Tag Archives: Rick Scott

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Petition: Stop voter suppressio​n in Florida


Rick Scott’s administration has just made their next move in the attempt to suppress voting rights in Florida.

The Secretary of State issued a directive — without much (if any) input from regional election supervisors — that limits the locations at which Floridians can drop off absentee ballots to elections offices only, instead of remote drop off sites that are more convenient for voters.

Put simply: Rick Scott’s administration once again has just made it harder for folks in Florida to vote.

The next big election in Florida is coming up on January 14th — a special election primary to fill the vacant seat in Florida’s 13th congressional district. We have a great candidate in Alex Sink and it’s another prime pickup opportunity for Democrats.

Every Floridian in that district should be able to make their voice heard without worrying about these new restrictions. These limitations are unnecessary and can have a dramatic impact in suppressing the vote. For instance, in 2012, 42% of all ballots were dropped off at these remote sites closer to where voters live.

We cannot let slick Rick try to rig another election. Join me in calling on Rick Scott and Florida Republicans to retract these new voting restrictions immediately.

The right to vote in this country is non-negotiable. Any changes we make to our election structure should make it easier for people to vote, not harder.
Thank you for standing with me against these new restrictions.
Debbie

~ FDA/USDA ~~ Alerts & Safety, ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)


03/30/2013 12:29 AM EDT Natura Pet Products is voluntarily expanding its recall of dry pet food because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. No Salmonella-related illnesses have been confirmed to date
 
03/29/2013 08:46 PM EDT Hospira, Inc. (NYSE: HSP), announced today it is initiating a voluntary nationwide user-level recall of one lot of 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP, 1000 mL, Flexible Container, NDC 0409-7983-09. This action is due to one confirmed customer report where brass particulate was identified in the primary container in the form of several small grey/brown particles.
 
 
03/29/2013 01:59 PM EDT
Rich Products Corporation of Buffalo, New York, is announcing a voluntary recall of Farm Rich® Mini Quesadillas (PC 35635), Farm Rich® Mini Pizza Slices (PC 35643 and PC 37690), Farm Rich® Philly Cheese Steaks (PC 35634), Farm Rich® Mozzarella Bites (PC 37443 and PC 37691) and Market Day® Mozzarella Bites (PC 80435), produced from November 12, 2012 to November 19, 2012 due to possible contamination with Escherichia coli O121 bacteria (“E. Coli O121”).
 
03/29/2013 02:49 PM EDT
Lifestyle Evolution Inc announces the voluntary recall of NuGO FREE, NuGO Dark and NuGO Slim Non Dairy bars Made BEFORE October 2012 because of the potential for undeclared milk.
 

 Lisy Corporation Issues Voluntary Recall on Undeclared Soy in 5 Seasoning Blends

03/29/2013 02:15 PM EDT
Lisy Corporation of Miami, FL is voluntarily recalling select seasoning blends because they contain the ingredient soy that is not declared on the label. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to soy run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.
 
 
 
 
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Voter ID


Republicans are working hard to suppress your vote. Mitt Romney and Paul RyanCan you contribute $12 today to the Emergency Black Voter Fund? Join Us

 

Last week 2,260 delegates from all 50 states elected Mitt Romney to represent their party in this election. Yet at the same time the Republican party is talking about freedom and American values, it is doing everything it can to make it harder for Black folks to exercise their right to vote.1

In Ohio, Secretary of State Jon Husted has eliminated weekend access to polls, an option that was exercised by Black voters in past elections.2 In Pennsylvania, Republicans pushed through a law requiring specific forms of restrictive photo identification to vote, a constraint that systematically pushes Black and low-income voters out of the system.3 In Florida, Republican Gov. Rick Scott has overseen a sweeping voter purge that has erased hundreds – if not thousands – of lawful citizens from the voter rolls.4

That’s why we’re launching an Emergency Black Voter Fund. Can you chip in $12 a month until election day, to create a fighting fund to help make sure that these attacks on our right to vote don’t go unanswered. Can you spare $12 a month?

http://act.colorofchange.org/pledge/emergency_recur_donate

With your help we will register thousands of new Black voters and prepare them to have everything they need to vote on Election Day. We will also launch rapid response media campaigns in key states like Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio to fight back against conservative attempts to make it harder for Black folks to vote.

