{"id":2271785,"date":"2024-06-19T16:23:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-19T20:23:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-meddling-doj-targets-alabamas-ban-on-ballot-trafficking\/"},"modified":"2024-06-19T16:30:15","modified_gmt":"2024-06-19T20:30:15","slug":"bidens-meddling-doj-targets-alabamas-ban-on-ballot-trafficking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-meddling-doj-targets-alabamas-ban-on-ballot-trafficking\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden&#8217;s DOJ Challenges Alabama&#8217;s Prohibition on Ballot Trafficking"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbidens-meddling-doj-targets-alabamas-ban-on-ballot-trafficking%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2271785&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The summary of the article\u2062 is as follows:<\/p>\n<p>President Joe Biden&#8217;s Department of\u200b Justice (DOJ) has intervened in a lawsuit against Alabama&#8217;s new election integrity \u2064law which bans ballot harvesting. The law, signed by Governor Kay \u2062Ivey, places strict \u200bprohibitions and penalties on ballot collection practices, designating such activities as felonies with \u200dsevere \u200cfines and prison sentences. The DOJ filed a statement of \u2062controversy expressing concern over potential \u2062violations\u2063 of\u200b the rights of voters\u2064 with disabilities, particularly in how the law may prevent these voters from receiving necessary assistance to vote absentee.<\/p>\n<p>The federal lawsuit was prompted by objections from several civil rights \u2064and voter \u200dadvocacy groups \u2062who argue that the law\u2063 excessively\u2062 criminalizes community efforts to facilitate voting, thereby\u200b infringing on free speech\u2062 and associational rights.\u2062 They contend that the law could particularly disenfranchise vulnerable groups including disabled, elderly, and\u2064 minority voters.<\/p>\n<p>Assistant Attorney\u2063 General Kristen Clarke of the \u2063DOJ\u2019s Civil Rights\u200d Division emphasized the department&#8217;s duty \u2063to protect the\u2064 voting rights\u200c of all citizens, including those needing assistance due to disability. \u2063Despite this, Alabama officials defend\u2063 the law, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-throws-border-security-deal-in-congress-further-into-doubt\/\" title=\"Trump's actions cast doubt on Congress' border security deal\">citing previous instances<\/a> of absentee ballot fraud within the state which they claim justifies the stringent measures to\u200c ensure\u200c election \u200bsecurity.<\/p>\n<p>the article highlights the tension between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/paxton-urges-gop-state-lawmakers-to-tighten-election-integrity-laws\/\" title=\"Paxton Urges GOP State Lawmakers to Tighten Election Integrity Laws\">local election integrity efforts<\/a> and federal oversight aiming to protect voter access, especially for disadvantaged groups.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>President Joe Biden\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/event\/118th-congress\/house-event\/115294\/text\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">weaponized Department of Justice<\/a> has entered the fray in a leftist lawfare case looking to shut down one of the nation\u2019s most thorough <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-supreme-court-seems-to-favor-upholding-key-election-integrity-laws\/\" title=\"Report: Supreme Court Seems To Favor Upholding Key Election Integrity Laws\">election integrity laws<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Weighing in to express the government\u2019s position (or outright threat), the DOJ has filed a so-called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/justice-department-files-statements-interest-two-voting-access-lawsuits\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement of interest<\/a> in a lawsuit against Alabama\u2019s law banning ballot harvesting. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-4599082\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-25ba7db7e29907cd8248c91d4fade52c fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-25ba7db7e29907cd8248c91d4fade52c\"><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018No Funny Business\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sos.alabama.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/press\/SB1%20Engrossed.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">law<\/a>, signed by Republican <a href=\"https:\/\/governor.alabama.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gov. Kay Ivey<\/a> in March, prohibits anyone but the voter to request his absentee ballot, with some exceptions, and makes compensating individuals for \u201ccollecting, prefilling, completing, obtaining, or delivering\u201d ballots a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.criminaldefenselawyer.com\/resources\/criminal-defense\/felony-offense\/alabama-felony-class.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Class B felony<\/a> \u2014 punishable by up to <a href=\"https:\/\/judicial.alabama.gov\/docs\/library\/rules\/crcr52_aft.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">20 years in prison<\/a> and $30,000 in fines. Individuals who receive payments or gifts for ballot harvesting face a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.criminaldefenselawyer.com\/resources\/criminal-defense\/felony-offense\/alabama-felony-class.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Class C felony<\/a>, which includes a maximum <a href=\"https:\/\/judicial.alabama.gov\/docs\/library\/rules\/crcr52_aft.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">10-year sentence<\/a> and fines. <\/p>\n<p>Senate Bill 1 (SB1) also requires that ballot applicants declare that they are not a felon disqualified to vote, among other key voter-integrity provisions. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cHere in Alabama, we are committed to ensuring our elections are free and fair,\u201d Ivey <a href=\"https:\/\/governor.alabama.gov\/newsroom\/2024\/03\/governor-ivey-signs-senate-bill-1-bans-ballot-harvesting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> in signing SB1. \u201cUnder my watch, there will be no funny business in Alabama elections.