Voter Suppression and Repug Election Stealing: Alive, Well and Growing

First, the only lesson repugs learned from the anti-suppression voter backlash that re-elected President Barack Obama last year was: hit 'em again, hit 'em again, harder, harder!

Aviva Shen at Think Progress:

A Virginia General Assembly member intends to add more limits to the state’s voter ID law in time for the next election, warning of voter impersonation. Republican Delegate Mark Cole (VA) thinks the standing law is too flexible and will introduce a new voter ID bill that would prevent voters from using documentation like paycheck stubs to prove their identity.

Cole claims that, hypothetically, someone could pose as a legitimate voter at the polls, even though voter fraud has been proven to be exceedingly rare. But Republicans have used the threat of voter fraud to introduce more hurdles for minority voters, seniors, students to cast their ballots. Virginia Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli (R) recently called for stricter requirements because Obama “can’t win a state where photo ID is required.”

Well, no Democratic candidate can win any election where bogus ID requirements are used to stop Democratic voters from voting. But that's exactly the point.

The plan would undoubtedly add to the problems exposed in the dysfunctional 2012 election. Virginian voters waited in marathon lines long after polls were officially closed, while a GOP firm was caught tampering with voter registration forms. The state also spent nearly $2 million in taxpayer money to send all registered voters a legitimate ID card.

In Iowa:

When Secretary of State Matt Schultz attempted to purge voters from the rolls in advance of the November 2012 election, a county judge temporarily blocked the move, finding that the rules issued by Schultz created fear and uncertainty and could deter legitimate voters. But that risk of voter suppression hasn’t stopped Schultz from proposing a new slightly tweaked rule to remove registered voters in the name of alleged voter fraud.

Second, if they can't stop the Democratic voters, they can prevent their votes from counting.

As Erik Loomis at Lawyers, Guns and Money concludes:

This is very likely the biggest political story of the next 4 years. It is entirely possible that a Democratic candidate could win 55% of the vote in 2016 and lose the election.

 Read the whole thing.