AG Abbott bungling raises suspicion in voter ID debate

[sonias]

TrailBlazers blog Dallas Morning News 3/7/09
AG Abbott bungling raises suspicion in voter ID debate
Sat, Mar 07, 2009
Wayne Slater

Attorney General Greg Abbott's mishandling of a open-records request from Democratic lawmakers is further lowering the trust level in Austin in advance of the voter-ID debate in the Senate. Christy Hoppe tells the story here. Two lawmakers -- Dallas Rep. Rafael Anchia and Austin Sen. Kirk Watson petitioned Abbott for voter-fraud complaints referred to his office. Democrats wanted to be prepared for next Tuesday's debate on a bill requiring voters to have a photo-ID. Republicans say it's an anti-vote-fraud measure; Democrats say it's about suppressing poor and minority voters.

Abbott didn't turn over documents about a complaint in a Hidalgo County school board election last year. When lawmakers asked why, Abbott spokesman Jerry Strickland said they never asked for the documents themselves. He said the AG's office did give legislators a list of referred cases -- although the Hidalgo county matter was mislabeled as something from another county. Strickland called it an honest mistake.

Honest mistake- yeah right? Hildago county became Dickson county. They're so close together and practically identical counties right?

Dallas Morning News 3/7/09
Some say voter ID bill a factor in news of 2008 school election complaints

Saturday, March 7, 2009
By CHRISTY HOPPE / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN – Irregularities in a 2008 South Texas school board election are causing suspicion to sprout around the Capitol, where a contentious war is about to be waged between Republicans and Democrats over a voter ID bill.

Rep. Chuck Hopson, chairman of the House's general investigative committee, said Friday that he plans to launch an immediate inquiry into whether complaints lodged during the school board election are legitimate or "possibly bogus claims of voter impersonation."
(snip)
If they are legitimate, they deserve to be prosecuted by the proper authorities, Hopson, D-Jacksonville, said in a written statement. And if they are trumped-up examples to give credence for the need of a voter ID bill, then those shenanigans would deserve exposure also, he said.
The affidavits were similarly worded and authenticated by the same notary, raising some eyebrows. They were forwarded to the Texas Attorney General's office in August, and the Hidalgo County district attorney said Friday that he had no knowledge of them.

Very interesting.
:popcorn:


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