The study is needed “to ensure that all citizens have the opportunity to exercise their constitutional right to vote and are not unreasonably hindered or burdened in that process,” the letter said.

Some of the new restrictions, the senators added, are tantamount to poll taxes.

New state identification laws, by one estimate, will have a direct impact on 21 million American citizens who do not have a government-issued photo ID. The majority of those people are young would-be voters, the elderly, African Americans, Hispanics, and those earning ,000 per year or less.

Other new state measures require proof of citizenship in order to register, prevent students from using college ID cards to register, place extreme burdens on third-party registration efforts, and eliminate or cut back early voting opportunities.

“State actions that suppress the right to vote must not be tolerated,” the senators said. “We must make it easier, not harder, for poor and working people to vote and to participate in the political process.”

The senators also asked the GAO to examine data on any prosecutions or convictions for voter impersonation fraud during the past decade in states that enacted new restrictions on voting, since the threat of such fraud has been used as a justification for many of the new laws.

“It is critical that we have an accurate picture of these recent state laws, individual access to voting, and actual instances of voter impersonation fraud,” the letter said.

Read the senators’ letter »

Watch the video of Senator Bernie Sanders talking with Rachel Maddow about resisting the Republican effort to discourage and/or disallow voter participation in elections even as Republicans are the ones who seem to have the problem with conducting honest elections:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Democratic Blog News

Early American Passports

Throughout the War of Independence it was American consular officials who decided which citizens of the colonies were given passports. These first passports were small pieces of paper that displayed a description of the carrier, and were only valid for three to six months at a time. Benjamin Franklin, who was the minister to France at the time, planned that the first American passports look similar to French passports.

Department of State

The Department of Foreign Affairs was responsible for issuing passports until 1789. It was then that the name of the branch was altered to the Department of State. They were in tasked with handling all foreign relations, and until the mid-nineteenth century, had numerous domestic duties as well. After World War I registering for a passport became a law that was enacted by an executive order. However, there was no way to enforce the policy and the law was eventually repealed.

Passport Laws

Between 1921 and 1941 there was no specific requirement for a passport under United States law. It was World War II (1939-1945) that led to the Travel Control Act. This act made it illegal to enter or leave the United States without an issued passport. This came about at a time when international travel was becoming much more common.

Design

The actual design and contents of United States passports have changed over the years. In 1926, for example, passports had a stiff red cover. In 1941 they changed to green covers and stayed that way until 1976. In celebration of the American bicentennial that year passport covers were changed to blue. In 1981, America became the very first country to have machine-readable passports. Now, all United States passports have digital photos as well.

Processing Passports

Generally, to acquire a childrens passport takes four to six weeks of processing time. There are, however, ways to have this tedious process expedited much quicker. Companies exist that are capable of offering expedition after they register with the Department of State’s National Hand Courier Program. These select companies are held to a firm code of conduct. Their employees who handle passport applications are required to have background checks. In addition, these companies must adhere to guidelines to make sure a passport applicant’s personal information protected.

Results are in from the Illinois Green Party’s first ever online primary. With a total of 153 ballots cast, Harvard-educated physician Jill Stein of Massachusetts has won the primary with 71% of the vote. Legendary sitcom actress Roseanne Barr, whose name was not on the official ballot but became an officially recognized candidate by the GPUS after the ILGP’s registration deadline, earned 18% of the vote as a write in. San Diego air quality inspector Kent Mesplay received 5% of the vote. Nearly 5% of the votes were cast as “Undecided” and three unrecognized write-in candidates received less than 1%.

Unlike the taxpayer-funded Republican and Democratic primaries, the Illinois Green Party cost very little and allowed any Illinois resident age 13 years or older to participate. Participants were allowed to join the party and cast their vote at the same time. Caucuses were held throughout the state to serve as a polling place for those without Internet access, and mail-in ballots were available by request.

Dr. Stein, a native of Highland Park, Ill., established a strong campaign presence in her home state. Following her campaign kick-off, Stein made several appearances in the Chicago area and at a mock election at Western Illinois University in Macomb. Her campaign also sent out several e-blasts to supporters during the course of the voting, including an e-mail endorsement from Rich Whitney, a two-time Illinois gubernatorial candidate who is well-respected within the party.

The Barr campaigned was helped by a media splash from her campaign kick-off, which happened at the beginning of the ILGP’s primary voting period. Though still in its early stages, her campaign has already brought in several members who are new to the Illinois Green Party.

“From the standpoint of party building, the primary was very successful,” said Election Administrator Patrick Kelly. “Thanks to the efforts of our candidates to reach voters, were able to grow our membership and by giving any Illinoisan who wanted to participate a chance.”

Playing off Stein’s success in the WIU mock election, the Illinois Green Party will convene it state membership meeting, March 2-4, at WIU in Macomb to select delegates to the Green Party’s Presidential Nominating Convention in Baltimore, Md. in July. If an apportionment plan is approved by the Green Party of the United States, Illinois would be awarded 31 delegates to the national convention who would be pledged accordingly: Stein would receive 22 delegates, Barr 5, Mesplay 2, and 2 would be unbound.

These results are unofficial pending approval of the Illinois Green Party Executive Committee.