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Leftwing activist groups quickly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courthousenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/alabama-state-conference-of-naacp-et-al-v.-marshall-et-al.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sued<\/a> a long list of defendants, including Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, Secretary of State Wes Allen, and district attorneys around the Yellowhammer State. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-8b71ab74372a8a49e0f52688b0eb37a4 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-8b71ab74372a8a49e0f52688b0eb37a4\"><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018Will Take Action\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Filed by many of the usual lawfare suspects \u2014 including the ACLU of Alabama, Campaign Legal Center, Legal Defense Fund, and Southern Poverty Law Center \u2014 the federal complaint insists SB1 is a \u201cvague and sweeping statute that turns civic and neighborly voter engagement into a serious crime.\u201d The plaintiffs \u2014 the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP, Greater Birmingham Ministries, League of Women Voters of Alabama, and Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program \u2014 allege that criminally penalizing compensated ballot harvesters \u201cdirectly and severely burdens\u201d their freedom of speech \u201cby restricting core political speech and expressive activities designed to encourage absentee voting.\u201d The law, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courthousenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/alabama-state-conference-of-naacp-et-al-v.-marshall-et-al.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">complaint<\/a>, also limits their \u201cassociational rights\u201d to engage in get-out-the-vote efforts, some of which are at the heart of the election-integrity concerns that necessitated the statute.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s the claim that the law \u201cdisenfranchises disabled voters, senior citizen voters, voters of color, eligible incarcerated voters, and many other Alabamians who depend on assistance to vote,\u201d that got Biden\u2019s Justice Department\u2019s hackles up. <\/p>\n<p>In its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/justice-department-files-statements-interest-two-voting-access-lawsuits\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement of interest<\/a>, the DOJ claims to \u201cpromote the correct and uniform interpretation of voting laws guarding the rights of voters with disabilities.\u201d The agency also intervened in a lawsuit attempting to restrain an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news5cleveland.com\/news\/politics\/ohio-politics\/ohio-voting-rights-groups-allege-discrimination-against-those-with-disabilities-in-new-lawsuit\">Ohio law<\/a> that allows only a postal worker or a close relative to handle someone\u2019s absentee ballot in their place. In both cases, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-democratic-staffer-charged-with-voter-fraud-conspiracy\/\" title=\"Former Democratic Staffer Charged With Voter Fraud Conspiracy\">federal officials allege<\/a> the voter-integrity laws run counter to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/uscode\/text\/52\/10508\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act<\/a>, which, according to the DOJ, allows disabled voters to receive assistance \u201cfrom any person they choose, so long as that person is not an agent of the voter\u2019s employer or union.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke suggests the laws deny disabled voters access to ballots. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-d7935df4594d9eef169d2f6e367ac9a3 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-d7935df4594d9eef169d2f6e367ac9a3\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201cThe right to vote is fundamental to our democracy, and the Justice Department will take action to safeguard that right for all eligible voters, including those with disabilities who need assistance casting absentee ballots,\u201d Clarke, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/crt\/meet-assistant-attorney-general\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">former NAACP Legal Defense Fund attorney<\/a> who serves now in the Justice Department\u2019s Civil Rights Division, threatened in the press release. She is the same assistant AG who recently admitted that she falsely testified to the Senate that she had not been arrested on violence charges. As the New York Post <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/05\/02\/us-news\/doj-official-kristen-clarke-admits-to-falsely-testifying-to-senate-that-she-had-never-been-arrested\/\">reported<\/a>, during her 2021 confirmation hearing, Clarke responded \u201cno\u201d when asked by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., whether she\u2019d \u201cever been arrested for or accused of committing a violent crime against any person.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018Multiple Convictions\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>The DOJ\u2019s blustering appears misdirected. Alabama\u2019s ballot-harvesting prohibition <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sos.alabama.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/press\/SB1%20Engrossed.pdf\">law<\/a> makes clear that disabled, blind, or illiterate residents eligible to vote \u201cmay be given assistance by an individual of the voter\u2019s choice.\u201d The exception, of course, is an agent of the voter\u2019s employer or a representative of the voter\u2019s union, as laid out in the Voting Rights Act. