Wednesday, August 29, 2012 8:10:52 PM
Alan Clemmons, South Carolina Rep, Admits 'Poorly Considered' Reply To Racist Email On Voter ID Law
The South Carolina statehouse. Clemmons is a South Carolina state representative.
By Luke Johnson
Posted: 08/29/2012 12:24 pm Updated: 08/29/2012 12:32 pm
WASHINGTON -- The principal sponsor for South Carolina's voter ID law expressed regret on Tuesday in federal court that he thanked a supporter for a racist email about the state's ID law.
Garrard Beeney, an attorney representing civil rights groups including the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the ACLU, read Alan Clemmons, a South Carolina state representative who authored the state's voter ID law, an email sent from a supporter regarding the law in federal court on Tuesday [ http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/08/28/163886/sc-lawmaker-admits-positive-response.html ]. Clemmons acknowledged his somewhat positive response to what he called an email that "certainly" included "a shade of racism."
The email sent to Clemmons said, "I don't buy that garbage that if a poor black person or an elderly one, that these people won't be able to get one. You listen to that big racist (Jim) Clyburn and Harpootlian talk and they make it sound like these people are too stupid to get one." It was sent by Ed Koziol and referring to African-American Rep. James Clyburn and the Democratic Party Chariman for South Carolina, Dick Harpootlian.
The email continued, saying that all the state legislature would have to do is give "a hundred dollar bill away if you came down with a voter ID card, and you would see how fast they got voter ID cards with their picture."
"It would be like a swarm of bees going after a watermelon," read the email.
In response to the email, Clemmons acknowledged that he wrote, "Amen, Ed. Thank you for your support of voter ID." Clemmons said his words were a "poorly considered response," written from an iPhone. When asked if he should have considered getting into a debate over the "swarm of bees" comment, Clemmons said, "I didn't think it was the time nor the place" to do so.
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the ACLU are joining the U.S. Justice Department to challenge the legality of South Carolina's 2011 voter ID law, which requires voters to show one of five forms of ID and which some believe is targeted at African-American and minority voters. The law is currently under examination in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, which will determine if it violates the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
During the cross-examination on Tuesday, Beeney read several of Clemmons' email exchanges. In a response to a Tea Party leader's email, Clemmons allegedly wrote, "We thought we saw a great deal of bused liberals and fraudulent early votes in the 2008 election."
Clemmons said he has "no objection" to anyone riding a bus to the polls, but rather was against "homogeneous groups that all decide that they are going to vote with an excuse that they can't be there on election day."
Clemmons later admitted he had no proof of anyone riding a bus to the polls and or casting ballots fraudulently.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) signed the voter ID law, requires voters to show a driver's license, passport, military ID, DMV-issued photo ID, or photo ID issued by the local board of elections. Under the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the Justice Department reviews election laws in states with a history of racism. South Carolina voters without ID are 20 percent more likely to be black, and one-third of registered minority voters do not have a driver's license, according to the DOJ [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/27/south-carolina-voter-id_n_1831130.html ].
Paul Clement, former President George W. Bush's solicitor general who is defending the law, maintains [ http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20120827/PC16/120829334/sc-voter-id-law-gets-test-in-federal-court&source=RSS ] that it doesn't place a burden on minority voters. Gov. Nikki Haley (R) has dismissed concerns that voters without ID will be harmed. “Find me those people that think that this is invading their rights,” she said [ http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2011/07/15/270819/nikki-haley-drive-dmv/ ] in November 2011, “and I will go take them to the DMV myself and help them get that picture ID.” Haley assailed President Barack Obama for the DOJ decision in her convention speech Wednesday night [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/28/nikki-haley-republican-convention-speech_n_1830030.html ].
Beeney later asked Clemmons if he remembered handing out a bag of peanuts with a card attached that read, "Stop Obama’s nutty agenda and support voter ID." Clemmons said he didn't recall the event, but Beeney read a June deposition in which he did.
Beeney also read a tweet Clemmons sent after the U.S. Justice Department denied preclearance to the voter ID law that read, "Are you surprised Obama justice/Eric Holder/Jesse Jackson ignore U.S. Supreme Court in killing voter ID." Clemmons eventually admitted that he doubted Jackson had any role in the denial of preclearance.
Clemmons said the notion that the purpose of the law was to make it more difficult for African Americans and Democrats to vote was "offensive."
Another witness, South Carolina Election Commission Executive Director Marci Andino, admitted that the voter ID law could not prevent voter fraud, and that she had never seen a case of credible in-person fraud.
She also said that it was "possible" that every voter would have a "reasonable impediment" -- an exception built into the law -- to vote without an ID, since if the law is implemented there will be such a short time to acquire IDs before Election Day.
Copyright © 2012 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/29/alan-clemmons-voter-id-law_n_1839375.html [with comments]
===
South Carolina Voter ID Trial: State Sen. Admits Law Couldn't Address His Examples Of Voter Fraud
South Carolina State Senator Chip Campsen.
