Montgomery – In response to news that poll watchers affiliated with the United Nations will be sent across the country to monitor balloting in various states and search for evidence of “voter suppression” during the upcoming November 6 presidential election, Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard said he will support legislation in the next session requiring all poll watchers in Alabama to hold U.S. citizenship.
“The United States is the worldwide beacon of free elections and the Republican form of government, so having an international squad from the United Nations playing referee in our elections is insulting and absurd,” Hubbard said. “We’ve been holding elections in the U.S. for the past 223 years without the United Nations playing a role or enforcing the rules, and we certainly don’t want or need them now.”
At the request of several liberal-leaning groups including the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a United Nations affiliate, announced it will deploy a team of poll watchers to polling sites across the country in order to monitor and document potential disputes.
The poll watchers will come from Serbia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Germany and France, and other countries.
Hubbard said he will push the law in order to ensure U.N. observers are blocked from future elections in Alabama by allowing only those who are U.S. citizens to be certified as poll watchers in the state.
“If you can’t participate in an election in the United States, and if you can’t cast a vote in the United States, you really have no business serving as a poll watcher in an election being held in the United States,” Hubbard said. “It’s bad enough that Alabama remains trapped under the provisions of the Voting Rights Act, so we certainly don’t need anyone from the United Nations coming into our state and meddling in our elections, as well.”
You know what? If, and that is a big IF, the politicians in this state and country were not so questionable in their actions or motives there would be NO need for election watchers because there would be no question of voter suppression.
Case in point, if I go to the store and purchase something I leave; I have paid my debt and it is a done deal. If I get a ticket? same thing right? So why is it that this state continues to disenfranchise some one who had a felony conviction 15 years later or for the rest of their life? Because it is a way to “whittle down” those who might vote against you. When you compare the statistics of felony convictions of minorities v. whites [for the same actions] you will see it is “still 1950 ’round here” just done a little more on the sly.
I wrote the following letter to both of my state legislators, Mac McCutcheon and Bill Holtzclaw, as well as a revised one to Governor Bentley.
I’m not positive, but it seems that most on this board who are cheering Speaker Hubbard’s calls for legislation preventing the “observers” from coming here, don’t realize that his proposal will not come to fruition until the State Legislature reconvenes in February of 2013. The only way this Election Day can be affected by what he’s proposing is if the Governor calls a Special Session RIGHT NOW and passes legislation that will go into effect on or before Election Day.
Anyway, here’s my letter. I strongly encourage all of you who care about either state or national sovereignty to write something similar to your own reps and senators.
********************
Dear Senator Holtzclaw,
I am writing to you to ask that you do whatever is within your power to oppose the UN Election Observers from being allowed anywhere near the Montgomery voting location they are slated to “observe.” I believe strongly that this is as important an issue as you and your colleagues will face in your tenure as state elected officials. This assault on American sovereignty is a test, Sir. We are being tested for our patriotism, even our very knowledge of the laws of our land. We are being tested as to how we react to a run amok federal government that would command that we accede to its dictates by allowing this invasion to occur unopposed. I implore you to stand against this tyranny, which is being foisted on our sovereign state and our sovereign country by an outlaw federal government.
I realize that the State Senate is not in session right now. I will be writing to Governor Bentley to ask him to convene a special session to address this specific issue before election day. Your request for same in the most public way you can manage would go a long ways towards making that happen, and I ask that you stand boldly for that proposition.
This test is strictly pass or fail. There is no in-between. I sincerely hope that my State Legislators pass.
Respectfully,
Name/Address/Contact Info redacted.
Folks – it’s NOT the UN. Read….http://www.undispatch.com/note-to-demagogues-the-un-is-not-monitoring-the-us-election
We send election observers from the US, US citizens, via the UN, all around the world. Do you think that it’s hypocritical of us to deny requests by minorities who feel as if their concerns about the election process cannot be addressed in certain states? Yes! It is not only hypocritcal, it’s ignorant. We, as in us in the USA, do work to ensure that elections are fair, open and honest around the world through the UN now and serve as election observers worldwide. Are you telling me that is alright for us to observe elections in other states, but how dare they come and watch our elections in areas where there is potential for abuse? Such a thing is non-sense and arrogant and hypocritcal.
