Ted Cruz today agreed with a voter’s assertion that Barack Obama was elected in 2008 because of voter fraud and abuse. Though an outrageous claim, it’s par for the course from the far right-wing senator from Texas. Like the rest of the field, Cruz has no regard for the sanctity of voting rights — and he has a record to prove it.
Background:
Cruz Sponsored Legislation To Require Proof Of Citizenship For Voter Registration.According to Politico, “Ted Cruz didn’t wait long to mount a legislative response to the Supreme Court’s ruling against Arizona’s voter registration rule. An amendment submitted by the Texas senator on Monday afternoon to the Senate’s immigration bill would ‘permit states to require proof of citizenship for registration to vote in elections for federal office.’ Cruz’s measure would amend the National Voter Registration Act.” [Politico, 6/17/13]
Cruz Opposed A Provision Of The Voting Rights Act Designed To Protect Minority Voters In Southern States. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “It’s time to do away with the nearly 50-year-old federal rule that let U.S. officials block a new state law requiring Texans to show photo ID to vote. That’s what Republicans candidates running to replace Kay Bailey Hutchison in the U.S. Senate said during a forum Thursday night. They called for repeal of the Voting Rights Act provision that requires Texas and other Southern states with histories of discrimination to receive pre-clearance when changing election laws. ‘Right now, Texas is subjected to different standards than much of the country,’ former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz said during the forum, hosted by the Dallas Bar Association. ‘I think we need to be fighting to ensure the law is colorblind and fair to everyone. ‘The Department of Justice … is acting to stop Texas from implementing … common-sense law.’” [Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3/16/12]
Cruz’s Iowa Chairman “Spent Hundreds Of Thousands Of Taxpayer Dollars” To” Restrict Voting Under The Guise Of Combating Voter Fraud.” According to Mother Jones, “Ted Cruz’s presidential ambitions may well live or die with the Iowa Republican caucuses. In recent years, the Hawkeye State has served as the launching pad for candidates courting social conservatives, handing caucus wins to Rick Santorum in 2012 and Mike Huckabee in 2008. The Texas senator hasn’t been too subtle in his attempts to claim the same mantle. Cruz announced his campaign in March at Liberty University—founded by Jerry Falwell, the late televangelist who once suggested 9/11 was God’s punishment for homosexuality and abortion—and during an initial trip to Iowa for a ‘Faith and Freedom Coalition’ conference Cruz argued for allowing Christian symbols in public spaces. But perhaps his best play so far has been snagging former Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz to be his state chairman there, considering that three years ago Schultz was a prominent supporter of Santorum, who is about to announce his 2016 presidential bid. By tapping Schultz, Cruz also tied himself to Schultz’s leading cause: trying to restrict voting under the guise of combating voter fraud. During his four years as secretary of state, Schultz spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to unearth evidence of fraud but ended up finding little and being cited for the mismanagement of public funds.” [Mother Jones, 5/26/15]
Published: Nov 16, 2015