(AP photo)
By SUZANNE GAMBOA 08/27/12 03:46 PM ET
WASHINGTON -- The federal trial over South Carolina's voter identification law got under way Monday with a state senator insisting his work on the law was aimed at fighting fraud and instilling public confidence in the election system.
During morning testimony, state Sen. George "Chip" Campsen III cited examples of fraud that he took into consideration while drafting early versions of South Carolina's law. These included vote buying, voter rolls indicating a woman who showed up at the polls had already voted, and press reports of voters being registered in both South Carolina and North Carolina.
But under questioning from Justice Department attorney Anna Baldwin, Campsen, a Republican, said the examples he gave did not involve the type of fraud that requiring photo identification would address.
"None of the examples you gave in your testimony involved incidents of impersonation?" Baldwin asked.
"Correct," Campsen answered. He also said he could not find cases of voter impersonation in South Carolina, but added that the state lacks the tools to root them out.
The Justice Department rejected South Carolina's law, passed last year, which requires specific photo identification be shown in order to vote. The department decided the law violates Section 5 of the federal Voting Rights Act, which protects minority voters. South Carolina's voter photo ID law was subject to approval from the Justice Department because of its history of racial discrimination.
South Carolina's law was the first voting law to be refused federal clearance in nearly 20 years. South Carolina responded with a lawsuit in the hopes of reinstating the measure.
Several states have passed voter identification laws contending the need to fight fraud and build public confidence in the integrity of elections. But the timing of those measures has Democrats, civil rights and minority advocacy groups arguing that the intent is to suppress the vote of blacks and Latinos, students and elderly who tend to vote Democrat.
Passage of the laws follows record turnouts by blacks and Latinos in the 2008 presidential election, helping to put President Barack Obama in the White House.
Chris Bartolucci, a private attorney hired for South Carolina, rejected that the South Carolina law was a reaction to the 2008 elections.
"Testimony we will present and evidence we will show, will refute that," Bartolucci said.
Garrard Beeney, a private attorney representing several groups opposing the South Carolina law, said the benefits of voter ID laws are small and the consequences high because of the people it excludes from the polls.
The people it will hurt, mostly minorities, do not live in the world of the courtroom, Beeney said. They live in a world of lower education levels, greater poverty and limited access to transportation, he said.
The testimony before a three-judge panel is expected to continue for a week. Closing arguments are scheduled for Sept. 24, pushing a decision close to the Nov. 6 elections.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/27/south-carolina-voter-id_n_1834299.html [with comments]
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The South Carolina statehouse. Clemmons is a South Carolina state representative.
By Luke Johnson
Posted: 08/29/2012 12:24 pm Updated: 08/29/2012 12:32 pm
WASHINGTON -- The principal sponsor for South Carolina's voter ID law expressed regret on Tuesday in federal court that he thanked a supporter for a racist email about the state's ID law.
Garrard Beeney, an attorney representing civil rights groups including the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the ACLU, read Alan Clemmons, a South Carolina state representative who authored the state's voter ID law, an email sent from a supporter regarding the law in federal court on Tuesday [ http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/08/28/163886/sc-lawmaker-admits-positive-response.html ]. Clemmons acknowledged his somewhat positive response to what he called an email that "certainly" included "a shade of racism."
The email sent to Clemmons said, "I don't buy that garbage that if a poor black person or an elderly one, that these people won't be able to get one. You listen to that big racist (Jim) Clyburn and Harpootlian talk and they make it sound like these people are too stupid to get one." It was sent by Ed Koziol and referring to African-American Rep. James Clyburn and the Democratic Party Chariman for South Carolina, Dick Harpootlian.
The email continued, saying that all the state legislature would have to do is give "a hundred dollar bill away if you came down with a voter ID card, and you would see how fast they got voter ID cards with their picture."
"It would be like a swarm of bees going after a watermelon," read the email.
In response to the email, Clemmons acknowledged that he wrote, "Amen, Ed. Thank you for your support of voter ID." Clemmons said his words were a "poorly considered response," written from an iPhone. When asked if he should have considered getting into a debate over the "swarm of bees" comment, Clemmons said, "I didn't think it was the time nor the place" to do so.
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the ACLU are joining the U.S. Justice Department to challenge the legality of South Carolina's 2011 voter ID law, which requires voters to show one of five forms of ID and which some believe is targeted at African-American and minority voters. The law is currently under examination in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, which will determine if it violates the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
During the cross-examination on Tuesday, Beeney read several of Clemmons' email exchanges. In a response to a Tea Party leader's email, Clemmons allegedly wrote, "We thought we saw a great deal of bused liberals and fraudulent early votes in the 2008 election."
Clemmons said he has "no objection" to anyone riding a bus to the polls, but rather was against "homogeneous groups that all decide that they are going to vote with an excuse that they can't be there on election day."