The UN is not leaving. We created it. We made it, and we have been signatories to UN treaties since 1947. So the UN is not going away.
Since we are NOT getting out of the UN, then maybe we should push the US to allow elections of our representatives to the General Assembly of the UN. And since the Security Council makes decisions for the entire world, have any of you called and talked with any of those UN Missions from England, France, the US, Russia or China? They do make decisions that affect the entire planet. Should they not hear from us.
We’re NOT getting out. Our ties are only growing stronger. Since we’re staying in the UN, what suggestions do you have to fix it?
Hubbard is wrong on this issue. It tells the world that we want them to abide by the rules, the rule of law and the treaties to which we are signatories, but we don’t want those rules applied to us. That is the height of ignorance, arrogance and follishness.
They have monitored every election for the past decade, presidential and midterm. We agreed to this in 1990 (under a Republican president) in Copenhagen and want to lead by example throughout the world. We expect to be able to hold other countries accountable for free and fair elections.
Thanks! My point as well.
Wow, finally a Governor with a spine.
EWell said they aren’t even allowed in our country according to our constitution get them out of our country also
Thank you Gene, October 23, 2012 post.
Why worry about how long they have been doing it. It’s damned time they STOP doing it. The UN itself is absurd.
It is okay to call voter fraud voter fraud unless it is Republican voter fraud. Acorn can be accused and charged but you have a company hired by the Right that have been caught Red-Handed registering only Repubicans and a young man arrested for destroying Democratic restration forms. We have seen the court rule on early voting. People names thrown off the voting rolls. Now we have Tagg Romney, and his family including his father involved in buying voting machines in Ohio and other states through a company they have ownership in. This should not be a problem for International Poll watchers but one for the Department of Justice to investigate and remove all machines affilliated with this company and any company who is not totally independent of canidates. This election have been set up to be stolen by Republicans. You think we don’t believe what our lying eyes see, give me a break. This 1960′s stop the black vote is not going to be tolerated by all the voting public, especially those who are being disenfranchaised. So if Alabama do not want people montoring the polls. Then they should tell the Department of Justice that they perfer that they send in the National Guard to oversee the polls in all States. Short of that. We need the International Poll watchers. Your State is no different than anyone else’s. If it was Obama family buying voting machines. Republicans would be shouting from the roof top. Get over it and stop cheating, and for the Racists that make their ignorant black wood, inbreed statments about black people. If it wasn’t for the work of black labor, your dumb but would be back in England in a damn Gehetto. They empitied the prisons and sent your ancestors over here because they were undesirable. I am sure Africans were happy in their own land as you are in your own ignorance. YOU MUST ENJOY BLISS DAILY!
Must be hard carrying around the victim-card all the time. That has to get heavy. BTW, you misspelled ghetto, you omitted 3 commas, you capitalized in multiple places that did not require it, and you message was rambling and incoherent to the point of absurdity. Just a FYI.
Its abe lincoln’s fault. That war criminal. Its his fault for getting killed before he could send the unhappy black people back to the land they were so happy in.
I don’t even understand why this is even possible and we have to outlaw it. It’s beyond absurd!
We send election observers from the US, US citizens, via the UN, all around the world. Do you think that it’s hypocritical of us to deny requests by minorities who feel as if their concerns about the election process cannot be addressed in certain states? Yes! It is not only hypocritcal, it’s ignorant. We, as in us in the USA, do work to ensure that elections are fair, open and honest around the world through the UN now and serve as election observers worldwide. Are you telling me that is alright for us to observe elections in other states, but how dare they come and watch our elections in areas where there is potential for abuse? Such a thing is non-sense and arrogant and hypocritcal.
The UN is not leaving. We created it. We made it, and we have been signatories to UN treaties since 1947. So the UN is not going away.
