2008 election summary

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Introduction

Many people have the impression that the 2008 election had fewer problems than previous elections, and that efforts to rig, suppress, cheat, steal, manipulate, block or otherwise suppress the rights of people to vote were not in evidence as in prior election years. In fact these factors did play a significant role in the 2008 election. But Barack Obama's margin of victory was much larger than the number of voters who were in one way or another disenfranchised. So even though the manipulations occurred they did not change the election results.

Future elections, however, might not yield the kind of victory margin seen in the 2008 election. Just as in previous elections there was mass voter-roll purging in different states, voter caging schemes were used as a basis for challenging voters, there was inadequate distribution of voting machines in targeted precincts, there was felon disenfranchisement that clearly targeted voters who might support particular candidates, there was partisan election administration and there were different forms of election day deceptions that tricked an unknown number of people into believing they could vote on another day or at another location. Unless steps are taken to reduce the ability to manipulate the election process the country could again experience unclear and contested election results.

This article summarizes the major manipulations of the 2008 election and links to expanded articles on each of the subjects. It also summarizes election reform suggestions, linking to a more comprehensive article. Readers are invited to participate in this effort by adding referenced reports to these articles and suggestions for reforms.

The 2008 Election Protection effort

Main article: Election protection and reform organizations

There was a broad-scale election protection effort for the 2008 elections. The Election Protection Coalition recruited over 10,000 volunteers, with over 100 partner organizations participating in the coalition. On election day they received and handled over 80,000 calls, and entered over 86,000 reports into their Our Vote Live database.

Many other organizations contributed their own efforts to protecting the 2008 election.

Election Protection in the primaries

• Caucus issues
• Closed vs. open primaries
• Primary election dates set by the states: consequences
  • Florida, Michigan stripped of delegates

In the news

• ACORN and accusations of “voter fraud”

The organization ACORN, which stands for Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, registeres poor people to vote. ACORN was the target of a coordinated campaign by conservatives to depict the organization as a criminal enterprise engaged in massive-scale voter fraud.. (A January 5, 2009 Google search for the words ACORN, voter and fraud returned more than 400,000 results.) The hyperbole became so heated that during the October 15, 2008 presidential debate, candidate John McCain said of ACORN,

"We need to know the full extent of Senator Obama's relationship with ACORN, who is now on the verge of maybe perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in voter history in this country, maybe destroying the fabric of democracy. The same front outfit organization that your campaign gave $832,000 for "lighting and site selection." So all of these things need to be examined, of course."

In reality a total of two (2) actual ACORN voter registration-related criminal cases were filed during the 2008 election cycle, and those involved employees falsely filling out multiple voter forms to boost their pay.

Main article: ACORN and elections

• Seating of Florida and Michigan Delegates
• Voter caging, including from foreclosure lists

Main article: Voter caging

Main article: Michigan foreclosure vote suppression scheme

• massive voter registration drives
• early voting
• high turnout

In the states

• CO: voter purges
• FL: no-match no-vote
• GA: citizenship challenges, voter purges
• LA: voter purges, motor voter registration issues
• MI: foreclosure purges, house judiciary requesting an investigation
• Montana: attempted foreclosured voter purge fails, state party head steps down
• OH: voter caging, eligibility challenges

For a complete list, see 2008 Voter Purges

Issue summaries

Voter purges

2008 saw attempts to purge the states' voter rolls on a massive scale, with some states removing tens of thousands of voters at a time based on criteria such as too-common name, returned voter registration card, or unproven citizenship status.

While early and aggressive legal action by election monitoring and community watchdog groups resulted in the restoration of thousands of voters to the rolls, hundreds of thousands who were unaware of their registration status showed up at the polls to vote. Many were required to vote using provisional or challenge ballots, which are not included in the vote totals on election day.

2008 saw a new method of voter purge attempted, one which reflected the economic conditions of the year. Several local and state party groups announced their intention to challenge voters based on published lists of foreclosed homes in their area. With seven of the ten states nationwide with the highest foreclosure rates being considered "battleground" states (Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, and Ohio), these voters were seen as particularly vulnerable and open to challenge. Some of the most prominent examples included:

• In Michigan, a Republican party official announced their intention to challenge foreclosed voters on election day. After the Obama campaign filed suit to stop the challenges, the official denied making the statement or that any such challenges were under consideration. In a settlement, both sides agreed that foreclosure rolls do not provide a reasonable basis for voter challenges and would not be used on election day.

• In Indiana on election day, a judge ruled that the state Republican party was violating a previously issued court order specifically banning challenges based on home foreclosure lists.

Several states were the focus of increased scrutiny due to the scale of their voter purges.

• In Colorado (purges)
• In Florida (no match no vote)
• In Georgia (citizenship challenges)
• In Michigan (voter caging)
• In Montana (party head steps down)
• In Ohio

For a full list of all voter purge activity in the 2008 election, visit 2008 Voter Purges

Main article: Voter roll purges

• Voter suppression

Main article: Voter suppression

• Deceptive practices
• Voter caging

Main article: Voter caging

• Inequality in election day resources

Ongoing controversies

• Minnesota

As of January 6, 2008 the Minnesota election appears to be resolved. A recount shows candidate Al Franken winning by 225 votes. However it is expectd that candidate Norm Coleman will take this to the courts. Senate Democrats have said they will not seat Franken until the court case is resolved.

Election reform proposals

Main article: Election reform proposals

There are numerous proposals for reforming the election process, including:

• Election Day reforms
• Registration reforms
• Voting machine reforms
• Recount reforms
  • Extending safe-harbor deadline for presidential elections
• Election audit reforms
  • Mandatory election audits
• Election administration and pollworker reforms
  • Election administration reforms
• Polling place reforms
  • Mandating sufficient voting machines
• Election law reforms
  • Combating deceptive practices
  • Felon disenfranchisement laws
• Structural reforms
  • Replacing the Electoral College
  • Replacing single-vote, single-candidate voting systems
  • Making voting compulsory