The Republican machine has invested millions to keep us from voting.5 This will take significant resources, which is why we don’t have a minute to lose. We need your help to get these plans off the ground. Can you chip in $12 a month from now until election day to help turn these plans into reality?

http://act.colorofchange.org/pledge/emergency_recur_donate

Thanks and Peace,

— Rashad, Dani, Matt, Arisha, Charlene and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team     September 1st, 2012

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU—your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

http://www.colorofchange.org/donate

References

1. “Republicans Boast About Voter Suppression in Tampa, but the Ground Is Shifting,” The Nation (Blog), 08-29-12 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1759?t=7&akid=2614.1174326.U3rkmV

2. “Equal voting processes for Ohio counties may still be unfair for voters,” WKSU, 08-16-12 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1703?t=9&akid=2614.1174326.U3rkmV

3. “Shocker: PA Judge Upholds Voter Disenfranchisement Law, Setting Up Chaos Like 2004 in Ohio,” AlterNet, 08-15-12 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1760?t=11&akid=2614.1174326.U3rkmV

4. “How Governor Rick Scott Is Preventing Eligible U.S. Citizens From Voting In Florida,” ThinkProgress, 05-23-12 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1761?t=13&akid=2614.1174326.U3rkmV

5. “Many states’ voter-ID laws, including Pennsylvania’s, appear to have tie to same U.S. group,” Philadelphia Inquirer, 08-15-12 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1762?t=15&akid=2614.1174326.U3rkmV

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Big Voting Rights Win In Florida

Voting rights activists got another victory, this time in Florida, where a federal judge said he would permanently remove harsh restrictions on third-party voter registration groups. Those restrictions, passed as part of a massive electoral overhaul and spearheaded by Gov. Rick Scott (R) had hamstrung non-partisan groups like the League of Women Voters from registering voters leading up to the November election.

U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle said he would grant a motion to permanently remove the restrictions as soon as he receives confirmation that a federal appellate court had dismissed the case.

In December the League of Women Voters of Florida, Rock the Vote, and the Florida Public Interest Research Group Education Fund sued to block the restrictions. The Department of Justice also opposed the restrictions and had filed their own lawsuit challenging them. “Florida’s anti-voter law created impassable roadblocks for our volunteers, who have been bringing fellow Floridians into our democratic process for over 72 years,” said Deirdre Macnab, President of the League of Women Voters of Florida. “Thanks to today’s ruling, we can finally put these roadblocks behind us and concentrate on getting Floridians registered to vote. We are grateful the court recognized that the Constitution does not tolerate these types of barriers to civic participation and voter registration.”

The non-partisan Brennan Center issued a press release applauding the decision.“This order is a decisive victory for Florida voters,” said Lee Rowland, counsel for the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, one of the attorneys who argued the case for the Plaintiffs. “The Florida legislature has tried repeatedly to stifle access to voter registration opportunities, and once again a federal court has stopped them in their tracks. We are thrilled that voter registration groups can now get back to what they do best — expanding our democracy.”

Rarely these days are the federal courts seen as a safe harbor for individuals aggrieved by state action, but recently in the context of voting rights, they have been. This is a big win for any citizen that believes elected officials should be forced to conduct their affairs in a fair and transparent fashion, especially when it comes to restricting essential civic rights like voting.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/big-voting-rights-win-in-florida.html#ixzz258Ei8B8G

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Provisional Ballots … Know about your right to VOTE


Provisional Balloting

1- 866- Our – VOTE 

www.866ourvote.org

A provisional ballot is used to record a vote when there is some question about a voter’s eligibility. Provisional ballots may be utilized when the voter’s name is not on the voter list, the voter’s eligibility is challenged pursuant to state law, the voter is in the wrong polling place, or the voter cannot provide the ID required by federal or state law.

The Help America Vote Act of 2002 (“HAVA”) guarantees that any voter who shows up at the polling place, anywhere in the country, who is not able to cast a regular ballot is given a provisional ballot. After the election, the appropriate state or local election entity will determine if the voter was eligible using the information on the provisional ballot envelope, voter registration records and any other available source. If the election entity determines the voter was eligible, it will count the vote and notify the voter of the outcome. Additionally, under HAVA, any time polling hours are extended, voters are required to vote using provisional ballots.1

In the 2004 election, 1.9 million U.S. voters cast provisional ballots. However, only 1.2 million (64.5%) of these provisional ballots were counted.2

Provisional balloting allows voters to meaningfully exercise their right to vote on Election Day, but there are problems. First, many poll workers are not trained properly with regards to provisional balloting. They frequently fail to inform voters of their right to cast a provisional ballot give voters incorrect ballots and misinform voters about how to use provisional ballots or whether and under what circumstances their provisional ballot will count. Second, there is a lack of clear and uniform standards for counting provisional ballots, especially on the issue of whether or not to count provisional ballots cast outside a voter’s assigned precinct. Twenty-seven states do not count provisional ballots cast in the wrong precinct, while seventeen states count provisional ballots as long as they are cast in the correct county. The issue of whether to count provisional ballots cast in the wrong precinct has a tremendous effect on election results. A study conducted after the 2004 election indicates that jurisdictions that count provisional ballots cast in the wrong precinct count almost 72% of provisional ballots cast in the jurisdiction, while jurisdictions that only count provisional ballots cast in the right precinct count only half of all provisional ballots cast.3