Since we are NOT getting out of the UN, then maybe we should push the US to allow elections of our representatives to the General Assembly of the UN. And since the Security Council makes decisions for the entire world, have any of you called and talked with any of those UN Missions from England, France, the US, Russia or China? They do make decisions that affect the entire planet. Should they not hear from us.
We’re NOT getting out. Our ties are only growing stronger. Since we’re staying in the UN, what suggestions do you have to fix it?
Hubbard is wrong on this issue. It tells the world that we want them to abide by the rules, the rule of law and the treaties to which we are signatories, but we don’t want those rules applied to us. That is the height of ignorance, arrogance and follishness.
I see you go from AL.com to to YH just to troll the message boards, Tim.
And you LITERALLY copied and pasted the (mostly) same comment.
Genius.
“It’s bad enough that Alabama remains trapped under the provisions of the Voting Rights Act”
“It’s bad enough that Alabama remains trapped under the provisions of the Voting Rights Act
“It’s bad enough that Alabama remains trapped under the provisions of the Voting Rights Act”
“It’s bad enough that Alabama remains trapped under the provisions of the Voting Rights Act
“It’s bad enough that Alabama remains trapped under the provisions of the Voting Rights Act”
“It’s bad enough that Alabama remains trapped under the provisions of the Voting Rights Act”
“It’s bad enough that Alabama remains trapped under the provisions of the Voting Rights Act”
“It’s bad enough that Alabama remains trapped under the provisions of the Voting Rights Act”
“It’s bad enough that Alabama remains trapped under the provisions of the Voting Rights Act”
I wrote my governor, senators, congress and white house
I am a Californian, Disabled. Applied for food stamps once and had to present ID of DMV, Social Security number, Bills, Bank statements and income verification..etc..I received food stamps for 3 months in transition of losing my home in 2006.
I know we do not require ID to, to which, I disagree. But we are a liberal state. We stand with after parole, our felons can vote.
Please assist in keeping America a leader AMONGST other Countries. Keep our Government solvent in taking care of issues.
I find and hope you will support the invasion of a UN investigation of our Election Process should be determined by our own Government. When a race issue goes outside our jurisdiction we are seen we do not have confidence in our elected officials. Rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, the 13th and 14th, 15th and 19th Amendments to the Constitution. Civil rights include civil liberties (such as the freedom of speech, press, assembly, and religion), as well as due process, the right to vote, equal and fair treatment by law enforcement and the courts, and the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of a democratic society, such as equal access to public schools, recreation, transportation, public facilities, and housing. Discrimination occurs when the civil rights of an individual are denied or interfered with because of their membership in a particular group or class. Various jurisdictions have enacted statutes to prevent discrimination based on a person’s race, sex, religion, age, previous condition of servitude, physical limitation, national origin, and in some instances sexual orientation.
The judiciary, most notably the Supreme Court, plays a crucial role in interpreting the extent of the civil rights, as a single Supreme Court ruling can alter the recognition of a right throughout the nation. Supreme Court decisions can also affect the manner in which Congress enacts civil rights legislation, an occurrence that occurred with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The federal courts have been crucial in mandating and supervising school desegregation programs and other programs established to rectify state or local discrimination.
In addition to federal guarantees, state constitutions, statutes and municipal ordinances provide further protection of civil rights.
We have this process, but we have allowed the Administration to encourage this process to be challenged and judged by The United Nations Human Rights Council. This is just wrong.
The United Nations Human Rights Council is investigating the issue of American election laws at its gathering on minority rights. Is evaluating us on an internal problem. A problem that if it did not exist, President Obama might not be President. It is an Internal Problem. Not a racist problem. The NAACP had scheduled two American citizens to present their claims at the U.N. panel who, the group says, worry they will be disenfranchised by the requirement to present a photo ID to vote. The NAACP disputes those claims.
