Voting Rights Restoration
“Millions of Americans are barred from voting because of criminal convictions in their past. Felony disenfranchisement laws — relics of Jim Crow — hit Black Americans disproportionately hard because of bias in the criminal justice system. The Brennan Center advances policies to re-enfranchise Americans who are living in the community, and we fight policies making it harder for Americans with past convictions to vote.”
Voting Under Siege: Eight Years of Shelby County v. Holder
“An analysis from our sister organization, The Leadership Conference Education Fund, found that since Shelby County, 13 states closed 1,688 polling locations between 2012 and 2018 with 1,173 closing between 2014 and 2018. Texas, Arizona, and Georgia closed the largest number of polling places. When a polling place closes or consolidates, there is a tangible impact on a voter’s access to the ballot box. The number of polling locations helps determine ease of access. Georgia closed 331 voting locations between November 2012 and June 2020, and in 2018, it had seven counties reduced to one polling site to serve hundreds of square miles. Without a vehicle or access to public transportation, exercising your right to vote becomes nearly impossible. Through bureaucratic maneuverings, local officials can close or move polling sites to influence who is able to turn out. Because these poll closures go unnoticed, unreported, or unchallenged, there is no record of the votes lost. “
Sad
Gov. Greg Abbott vetoes bill that would give people with disabilities new option to vote by mail
“The bipartisan legislation was long sought by advocates for disabled voters, including some of the governor’s own allies.”
Good news,
What if they come up with 60%?
When MLB moved the All-Star game from Atlanta it was because of the Georgia GOP New Voting law that changed who is in charge of COUNTING the votes, give the state powers over ‘certain counties’ and did THIS:
A new Georgia voting law has reduced access to ballot drop boxes in places that used them most
When you hear about election laws being changed in Georgia, Texas, Florida and other GOP states, research what they are changing. They are changing who gets to vote, how they get to vote, and most importantly, who is in charge of COUNTING the votes.
Notice who is getting arrested and where,
UPDATE:
Florida voter has election fraud charges touted by DeSantis dismissed
“A Florida man had his election fraud charges dismissed on Friday, making him the first of 20 people who Gov. Ron DeSantis announced had been charged with voter fraud in August, to beat his case.
The ruling by a Miami judge may now pave the way for similar motions and rulings in the other 19 election fraud cases, which garnered national attention and controversy when they were announced on Aug. 18. DeSantis said at the time that they were the “opening salvo” by Florida’s newly funded Office of Election Crimes and Security to crack down on voter fraud.
Robert Lee Wood, who faced one count of making a false affirmation on a voter application, and one count of voting as an unqualified elector, had his charges dismissed on the grounds that the prosecutor lacked appropriate jurisdiction.
Compared to
Two Residents of Trump-Loving Retirement Community Plead Guilty to 2020 Voter Fraud
“Charles Barnes, 64, and Jay Ketcik, 63, could face five years in prison for the third-degree felony, but will avoid jail time as long as they participate in 50 hours of community service and take a three-month civics class, among other requirements outlined by the state attorney.”
4th resident of The Villages admits to voting twice in the 2020 election
“John Rider avoids jail time under pre-trial intervention program”
Someone else got Six Years In Prison! (And someone else got Five Years in Prison!)
Black woman sentenced to six years in prison for registering to vote
““Pamela Moses, a Black woman, has been sentenced to six years in prison because of a voting error. Meanwhile, white individuals who are known to have committed blatant voter fraud have only received probation,” the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund said in a statement on Twitter.”
Woman avoids jail for voting dead mom’s ballot in Arizona
Hmmm….. and
GOP voter gets light sentence after casting ballot for deceased wife
“A white voter in Nevada cast an illegal ballot for his dead wife. He received a vastly lighter sentence than Crystal Mason. This keeps happening.”
“But let’s also spare a thought for Crystal Mason, who cast a provisional ballot in the 2016 elections while on supervised release for a federal conviction. She didn’t know she was ineligible to vote, and her ballot was never counted, but Mason — a Black woman — was convicted of illegal voting and sentenced to five years in prison.
It’s hard not to notice that white guys like Donald Kirk Hartle, Robert Richard Lynn, Edward Snodgrass, and Bruce Bartman received vastly more lenient sentences, despite the fact that they knowingly hatched schemes to cast illegal ballots on behalf of dead relatives.”
Hmmm……
This is bad:
The Freedom to Vote Act (S. 2747): Selected Major Provisions
A BY THE NUMBERS LOOK AT VOTER SUPPRESSION IN 2021
“At least 19 states passed 34 bills into law restricting voting access, including Texas’ Senate Bill 1, which banned drive-thru and 24-hour voting, made it more difficult for disabled Texans to vote, and prohibited election officials from sending out unsolicited mail ballot applications.
At least 49 states saw legislatures introduce some sort of legislation to restrict voting access.
More than a third of all restrictive voting laws enacted since 2011 were passed this year, and they were the most restrictive laws in a decade according to The Brennan Center for Justice.
Texas was also among six states in 2021 to enact politically motivated reviews or audits of the 2020 presidential election.”
Lincoln County looks to eliminate all polling places but one
“Relocating voters from the county’s seven precincts to a single location will make voting “easier and more accessible” and eliminate the need to transport voting equipment and staff the remaining sites, according to a news release. Community members disagreed.
“Lincoln County is a very rural county. Some people live as far as 23 miles from the city of Lincolnton,” said Denise Freeman, an activist and former Lincoln County school board member. “This is not about convenience for the citizens. This is about control. This is about the good old boys wanting to do what they’ve always done, which is power and control.”