Clemmons later admitted he had no proof of anyone riding a bus to the polls and or casting ballots fraudulently.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) signed the voter ID law, requires voters to show a driver's license, passport, military ID, DMV-issued photo ID, or photo ID issued by the local board of elections. Under the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the Justice Department reviews election laws in states with a history of racism. South Carolina voters without ID are 20 percent more likely to be black, and one-third of registered minority voters do not have a driver's license, according to the DOJ [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/27/south-carolina-voter-id_n_1831130.html ].
Paul Clement, former President George W. Bush's solicitor general who is defending the law, maintains [ http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20120827/PC16/120829334/sc-voter-id-law-gets-test-in-federal-court&source=RSS ] that it doesn't place a burden on minority voters. Gov. Nikki Haley (R) has dismissed concerns that voters without ID will be harmed. “Find me those people that think that this is invading their rights,” she said [ http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2011/07/15/270819/nikki-haley-drive-dmv/ ] in November 2011, “and I will go take them to the DMV myself and help them get that picture ID.” Haley assailed President Barack Obama for the DOJ decision in her convention speech Wednesday night [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/28/nikki-haley-republican-convention-speech_n_1830030.html ].
Beeney later asked Clemmons if he remembered handing out a bag of peanuts with a card attached that read, "Stop Obama’s nutty agenda and support voter ID." Clemmons said he didn't recall the event, but Beeney read a June deposition in which he did.
Beeney also read a tweet Clemmons sent after the U.S. Justice Department denied preclearance to the voter ID law that read, "Are you surprised Obama justice/Eric Holder/Jesse Jackson ignore U.S. Supreme Court in killing voter ID." Clemmons eventually admitted that he doubted Jackson had any role in the denial of preclearance.
Clemmons said the notion that the purpose of the law was to make it more difficult for African Americans and Democrats to vote was "offensive."
Another witness, South Carolina Election Commission Executive Director Marci Andino, admitted that the voter ID law could not prevent voter fraud, and that she had never seen a case of credible in-person fraud.
She also said that it was "possible" that every voter would have a "reasonable impediment" -- an exception built into the law -- to vote without an ID, since if the law is implemented there will be such a short time to acquire IDs before Election Day.
Copyright © 2012 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/29/alan-clemmons-voter-id-law_n_1839375.html [with comments]
===
South Carolina Voter ID Trial: State Sen. Admits Law Couldn't Address His Examples Of Voter Fraud
South Carolina State Senator Chip Campsen.
(AP photo)
By SUZANNE GAMBOA 08/27/12 03:46 PM ET
WASHINGTON -- The federal trial over South Carolina's voter identification law got under way Monday with a state senator insisting his work on the law was aimed at fighting fraud and instilling public confidence in the election system.
During morning testimony, state Sen. George "Chip" Campsen III cited examples of fraud that he took into consideration while drafting early versions of South Carolina's law. These included vote buying, voter rolls indicating a woman who showed up at the polls had already voted, and press reports of voters being registered in both South Carolina and North Carolina.
But under questioning from Justice Department attorney Anna Baldwin, Campsen, a Republican, said the examples he gave did not involve the type of fraud that requiring photo identification would address.
"None of the examples you gave in your testimony involved incidents of impersonation?" Baldwin asked.
"Correct," Campsen answered. He also said he could not find cases of voter impersonation in South Carolina, but added that the state lacks the tools to root them out.
The Justice Department rejected South Carolina's law, passed last year, which requires specific photo identification be shown in order to vote. The department decided the law violates Section 5 of the federal Voting Rights Act, which protects minority voters. South Carolina's voter photo ID law was subject to approval from the Justice Department because of its history of racial discrimination.
South Carolina's law was the first voting law to be refused federal clearance in nearly 20 years. South Carolina responded with a lawsuit in the hopes of reinstating the measure.
Several states have passed voter identification laws contending the need to fight fraud and build public confidence in the integrity of elections. But the timing of those measures has Democrats, civil rights and minority advocacy groups arguing that the intent is to suppress the vote of blacks and Latinos, students and elderly who tend to vote Democrat.
Passage of the laws follows record turnouts by blacks and Latinos in the 2008 presidential election, helping to put President Barack Obama in the White House.
Chris Bartolucci, a private attorney hired for South Carolina, rejected that the South Carolina law was a reaction to the 2008 elections.
"Testimony we will present and evidence we will show, will refute that," Bartolucci said.
Garrard Beeney, a private attorney representing several groups opposing the South Carolina law, said the benefits of voter ID laws are small and the consequences high because of the people it excludes from the polls.
The people it will hurt, mostly minorities, do not live in the world of the courtroom, Beeney said. They live in a world of lower education levels, greater poverty and limited access to transportation, he said.
The testimony before a three-judge panel is expected to continue for a week. Closing arguments are scheduled for Sept. 24, pushing a decision close to the Nov. 6 elections.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/27/south-carolina-voter-id_n_1834299.html [with comments]
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"Eternal vigilance is the price of Liberty."
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upon the Right of Election, 1790
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