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cBallot harvesting should not be a job description,\u201d Secretary of State Wes Allen said in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sos.alabama.gov\/index.php\/newsroom\/hb209-prevents-absentee-ballot-harvesting-and-protects-each-individuals-right-cast-their\">editorial<\/a> written before the SB1 ultimately became law.  <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOver the last decade, there have been multiple convictions for absentee ballot fraud across the state of Alabama,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>Liberal activists insist that such fraud is not a problem, certainly not worth creating a law putting an end to ballot harvesting. But the Heritage Foundation\u2019s Election Fraud <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heritage.org\/voterfraud\/search?state=AL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">database<\/a> records more than a dozen cases of fraudulent use of absentee ballots in Alabama, including a case in which a judge overturned the preliminary election results in a Wetumpka City Council race. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn election night, it appeared that Washington\u2019s opponent, Percy Gill, who was the incumbent, had won by three votes,\u201d Heritage notes. \u201cWashington challenged the result, and following a trial in which live witnesses and forensics experts testified, the judge threw out eight absentee ballots that had been cast\u00a0for Gill either because the signatures had been forged or they had not been notarized or signed in front of the requisite number of witnesses, and declared Washington to be the winner.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Democrats like to say voter fraud isn\u2019t widespread, but as the Alabama case illustrates, a few fraudulent votes can turn an election. And each fraudulent vote is an attack on free and fair elections. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019ve used \u2018widespread\u2019 for years as a way of downplaying any concern about it,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/05\/24\/yes-democrats-want-aliens-to-vote-in-u-s-elections-take-jamie-raskins-word-for-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> Hans von Spakovsky, a former member of the Federal Election Commission and Senior Legal Fellow in the Heritage Foundation\u2019s Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies.\u00a0\u201cWe don\u2019t have \u2018widespread\u2019 bank robberies but we have enough of them that we take very detailed security precautions to prevent them. Election fraud is exactly the same.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018Alabama Votes Are Not for Sale\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Earlier this year, Allen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alreporter.com\/2024\/03\/21\/ivey-signs-ballot-harvesting-bill-into-law\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> the Alabama Political Reporter that the previous absentee ballot law did not have comprehensive provisions to penalize accused ballot traffickers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[T]here was nobody being prosecute[d] because the law that we amended, the penalty provisioning was very vague,\u201d the secretary of state told the publication. <\/p>\n<p>Alabama is the only state that \u201cspecifies that only the voter may return their mail ballot,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Ballot_harvesting_laws_by_state\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according to<\/a> Ballotpedia. Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia allow \u201csomeone chosen by the voter\u00a0to return mail ballots on their behalf in most cases,\u201d while 13 states spell out who is allowed to do so. Another dozen states have no laws on the books about returning ballots on behalf of voters, Ballotpedia reports.  <\/p>\n<p>Allen\u2019s office <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sos.alabama.gov\/index.php\/newsroom\/statement-secretary-state-wes-allen-todays-lawsuit-filed-against-sb1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> he can\u2019t comment on the substance of the lawsuit and directed questions to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fncs-dean-msm-coverage-of-cuomo-was-puff-pieces-while-there-were-bodybags-piling-up\/\" title=\"FNC's Dean: MSM Coverage of Cuomo Was 'Puff Pieces' While 'There Were Bodybags Piling up'\">attorney general\u2019<\/a>s office. But the secretary of state \u201cstands by his previous statements\u201d supporting Alabama\u2019s ballot-harvesting ban. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSB1 provides Alabama voters with strong protection against activists who profit from the absentee elections process. I stand firm in my support of SB1 because now, under Alabama law, Alabama votes are not for sale,\u201d Allen said. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-136025fd3175c436c13427a783d2af6b fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-136025fd3175c436c13427a783d2af6b\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Joe Biden&#8217;s Department of Justice has intervened in a lawsuit against Alabama&#8217;s stringent election integrity law, perceived by some as a significant leftist legal challenge. The DOJ submitted a statement of interest, signaling the government&#8217;s stance, which critics view as a veiled threat<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":656,"featured_media":2271786,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Screenshot-2024-06-19-at-11.57.20-AM.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2271785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Screenshot-2024-06-19-at-11.57.20-AM.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2271785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/656"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2271785"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2271785\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2271786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2271785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2271785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2271785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}