Discussion for article #242328
This seems very odd. Does anyone know why this hasn’t been fixed? No one’s job? I am surprised an disappointed.
1 Like
Hah, this sounds like a classic case of “Make me do it.”
this seems bizarre…so, there is a link to register to vote available on the site, but it’s not obvious enough? Is that the beef? When I was in between jobs, and going back to school, I used healthcare.gov, and noticed it. Furthermore, for all the over the top bs the initial rollout received, lost in all that hub bub was how awesomely efficient the help desk is. I never waited more than a minute for someone to answer, when I needed assistance. Seems if people looking to register are having difficulty locating it, they can just make a call, the number is in plain sight, and get help, rather easily. I get the argument that it would aid registration if there was a giant banner ad, for example, but a lawsuit seems harsh, and dragging Obama’s name through the mud, when he’s championed this cause, seems needless. Seems to me, that instead of this course of action, they can just direct people looking to register to the phone number for the help desk. Am I missing the bigger picture here?
5 Likes
Yes, these groups are generally friendly to the administration, and it seems they want to promote a more accessible means of voter registration – a pursuit I am sure the Obama administration agrees with.
If forced by a judge to make adjustments to meet a more stringent standard of voter accessibility, I am sure they would happily comply.
Probably just drawing it to their attention would have been sufficient.
My $0.02 - if these organizations have limited staff and financial resources (as most nonprofits do) they ought to be going full-scale against the real Voting Rights Acts enemies with nonstop publicity and education campaigns.
1 Like
I agree with your assessment. Giving people the opportunity to register to vote in every possible venue is certainly a good thing. Badgering HHS for not making it even more obvious is over the top. Why add more controversy to ACA implementation, when it’s hard enough to cut through Republican bullshit on this?
These voting right groups should learn how to pick their battles.
1 Like
I don’t think the article characterized the letter very well. It’s a detailed argument why improving the web portal’s NVRA compliance is a good idea whose time has come. It contains one short sentence,
We hope to avoid litigation but we note that the NVRA contains a private right of action.
It’s hardly a “letter threatening a lawsuit” and President Obama is hardly a “target.”
2 Likes
I disagree, these groups should publicly state their willingness to start a public fight over access to voter registration.
Hopefully the discussion will raise public awareness of why this issue is so important.
I’m confident that the Obama administration would be comfortable with that.
It’s like a “please don’t throw me in the briar patch” situation.
I wonder if the health portal might not be small potatoes here. It seems to me there are a whole range of government interactions at every level, where voter registration isn’t offered. Look for the word “vote” on the IRS home page one time.
My reaction to this “story?” HHS should tell all these groups to Puck Off and Die. Unless there is something more that TPM forgot to mention in the story and the complaints only involve what this story says this issue involves, there are no legal grounds to proceed. These whiners are going to get to Federal Court and be told that the case is dismissed for frivolity. If the US govt has even a modicum of concern for the taxpayers of this country, it would ask for legal cost reimbursement for wasting valuable time on a totally frivolous lawsuit. The legal counsel for these groups obviously are unaware of the long history of case law that says that a statute does not have to meet any test of ease of compliance, only that it comply with the basic requirement of case law that the statute complies with the minimum laid out in the statute itself.
I have noooo problem with progressive groups putting pressure on the administration to fully comply with the NVRA. Obama’s a fine president, but the federal government is still the federal government - slow to react and with great inertia. Nudging its ribs to get it moving is not an attack on Obama or on “Obamacare”. And as mentioned, if he personally were asked (or were personally responsible for the design of the website) I’m sure President Obama would be fine with the requested changes. Article seems to be stirring the pot just a bit.
It’s a good thing congress has fully funded implementation of the ACA and otherwise provided no hindrance to its operation, so there are plenty of resources to deal quickly with issues like this…