NAACP is, quite frankly, doing a disservice to American citizens and the democracy that we have here, by going abroad to the Human Rights Council, which is filled with dictatorships and other countries that actually and really abuse human rights. The U.N. Human Rights Council members include communist China and Cuba. In addition, several Arab nations are on the council that have only granted the right to vote to women in recent years, such as Kuwait in 2005 and Qatar in 2003. Women in the Republic of Moldova have had the right to vote for less than 20 years. Council member Saudi Arabia announced six months ago that women will be granted the right to vote, but that change does not go into effect until 2015. Officials from the NAACP are presenting their case against U.S. voter ID laws, arguing to the international diplomats that the requirements disenfranchise voters and suppress the minority vote.
The civil rights group says one, Kemba Smith Pradia, was convicted of a drug-related offense and is concerned that if she moves back to **Virginia from the Midwest, state law will block her voting because of her record, even though she was granted clemency by President Bill Clinton. A second American, Austin Alex, is a Texas Christian University student. The NAACP says he is worried that he will be barred from voting because he only holds an out-of-state driver’s license and a non-government student ID, not a Texas issued photo ID.
**Virginia – Individuals convicted of most non-violent felonies may apply for a gubernatorial restoration of voting ability two years after completion of their sentence and the payment of any fines and restitution. Persons convicted of violent felonies, drug sales or manufacturing, crimes against minors, and election law offenses must wait five years to apply for a gubernatorial restoration of rights.
http://felonvoting.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=286#virginia
A second American, Austin Alex, is a Texas Christian University student. The NAACP says he is worried that he will be barred from voting because he only holds an out-of-state driver’s license and a non-government student ID, not a Texas issued photo ID.
He sounds like he has a valid excuse to get a Absentee Vote. Absentee Voting: All states will mail an absentee ballot to certain voters. The voter may return the ballot by mail or in person. In 21 states, an excuse is required, while 27 states and the District of Columbia permit any qualified voter to vote absentee without offering an excuse. Some states offer a permanent absentee ballot list: once a voter asks to be added to the list, s/he will automatically receive an absentee ballot for all future elections. New Jersey seem to be only state that absolutely no excuse.
http://www.ncsl.org/legislatures-elections/elections/absentee-and-early-voting.aspx
Voter fraud isn’t found — except when it’s looked for and then it turns out to be everywhere. Why is The UN looking for this fraud and not us?
In order for democracy to work, the public must believe that elections are free and fair. Corruption and fraud would destroy a America’s belief, Look at ACORN, no one has ever said that there fraudulent registrations have been purged. ACORN was convicted in Nevada of subverting the election law and had to sign a consent decree in Seattle. 1.4 million registrations, of which 40% were fraudulent. How would we know if people used some of those names to vote? We frankly wouldn’t. ACORN was caught many times red-handed before they started turning in a few underlings to improve their image.
I know that a firm is now under investigation and we had ACORN. You can’t run a business run a AD in Craigslist, for workers, without demanding due to the sensitivity and importance of what a election can change in each of our lives, without these companies with these employees should be bonded and background checks done at all levels, due to the content of what they do “upholds” American Values and the importance of “election” transparency.
Have you ever been a boss, then you know the diversity of employees that are hired. That grow, succeed or the opposite. As Bosses we usually can let go of the latter before probation. Not so in elections time. They are there for a short period, then poof.
Voting is a constitutional right. I like to see that all states purge there voters registration records for the legitimacy of the elections instead of our records undermining our system of government. Voter ID is not the answer to all election fraud, just one of several solutions that should be implemented. It can prevent impersonation fraud, registration fraud, voting by illegal aliens, and double voting by individuals registered in two states if both states have an ID requirement. It can help with absentee ballot fraud if an ID requirement is applied to absentee ballots as Kansas, Alabama, and Pennsylvania have done. It can’t prevent felon voting. That requires better verification procedures by election officials.
I am typing thinking Social Security numbers and thumb prints with today’s technology, sit at desk signing in Voters run there Social, check got it, not hasn’t voted yet. Give ballet with there thumb print. Vote counted. Internet Voting, again with technology with scanning checks, scan thumb print enter social security number. Vote counted. Ok mail in a tad tougher. I am looking at mine now. Social security number and thumb print possible. Vote counted.
