CNN Cries Voter Suppression Over Incorrectly Filled Form, Clerical Error

The liberal media are so desperate to find a single instance of so-called “voter suppression” that they’re resorting to suggesting voters incorrectly filling out forms and clerical snafus were evidence of Republicans stealing the right to vote from black Americans. Or as they ridiculously call it “Jim Crow 2.0.” This was the case on Tuesday’s edition of CNN NewsroomThey spoke to a Texas voter.

Alisyn Camerota, the segment’s co-host, leaned heavily on hyperbole in order to steer the story. She suggested “[t]Voters are already facing problems because of the controversial Texas voter law.” and declared: “the worst fears are already coming to pass…”

Camerota called Pam Gaskin of League of Women Voters to assist her in her attempt at voter suppression. She had twice been denied her request for a mail ballot.

It is so horrible This must have been a deliberate effort to keep her from the polls!

Gaskin claimed she had filled the form incorrectly, according to her account. Fort Bend County’s elections officers had uploaded the form in error the first time. It was 2021 rather than 2022.

The first rejection was because I downloaded the form from my county, Fort Bend County’s website and they had posted last year’s form. So, the letter said “through no fault of yours, your application has been rejected.”

As NewsBusters described in our explainer video (embedded below) on the media’s big lie about “voter suppression,” this is a procedural mishap.

Gaskin’s testimony contradicted Gaskin’s second rejection, which led to the second rejection being complicated. “This time because I did not include the form of ID that was used when I originally registered to vote which was 46 years ago in this county,” she explained.

Gaskin admits that “they wanted me to include the last four digits of my social security number” but she instead used her driver’s license number despite knowing that “my driver’s license number was not in my original voter record. I didn’t use that to register to vote.”

“This is not bureaucracy at its worst, but it could also be intentional obstructions,” Camerota clownishly declared while shaking her head, after she herself couldn’t get Gaskin’s story straight (Click “expand”):

CAMEROTA: Right! They want – Just be clear, they wanted you to include the same, I think, driver’s license number from 46 years ago that you had used then, is that right?

GASKIN: They wanted the last four digits to be part of my social security number.

CAMEROTA: Has that change in the last 42 years?

GASKIN: No. Problem is, my driver’s license was not included in my voter records. This was not what I used to register for my vote.

Gaskin went on to argue that “the application is in-artfully and, I think, deliberately misleading.” And she then admits that she did end up getting her ballot after she filled the form out in its entirety:

You must add one of these to your driver’s license. First, your driver’s permit. That is what I entered. Next, if you don’t have a Texas driver’s license, enter the last four numbers of your social. That was what I did and I was denied. Every blank on the form was completed and I got rejected again. Every empty space was filled in by me.

Evidently, the case involved poor housekeeping from election officials who kept the wrong form off the website and poorly filled forms. The language in the document might be improved. However, this is a procedural error and not an attempt to suppress the vote.

But that’s not how Gaskin would see it. Proclaiming herself “a super voter,” she grew indignant at the idea she may not have filled the form out correctly. “I know what the rules are. The rules are followed by me. Tell people that I am an English major from University of Texas at Austin. I know how to read and follow directions,” she said.

But a short time later, she couldn’t remember the rules for who could apply for a mail-in ballot in Texas: “They’re very few people in Texas who can vote by mail. To vote by mail, you must be at least 65 years old. That’s what I am. Disabled, out of the county or — I forgot what the last one is.”

And providing no evidence outside her own bungled application, Gaskin concluding by suggesting, “This law is, I think, intentionally, designed to allow legislators to pick their voters instead of voters to pick their legislators.”

These aren’t facts. They’re conjecture. This makes perfect sense, since CNN is the source.

CNN’s false narrative about so-called “voter suppression” was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Sleep Number and Subway. You can find their contact information here.

You can find the transcript below. To read it, please click on “expand”.

CNN Newsroom
February 15, 2022
Eastern, 3:19 p.m.

ALISYN CAMERONA: Texas’ controversial voter law is creating issues for voters. Yesterday was the first day of early voting. According to multiple reports, all of the worst fears seem to be coming true. There has been an increase in voter registration problems and rejections. One election watcher put it this way, quote, “everything that can go wrong, has been going wrong.”

