On the Arkansas Times, Part I

May 13, 2013 2 Comments
why-time-travel-is-impossible_66207_600x450

One of the legislature’s most praiseworthy achievements this session was passing a “voter ID” bill. If you read the unsigned article in this week’s Arkansas Times, though, you’ll see a very different perspective on voter ID. Indeed, the Times explained: Republicans say the new law will protect the integrity of our elections; some may believe that. But there's no evidence of substantial in-person voter fraud, the only kind prevented by the new law. There is plenty of evidence, however, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Arkansas Legislature, Arkansas Media, Elections, Voter ID Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Voter ID Veto Override Delayed Despite 77% Support

March 29, 2013 6 Comments
77 percent support voter ID

Two days ago, the Senate overrode Governor Beebe’s veto of the voter ID bill, SB2. The House was scheduled to vote on the override yesterday, but the vote was delayed. On Twitter, Rep. Stephen Meeks -- who carried the bill on the House side -- told me the vote was delayed due to a “LONG calendar.” A previous tweet from Rep. Meeks said the issue was not being brought up in order to allow legislators to get home early for Easter weekend. Perhaps, however, there is more to the story. On … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 General Assembly, Gallery, Voter Fraud, Voter ID Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

$400,000 For Sweet Potato Research? Yam Right!

March 26, 2013 3 Comments
Farmer Beebe

There are several remarkable aspects of Governor Mike Beebe’s veto of SB2, the voter ID bill, yesterday. It looks like Beebe threw a bone to the gubernatorial base -- which suggests that the base is in need of stimulation. It is also intriguing to see a governor veto a bill that passed with bipartisan support in both chambers and is supported by large majorities of Democrats, women, African-Americans, and even crusty old white guys. But most importantly: how odd it is to see a governor use the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 General Assembly, Arkansas Democrats, Arkansas Legislature, Gallery, Voter Fraud, Voter ID Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Voter ID Bill Clears Final Hurdle, Heads to Governor

March 19, 2013 3 Comments
election integrity

Today, the Senate Rules Committee convened to consider whether or not the voter ID bill required a supermajority vote. The House Rules Committee met on this issue last week and ruled that the bill, SB2, did not require a supermajority vote. The full House then passed the full bill and sent it to the full Senate to concur in amendments. Advance Arkansas Institute's Dan Greenberg appeared before the Senate Rules Committee today to offer his opinion: Amendment 51 supplies conditions for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 General Assembly, Gallery, Voter Fraud, Voter ID Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

My David Ramsey Problem – And Ours

March 17, 2013 4 Comments
mind reader

Well, I see David Ramsey is at it again. Ramsey, a blogger for the Arkansas Times, faces a problem. What he’d like to do is criticize Republicans for the wicked things they say. However, there’s a difficulty: Republicans are as careful about what they say as anyone else, so it’s often difficult for Ramsey to find things to write about. Ramsey, however, has come up with a creative solution to this problem: namely, he makes things up. This solves a small problem for Ramsey – the social … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 General Assembly, Arkansas Media, Voter ID Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Final Note on Voter ID

March 15, 2013 2 Comments
Arkansas Senate gallery

Voter ID, as amended, passed out of Senate Committee yesterday and will successfully pass the Senate next week. (It already passed the Senate once.) But the Arkansas Times's description of voter ID, and of me, suggests that a response is in order. More precisely, yesterday one of their writers, Lindsay Miller, accused me of being a “cynical policy wonk.” If you’re curious about why he thinks that, read the article. Regrettably, even after you read it, you’ll still be curious. That is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Voter Fraud, Voter ID Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Rep. John Walker Says Voter ID Means Black Legislators Aren’t Really Legislators

March 13, 2013 7 Comments
One person, one vote.

Today, the Arkansas House passed SB2, the Voter ID bill, by a vote of 51-44. This is a victory for proponents of election integrity. More importantly, it’s a victory for the people of Arkansas, who have a right to fair, honest elections. The day was not without tomfoolery, however. Just after noon, the House Rules Committee considered whether or not the bill required a supermajority vote (see our previous coverage here). They correctly determined that it did not, and the bill was … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 General Assembly, Arkansas Legislature, Gallery, Voter Fraud, Voter ID Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Why Voter ID Does Not Require a Supermajority Vote

March 12, 2013 3 Comments
photo-id-required-bar-sign-s-5218

Since the voter ID bill cleared House committee last week, opponents of election reform have been scrambling to derail it. I wrote last week about their unwittingly hilarious attempts to stop voter ID due to the cost. Keep in mind: the cost of the bill, by the state’s own estimates, is 0.0065% of the state’s annual Medicaid budget. After the hysteria over the bill’s cost died down, the liberal blogosphere began heating up with speculation that the bill (SB2) was not legitimately passed by … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 General Assembly, Arkansas Legislature, Voter Fraud, Voter ID Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
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