Addressing those that can’t go to polls. See above. We do not have remote jungles that people can not get into or out of. I like the government to stop insulting our intelligence, with the poor can not vote. Poor minorities seem to have no problem working the welfare and Medicaid systems. They manage to get EBT cards and driver’s licenses. ID is required for almost every common transaction in contemporary society, and no one complains about the reasonableness of that. How then is it a burden for minorities to obtain and produce an ID at a voting booth as well. Go to a bank on payday for people that get assistance. Lines are long.
Purging in Ohio, the effort did uncover some voters on the rolls who had died or moved. But the Republican secretary of state insisted that no more than a handful of illegal votes had been cast in Ohio in recent elections.
The mindset that racist Republicans just don’t want blacks to vote, claim that concern about voter fraud. So instead of insuring that fraud is eliminated altogether, Democrats hammer on this talking point that voter ID laws are nothing more than a scam to ensure that only Republicans win political office and that impoverished minorities are excluded from the democratic process.
But supporters of photo ID requirements argue that states provide such identifications for free, and in some cases, voters can cast provisional or absentee ballots that do not even require a photo ID. This needs to change.
There is no end to this and it needs to be stopped. I admit I do not understand the transgender discrimination about photo ID. I do know that if a transgender is incarcerated and there surgery is not complete, that the judicial system is sensitive to where they place that individual. But if a surgery is not complete and there ID still remains until transgender surgeries have been completed, then mail in votes. As you can see I do not know this subject. But i can’t fault anything if you show up at polls as a woman and yet your ID is a man…. well that is a hard one isn’t it?
NAACP is, quite frankly, doing a disservice to American citizens and the democracy that we have here, by going abroad to the Human Rights Council.
Sincerely and Thank you
No one read this comment. Just a friendly fyi.
Gosh….where is the like buttons on this page…thumbs up to you Mr. Hubbard.
Thank you, Mr. Hubbard!! I personally don’t want any part of the UN involved in ANYTHING that happens in the United States. They use us for funding their agendas and then want to dictate to us. I think it is time for some other country to step up and do the majority funding and hosting of the UN meetings. They have no place in our election procedures.
Doesn’t matter what state you live in or what part of the US. This UN crap is reprehensible! I agree totally with Mr. Hubbard. I am not an Alabamian but I am a US citizen who despises the UN and what it has become!
Eddie, I also am not an Alabamian, but like you I’m a U.S. Citizen. I agree with you 100% that the UN is a BIG Bunch of Bull S___! We definitely need to get out of it. The majority of the countries in it aren’t even Democratic forms of Government, so why should the be allowed to Monitor OUR elections for fraud!!!
John Gunn, we haven’t lectured but we’ve been bled dry by the same UN that insists on voter ID in other countries, yet they come here at the invite of the leftist racists of the Obama admin, the NAACP & ACLU who call US citizens “racist” for wanting voter ID to protect our citizen voting rights from being disenfranchised by corrupt democrat politicians who allow illegal aliens to violate our laws in the hopes they will help them steal elections through illegal voting. The citizen’s have civil rights, , not foreign nationals. The UN has a bias, and the OSCE is part of the UN. One of it’s special rapporteurs Ben Emmerson on October 20th, warned the US, not to vote for Romney, treating Romney & patriotic US citizens of being “terrorists” for wanting to protect US national security. The UN has a bias, it has an interest in Obama remaining in power, as he’s promised to help them impose international taxes payable to the UN, on the US citizenry, and the trampling of our constitutional freedoms.