Isabel Longoria is the elections administrator for Harris County in Texas. It’s Houston’s largest county. And Pam Gaskin, a long-time member of the League of Women Voters and the daughter of civil rights activists, who’s already encountering problems trying to vote.

Pam, you are an enthusiastic voter. Every election is open to you. For your absentee vote, you send it in advance. You’ve done this for years. Your application was denied this year because you submitted it following the passage of the new law. What do you think?

PAM GASKIN (Yes, it was twice). The first rejection was because I downloaded the form from my county, Fort Bend County’s website and they had posted last year’s form. So, the letter said “through no fault of yours, your application has been rejected.”

The correct form was uploaded. I was able to download the form. The form was filled out. It was rejected again. It was because I didn’t include my original form of identification, which I used 46 years ago when I registered to vote in this county.

CAMEROTA: Right! They want – Just be clear, they wanted you to include the same, I think, driver’s license number from 46 years ago that you had used then, is that right?

GASKIN: They wanted the last four digits to be part of my social security number.

CAMEROTA: Has that change in the last 42 years?

GASKIN: No. My driver’s licence number wasn’t in my voter record. This was not what I used to register for my vote.

CAMEROTA: CAMEROTA is shaking her head. This is not bureaucracy at its worst. But it may also indicate that it has intentional obstacles.

And Isabel as you listen to this, I mean, this is one woman’s story who’s a dedicated voter. First of all, it isn’t correct. Then they don’t tell her exactly which form of ID she’s supposed to use. It’s impossible to get it to work. She tries online to fix it. This is insane.

ISABEL LONGORIA : This is madness. I wish that I could claim Ms. Gaskin was an unlucky anomaly, but that’s just not the truth. For those exact issues, we are seeing 11% of mail ballot requests being denied.

Either, as Ms. Gaskin said, having two numbers – both of them legal, both of them correct, both of them true – but because you didn’t have to register with your driver’s license in the past, you put down your social security number but now you put down your driver’s license number because maybe you felt more secure with it, those numbers are good but they don’t match each other and it’s that kind of, as you put it, bureaucracy that red tape that is now leading to 11 percent of applications being rejected but also 40 percent of mail ballots, which have to have the same IDs on them now, being sent back in Harris County. As far as I can tell, those numbers are consistent across Texas.

CAMEROTA – Pam, what was your reaction to the rejection of your application?

GASKIN : At first, I was stunned and shocked. I’m a super voter. Every time there is an election, I vote. As a member of the League of Women Voters’ board of directors, I am also a former director. I am familiar with the rules. The rules are followed. Tell people that I am an English major from University of Texas at Austin. I can read and follow instructions.

This application is intentionally misleading. You must submit one of these. First, your driver’s permit. That is what I entered. Next, if you don’t have a Texas driver’s license, enter the last four numbers of your social. That was what I did and I was denied. Every blank on the form was completed and I got rejected again. Every empty space was filled in by me.

CAMEROTA: Was that a success?

GASKIN: It worked. It worked. I was able to get my ballot. My first application was on January 3, and my ballot arrived on January 31. It took me 28 days to complete the process.

CAMEROTA – We tried to reach Senator Bryan Hughes (the leading Republican behind this law), to share the difficulties we were experiencing. But he didn’t respond to CNN. Pam, please tell Senator Bryan Hughes what information you would like him to have.

GASKIN : He should know that I believe in voter fraud. However, making it difficult to vote isn’t the same as eliminating voter fraud. People who are — There is very little Texas that can mail vote. To vote by mail, you must be at least 65 years old. That’s what I am. Disabled, Out of County or — I’m not sure what that last one means.

We are registered voters. If you submit a mail ballot application, you already have the status of a registered voter. So, it shouldn’t – who’s trying to commit fraud here? I believe this law was deliberately designed to let legislators pick their voters, rather than voters picking their legislators.

CAMEROTA: Isabel, I’ll give you the last word, what do you want him to know?

LONGORIA: Absolutely. It is my wish that the legislature will listen to it as I and other officials from elections testify regarding these bills. These are the results, as you all know, from those well-predicted acts.

This is why I am hoping that the legislature remembers it in the coming season. But until then, my job will be to keep voters from having to go through the hoops. Sorry Ms. Gaskin, you went through all that. We can only stop as many people from moving forward in Harris County.

CAMEROTA: Yeah. This sounds like your schedule is full.