Justice Dept. accuses city of voting rights violations (Boston)

[Rose Siding]

snip>
The US Department of Justice accused Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the City of Boston yesterday of denying the rights of Hispanic and Asian-American voters with limited English skills, and said it would seek federal oversight of city elections until 2007.

Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts In a lawsuit filed yesterday, the Justice Department alleges that the city and its poll workers interfered with voters' rights by ''improperly influencing, coercing, or ignoring the ballot choices of limited English proficient Hispanic and Asian-American voters" and of generally ''abridging" their voting rights by treating Hispanic and Asian voters disrespectfully at the polls and by failing to provide adequate translation services for them.

The lawsuit says the Justice Department has been urging the city to comply with the Voting Rights Act since 1992, spanning a period when the city's Hispanic and Asian populations have swelled, making the groups a potentially formidable political force. Justice Department lawyers contend that the city has failed to respond to repeated requests to improve the city's treatment of Hispanic and Asian voters with limited English skills. It does not provide specific instances of violations of voters' rights.
....
''There is not one substantiated allegation in this complaint," said Merita Hopkins, the mayor's chief of staff and corporation counsel. ''What they conclude in this complaint is completely contrary to the Menino administration. The mayor would never tolerate any disrespect for voters, and the Elections Department constantly emphasizes diversity in its training sessions with poll workers."

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/07/30/justice_dept_accuses_city_of_voting_rights_violations/?page=2

[drm604]

1. Meanwhile, in Ohio...

[Rose Siding]

2. Guess they decided to start "reform" in the blue states

[Triana]

3. That was my first thought...

...Boston is one of the country's most liberal cities. That's why the Feds are picking on them. "Reform" indeed.

[DeepModem Mom]

4. I think they've done the same in Los Angeles! Yep, I'm suspicious. nt

[MasonJar]

5. The same Justice Dept. that found Ohio innocent. They really do

think that we are all fools or more likely they just do not care. The media needs to hear loud and often that they are losing half of their audience/readers. They all have lost me. All the media does anymore is spew the Republican spittle.