Politico - Allen West to Feds: Let States Purge Voters

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By MJ Lee

Rep. Allen West said Monday that Florida's controversial effort to purge its voter rolls is not an attempt to target minorities, as some progressive leaders have charged, and he accused the federal government of "going after sovereign states."

"I don't think it is disenfranchisement. I think that African-Americans that are citizens of [the] United States of America can get out and vote. Four years ago we saw them vote in numbers that had never been seen before," West said Monday on C-SPAN. "I think that we should be able to go in and look at our voting systems and making sure they are clean."

The Florida Republican argued that it is up to each state to ensure the accuracy of its voting system, and that the federal government should leave Florida alone to accomplish this goal.

"The state of Florida has been trying to get the Department of Homeland Security for over a year to work with us, to make sure we do have integrity of the voting system, because I think that's what makes America America -- our democratic process," he said. "And I don't think we need to have the UN or anyone else coming in and looking at it. We can clean it up ourselves."

He added, "I have a problem with the Department of Justice once again going after sovereign states that are trying to do the thing that is necessary to keep integrity in our process."

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has drawn controversy by calling on the state to scrub its voter rolls of non-citizens and other non-eligible voters, including dead people.
The Justice Department, which has questioned the timing of the election-year purge, has sued Florida in federal court to stop the program. Meanwhile, Florida has said it would sue the Department of Homeland Security for denying it access to a federal database to help the purge.

West also went after critics of voter ID laws on Monday, saying that it is "ironic" how customary it is for people to have to present photo identification.

"I found it interesting that the Democratic Convention is requiring people to have a picture ID. So that is a little bit ironic," West said. "I think that they should ask the Democrat Party, then why are they requiring picture IDs at their convention? Is that disenfranchisement as well? Or if you go to get on an aircraft, I think you have to show a picture ID. And I don't think any airline is trying to disenfranchise people."

The Florida congressman also expressed disappointment over Mitt Romney's refusal to say whether he would repeal the Obama administration's new immigration policy.

"I guess [I feel] a little bit dejected because I think that it goes back to what my mother taught me: "A man must stand for something, or else he'll fall for anything.' And I think the American people are looking for individuals that will stand up on some principal, and not try to punt it away," West said Monday on Laura Ingraham's radio show.

Wishing for a "much more forceful response" from the GOP presidential candidate, West added that the president overstepped his authority on Friday.
"The last time we had this was with King George III, and we didn't like it too much," he said. "I think that you're seeing the resurrection of an imperial presidency and the arrogance thereof."

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