Texas' voter purge made repeated errors

[ploto]

State election officials repeatedly and mistakenly matched active longtime Texas voters to deceased strangers across the country - some of whom perished more than a decade ago - in an error-ridden effort to purge dead voters just weeks before the presidential election, according to a Houston Chronicle review of records.

Voters in legislative districts across Texas with heavy concentrations of Hispanics or African-Americans were more often targeted in that flawed purge effort, according the Chronicle's analysis of more than 68,000 voters identified as possibly dead...

Rich Parsons, a spokesman for the Secretary of State's Office, confirmed that officials compared information about all Texas voters - including many who had voted since 2010 - to long-dead people in the Social Security Administration's death database, which dates back to 1973. So far, 6,491 voters identified have been purged, he said.

State officials did not use addresses, middle names or voting history to weed out false matches...

Last summer, election officials prepared two lists. One contained 8,238 so-called "strong matches" - where voters' names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth matched the dead. It generated little controversy.

A much larger list with more than 68,000 "weak matches" - many based on names and birth dates alone - wrought complaints, protests from Dallas and Harris County registrars and the civil suit in Travis County.

The matching effort was overseen by state Director of Elections Keith Ingram, an attorney who has admitted he knew nothing about election law before taking his current job, according to statements he's made under oath...

http://www.chron.com/news/politics/article/Texas-voter-purge-made-repeated-errors-4001767.php

[Wild Cobra]

My God.

What is this crap anyway?

I was purged once years ago, and all I had to do was call the elections office and tell them they made a mistake.

Is it really a story?

[boutons_deux]

Try calling the elections office from the polling site where you're told you can't vote because the Repugs purged you.

[RandomGuy]

My God.

What is this crap anyway?

I was purged once years ago, and all I had to do was call the elections office and tell them they made a mistake.

Is it really a story?

It is when, it starts fitting a pattern of obvious attempts by GOP officials to suppress Democratic voters.

At what point does "sloppy" stop being an excuse that you accept?

[TeyshaBlue]

lol @ single vector VLookups. Somebody give these guyz some Excel skillz.

[Drachen]

would said skillz pay da billz?

[ploto]

Is it really a story?

You really support a system that matches voters in Texas with dead people halfway across the country who died 10 years ago and uses that to purge the voter rolls -- but does not even consider social security number, middle name, address, or the fact that those people have been voting for the past 10 years?

Also this:


In fact, voters in eight heavily minority districts in Dallas, Houston, El Paso and Brownsville were twice as likely to be targeted as voters statewide.

Within Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio, voters living in African-American or Hispanic legislative districts created to improve minority representation also were generally more likely to be listed than those in surrounding counties, the newspaper's analysis found.

[TeyshaBlue]

would said skillz pay da billz?


http://youtu.be/hUlvZ2RWv0Q

[Wild Cobra]

You really support a system that matches voters in Texas with dead people halfway across the country who died 10 years ago and uses that to purge the voter rolls -- but does not even consider social security number, middle name, address, or the fact that those people have been voting for the past 10 years?

Of course not.

Do you believe the article as 100% accurate?

Did they link the methodology of the process, or is this their assumption?

Purging has always been happening. It isn't anything new. Mistakes happen. How much of the mistakes might be intentional by opposition, to make a headline?

Bottom line is. We really don't have enough facts.

I think the fact that the article mentions these people are getting letters asking if they are alive, shows the process is a valid one.

[ElNono]

lol transcripts

[Wild Cobra]

lol transcripts
What transcripts?

[ElNono]

Do you believe the article as 100% accurate?

lol partisan skepticism
lol I wanna see the transcripts!

[Wild Cobra]

lol partisan skepticism
lol I wanna see the transcripts!
You really don't know how to parse information out of someones biased writings, do you?

The article actually lays out some facts, and the facts clearly indicate no ill intent.

The article indicates voters are notified that their names match people who have died.

The article also indicates people who have not voted recently have been purged.

This is normal activity that jurisdictions can do.

It seems obvious the only people being purged, are those not responding to a valid request.

I don't wish to go back and fourth on this. Just read the article again and parse the relevant information out of it.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

WC making shit up to fill the gaps in a way that his ideal outcome would be true.

The world is as it is and not what you want it to be.

[ElNono]

The article actually lays out some facts, and the facts clearly indicate no ill intent.

How would you know if you don't know if the article is 100% accurate? CROFL

[Wild Cobra]

How would you know if you don't know if the article is 100% accurate? CROFL
Consider this.

The facts lay out do not show any ill intent. Only the opinion parts do.

[ElNono]

Consider this.

So THAT part is accurate? lol

[mavs>spurs]

sorry liberals, it isn't some big conservative conspiracy theory tbh the repuplicans don't need to cheat to win texas

[boutons_deux]

sorry liberals, it isn't some big conservative conspiracy theory tbh the repuplicans don't need to cheat to win texas

It's not only TX senate or US pres, it's also TX state reps. TX doesn't want to lose control of the TX house to bunch of wetbacks and n!gr@s, so TX Repugs gerrymander illegally, and suppress/disenfranchise poor/Dem/ethnic voters.

[ElNono]

sorry liberals, it isn't some big conservative conspiracy theory tbh the repuplicans don't need to cheat to win texas

true dat, tbh

[FuzzyLumpkins]

For the presidential race sure but you guys act like the Gallegos/Conseco race or any of the others that the GOP legislature could not gerrymander away are nonexistent. Texas has a long tradition of shady shit along with all the other gulf coast states..