Mary, I’m still not sure what this has to do with Obama or voter ID or illegal alliens or … As I offered above, the OSCE has been observing elections here for a decade or so. Is that not accurate? Your reference to Ben Emmerson suggests you’re dialed into the right wing message machine so I’m rather certain Mike Hubbard’s hitting plenty of buttons for you. Those of us not occupying crazy base land and/or climbing the ladder might value some actual authentic sources however. Come on, it ought to be easy to serve up just one mainstream voice supporting what Speaker Hubbard is suggesting. If there’s not any, then what does that reveal? Thanks! john
Mike Hubbard isn’t a “mainstream” voice? So now even Hubbard is a right-wing nut? Now that’s funny.
Bring some Tea …, Again, I ask if there’s any reason why the 2012 OSCE observation is different than what they did over the last decade or so? Mike Hubbard isn’t a RWNJ, but he seems perfectly prepared to work that constituency in raising this issue. Maybe if he’s able to deliver what the big business crowd wants that’s acceptable, yet I can’t see how he and his can look themselves in the mirror. Seriously, is there any legitimate source for showing this is an authentic concern? Also, think long and hard about the threat posed by mere observation, past the minimal role a legally appointed poll watcher holds, of an election. Speaker Hubbard is running around with his hair on fire over this? And it’s the day after more on the Poarch Indian money broke? Seems mighty timely to me. Respectfully, john
John, you can’t reason with these people. They’re irrational by nature. The UN has been monitoring elections in this country for decades. It’s interesting that it only seems to be a problem now. Apparently Alabama’s past is very much its present.
Sir i would like to say BS and get over it….all the media everyone thinks it true is all BS to make everyone do what there doing right now Panic so they can enforce marshal law……if you don’t believe me take a look around your own towns at the law enforcements and tell me how much riot gear do they have ? most have plenty military vehicles there that are “bought from the government “….news flash they were not bought they were given as mandatory equipment to effectively enforce marshal Law… this isn’t something that just happened over night….no one looked but it was happening from the year 1963……..the planing started then…that’s why the whole end of the world crap has been pushed so hard…….
Look up Agenda 21 and it is not conspiracy theory.
The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) isn’t necessarily the UN. Affiliated I suppose might work. They go back to the Helsinki Accords from the mid-1970s. Maybe part of the idea is we better be open if we’re going to lecture the rest of the world about democracy.
However accurate the above is, the OSCE seems to have been observing US elections since at least the early 90s from what I’ve been able to gather. They are neither poll (nor pole Bro. Billy) watchers in the sense of those who are legally designated by candidates.
I’m not so sure there’s a problem and believe Speaker Hubbard and his fans here would benefit from reading http://www.osce.org/what/elections and http://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/17165 before he actually files this meaningless legislation.
Then again, after yesterday’s news of the Poarch Indian gambling money, maybe that’s the real purpose of silliness such as this. What’s “insulting and absurd” is that such as this plays well among far too many in Alabama. Respectfully, john gunn
I don’t say this often but I agree with Hubbard on this. It’s bullshit plain and simple.
Black helicopter people all up in our state government.
Hear, hear, Mr. Hubbard Hear, hear!
I live in NW AL, for the Non-English speaking Pole Watchers, that means, Northwest Alabama! Thank you Mr. Speaker, and by the way, let’s get the United States of America out of the United Nations!
The Speaker has been blasting away lately. Preparing for a statewide primary? Food for thought, folks.
Damn right. That is absurd that the U.N. would have the audacity to send in from ANY other country to supervise US. Is there voter fraud in the U.S.? Yes, there is some. By by and large, the U.S. has ALWAYS been the standard bearer for fair elections.
I think the Agenda 21 garbage is conspiracy theory, but this poll watching stuff is just plain ridiculous.
You really should educate yourself on Agenda 21. How can something be conspiracy theory when IT REALLY HAS EXISTED SINCE 1992. Bush I signed on in Rio and our presidents have been following ever since. Ever heard of “distribution of wealth?” Well, think of it on a global scale. You are totally uninformed.
Great work Mr. Speaker. This is exactly what I thought when I first saw that on TV!
Excellent work, Mr. Hubbard. We don’t need UN poll watchers in Alabama, or the USA. Glad we are fighting that idea. Some one needs to stand up to this invasion of our American election process.
Agreed.