Jim Keffer’s HB 1921: Suppressing Suppression of Voter Suppression

Texas State Rep Jim Keffer filed, this past Friday, HB 1921, a bill in which he hopes to suppress the efforts of groups like Video the Vote which marshaled amateur videographers around the country to record attempts at voter suppression in the 2006 election.

The meaning of the bill is very clear:

“Sec.A61.013. USE OF CERTAIN DEVICES.

(a) A person may not use a wireless communication device in a polling place.
(b) A person may not use any mechanical or electronic means of recording images or sound in a polling place.
(c) The presiding judge may require a person who violates this section to turn off the device or to leave the polling place.”

As the folks at Video the Vote say, getting eyes and ears out on Election Day to expose voter suppression and intimidation is a tool, developed at the grassroots, against stealing elections both nationally and locally. Jim Keffer, apparently believes that voter suppression should not be documented. That voter suppression helped Republicans to win the 2000 and 2004 elections has been a subject on this site in a previous posting. Who knows, documenting voter suppression and intimidation, or even the very suggestion that an anti-voter suppression effort has been mounted may have helped to elect Democrats in the '06 election.

Indeed, given the trends in this country, Keffer's party is in for a long cold winter. If they can’t gain the hearts and minds of voters through being on the correct side of the issues, then the only way to stay in power is voter suppression and intimidation.

But wait, what’s all this about forbidding wireless communications devices? If you go anywhere in urban and suburban America, you see the vast majority of people attached to their cell phones at the hip (or ear). People who vote have to leave their cell phones in their cars? What’s with that? Ahh, camera phones.

The Video the Vote recruitment video is embedded below.