Musings

1. Since this is the last day to register to vote in California (deadline date is on all the buses!), it's time to revisit the smelly carcass of canard that is Fear of Voters.
   
   • It is possible that Republicans don't realize that there are more city-dwellers than suburbanites and rural people.  (David Atkins, "Political Animal," Washington Monthly)

     More people live in cities than live outside of them. And we vote. Legally. Usually for Democrats. And exurban Republicans tend to dramatically underestimate just how many of us there are.

   • Reposting the link to the Brennan Center for Justice's report on voter fraud, posted in 2007.
     
   • "Debunking the Voter Fraud Myth" updates the Brennan Center's report (downloadable PDF available).  One example:

     Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a longtime proponent of voter suppression efforts, argued before state lawmakers that his office needed special power to prosecute voter fraud, because he knew of 100 such cases in his state. After being granted these powers, he has brought six such cases, of which only four have been successful. The secretary has also testified about his review of 84 million votes cast in 22 states, which yielded 14 instances of fraud referred for prosecution, which amounts to a 0.00000017 percent fraud rate.

2. People stretching really hard to hear what they want to hear.
3. Racism and xenophobia poison everything. (Brian Ross, The Huffington Post.  Small amount of handwavium in evidence.)