FULL RESULTS

Independent Political Report

Over The Years

There have been many different body styles that the Ford F-150 has featured over the many years. Currently, the truck is in its 12th version and boasts some of the most advanced features ever seen on a pickup truck. Not only is the truck’s interior roomier and more comfortable than ever before, but the new safety features offered by Ford are incredibly innovative. Also, unlike previous F-150 models, the new Ford pickup trucks feature some of the best fuel economy on the road.

Advancements

The new Ford F-150 comes with many upgraded features to the trucks interior. It boasts a state of the art rear view camera. This allows drivers to clearly see what is behind them when they are backing up or trying to parallel-park into a tight space. This is a very beneficial feature to have in a large pickup truck. Also, the new interior has many storage spaces where owners can put various items. Drivers will notice when driving down the road how incredibly quite the truck is. Ford has revolutionized noise cancelation for pickup trucks and it shows with the latest model of the Ford F-150.

Gas Mileage

With gas prices higher than ever before, getting a pickup truck with goof fuel economy is very important to potential buyers. Ford has finally listened to consumers and made the new Ford F-150 one of the most fuel efficient pickup trucks ever made. However, what makes this model so incredible is the fact that they did not sacrifice any of the trucks power to achieve this goal. The Ford F-150 still offer the most horsepower out of all the pickup trucks currently on the market. With gas prices continuing to rise, potential buyers should be cognizant of the fact that getting good gas mileage will save them a lot of money in the long run.

If you own a Ford F-150 you already know how important gas mileage and safety are. You probably love your luxurious interior as you are out running your errands. However, if you really want to make your truck stand out you should consider aftermarket tire and wheel packages. If you get your pickup truck fitted for custom KMC wheels you would not believe how much it would help improve your ride. You will instantly notice an increase in performance and feel much better handling when driving down the road. By outfitting your Ford F-150 with custom wheels from KMC you will be making a strong and stylistic statement anywhere you go in your truck.

See below for a map showing how far along your state is toward qualifying for matching funds:

The sooner we qualify, the better. That’s when we start doubling our green for the Green Party, which means that Dr. Stein can invest twice as much on getting the Greens on the ballot, building our state and local parties, and putting our Green New Deal agenda in the public eye.

As of Monday, February 20th, two states have qualified (CA, MA), one state is close (NY) and four states are halfway there (IL, MD, VA, WI).

Our goal is to qualify in our first 10 states by March 15th.

States that have qualified: California, Massachusetts

3/4 of the way there: New York

Halfway there: Illinois, Maryland, Virginia, Wisconsin

1/4 of the way there: D.C., Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington

Raised something: Every state.

The full email can be read here.

Independent Political Report

Lenoir City schools chief Wayne Miller says the public school system has taken several beatings over the years, and because of all of the changes and proposals from Nashville, many teachers have already walked out the door.

“As of the challenges have gotten more and more centered around the political aspects Ive had [...]
TNDP News

Movements to the Mountaintop
History as Collective Failure: Lessons from the Black populists
Omar H. Ali
February 19, 2012
GREENSBORO, N.C.–Famously, George Washington lost almost every major battle during the American Revolution, yet he won the war. His final victory at Yorktown is embraced as an example of individual perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds.

Black populism, the movement of black farmers, sharecroppers, and agrarian workers from 1886 to 1900, was such a movement. It sought, but was not able to make, the economic and political reforms that were so desperately needed by a generation of Southern African-Americans coming out of slavery. Black populism was also the largest independent black political movement in the region before the modern civil rights movement. Read more …

Omar H. Ali is associate professor of African-American history at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and author of “In the Lion’s Mouth: Black Populism in the New South, 1886-1900″ (University Press of Mississippi, 2010).

The Hankster

Overcharging

Many locksmith companies out there, unfortunately, are very unscrupulous and try to fleece people out of their hard earned money with taxes and fees that don’t seem to make any sense. Since the individual calling the locksmith is desperate for help they usually end up paying these ridiculous prices with no way of knowing if they are legitimate or not. To protect yourself from this scenario, see if you can get a firm quote before a person begins working on your lock.

Locksmith Bullies

Also, many locksmiths use methods that make it easier for them to get the most amount of money from people possible. They tell customers once they get to the scene that the lock is much more complex and difficult to get into then they previously said. This leaves people, who are usually in a rush, in a bad predicament. Do they ask the locksmith to leave and take their chances with another company (wasting precious time in the process), or do they give in to the demands of the person that is there and pay whatever they say? Many times people choose to submit to the prices that the locksmith on scene is quoting them, even if they know it is not right.

Being Proactive

One of the most effective ways to defend yourself from being caught in this situation is to find a trustworthy, straightforward locksmith company before you even need one. Clearly, many people do not take this potentially money saving tip, and are forced to deal with the problem when it presents itself. Conversely, just taking a few seconds to go online and check with the Better Business Bureau to find a decent locksmith business could save you a lot of money and headaches in the future. Once you find a good locksmith company you can store their contact information in your phone so you will always have it available should you need it.

Again, nobody wants to ever get locked out of anything they need to get into. This happens every day all over the country. It could be that you’re running late for work or some important function when all of a sudden your plans are stopped dead in their tracks. It could very easily ruin your day. However, if you take the necessary steps when picking a auto locksmith miami company you could evade some of the complications that come with choosing a locksmith company at random. Even if it is the middle of the night, there are Miami 24 hour locksmith services available that are honest companies that will do right by you.