped and crashing. Surprised Republicans haven't conspiracy theoried it up.
Actually yesterday or Wednesday at this very site a log of folks blogged that it was a Republican conspiracy mean to somehow suppress only Democratic voters. Pretty funny nowadays that whenever there is a technical glitch ...be it a website or a single voting machine, one or both sides almost immediately jump to the conclusion that it was a planned criminal act.
Yeah, funny.
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/10/republican_voter_suppression_a.php
Considering the history of GOP voter suppression going on in swing states, it is better to make sure that no criminal activity is going on.