The move was made possible after the Georgia General Assembly passed legislation earlier this year disbanding the Lincoln County Board of Elections. The chief sponsor of Senate bills 282 and 283 was Sen. Lee Anderson, R-Grovetown, whose district includes Lincoln County. The newly-appointed board agreed to move forward with the “consolidation” plan and was expected to vote on it last week, but appeared to lack a quorum, several said.”
Gov. Greg Abbott’s pick for top Texas election post worked with Trump to fight 2020 results
Republicans in the States Are Proving Joe Manchin Wrong
CNN Exclusive: Hundreds of faith leaders demand more from Biden and other Democrats on voting rights legislation
New Texas voting laws, political maps could once again require federal approval under U.S. House bill named after John Lewis
In the 1950s, blacks wanting to register to vote had their names and addressed posted in the local newspaper. Now people that vote in Democratic primaries will be targeted,
Trump loyalists are knocking on voters’ doors in the latest quest to find fraud in the 2020 election
We are still waiting for this to pass the Senate and become law!
Anger sets in among Dems as voting rights push stalls
5. Mapped: Voting rights for 2022
This is straight out of the dictator’s playbook!
University of Florida’s response:
“UNIVERSITY STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND FREE SPEECH
University of Florida
October 30, 2021
Recent news reports have indicated the University of Florida denied requests of some faculty members to participate in a lawsuit over the state of Florida’s new election laws.
The University of Florida has a long track record of supporting free speech and our faculty’s academic freedom, and we will continue to do so. It is important to note that the university did not deny the First Amendment rights or academic freedom of professors Dan Smith, Michael McDonald and Sharon Austin. Rather, the university denied requests of these full-time employees to undertake outside paid work that is adverse to the university’s interests as a state of Florida institution.”
In other words, GOP Donors and Governor DeSantis threatening to take away money trumps Voting Rights. It is a shame that here in America we have to fight for Democracy!
Ken Paxton’s beefed-up 2020 voter fraud unit closed 16 minor cases, all in Harris County
Over 2 In 3 Americans Voted Using Methods GOP Trying To Restrict, Census Data Shows
It is AMAZING what some people will say!
Georgia Secretary of State Declares Pandemic ‘Gone’ and Expanded Voting Access Over
Alabama
If you live in Alabama: Too poor to vote: How Alabama’s ‘new poll tax’ bars thousands of people from voting
Alabama Closing Many DMV Offices in Majority Black Counties
Alabama’s DMV Shutdown Has Everything to Do With Race
As it turns out … Bentley’s driver’s license closures were racial, after all
Voters In Alabama’s Largest County Could Have Their Ballots Thrown Out After A Court Ruled Instructions They Were Sent Are No Longer Valid
Don’t Blame Black Voters If Roy Moore Wins. Blame Alabama’s Secretary of State.
What Black Voters Had to Overcome to Vote in Alabama
Reports of Voter Suppression Tactics Pour In From Alabama Election
Black Turnout in Alabama Complicates Debate on Voting Laws
Seven Ways Alabama Has Made It Harder to Vote
July 1, 2021 – MLK, John Lewis and LBJ are rolling over in their graves!
Conservative high court upholds state voting restrictions
Voters Deserve Fair Elections
Myth of Voter Fraud
Debunking the Voter Fraud Myth
Annotated Guide to the For the People Act of 2021
Georgia
Republicans Plot Elections Takeover in One of Georgia’s Most Democratic Counties
Republicans are putting America’s democracy in mortal danger, more than 100 scholars warn
Polling places for urban voters of color would be cut under Texas Senate’s version of voting bill being negotiated with House
June 25, 2013: Shelby County v. Holder
Shelby County v. Holder
Report: Supreme Court ruling caused mass polling place closures across Southern USA
The US Eliminated Nearly 21,000 Election Day Polling Locations for 2020
Polling Places in Black Communities Continue to Close Ahead of November Elections
Southern U.S. states have closed 1,200 polling places in recent years: rights group
Which US states make it hardest to vote?
Tennessee Made It Harder to Register Voters. Activists Consider What’s Next.
Some Dirty Words (HBO)
Republican voter suppression efforts were banned for decades. Here’s what changed.
29 Ways Trump and the GOP Are Making It Harder to Vote
A great thread on the GOP and 2020 Voter Suppression
Judges nominated by President Trump play key role in upholding voting limits ahead of Election Day
Trump confronts his 50 percent problem
This is WRONG!
Georgia GOP went from Suppressing the Vote to Changing who is in charge of COUNTING the VOTE and how the VOTES can be MANIPULATED.
READ the Georgia bill! Learn the FACTS!
MLB Moves All-Star Game To Colorado Amid Uproar Over Georgia Voting Law
Texas is following Georgia’s lead, wants to control who COUNTS the votes,
State Voting Laws
Voting Laws Roundup: January 2021
Mississippi governor vows to ‘do everything in my power’ to prevent expansion of mail-in, early voting
There are still tens of thousands of military absentee ballots yet to be counted
Awesome AND Bad!
In big states, tiny counties, Trump attacking voting rules
Editorial: Abbott’s order closing ballot drop-off sites is voter suppression — plain and simple.
Good News!
Bad News!
WOW!
Vote By Mail, Explained
Early voting by state
https://www.betterknowaballot.com/
You can not make this up!
Top Philadelphia elections official warns of “electoral chaos” over “naked ballots”
North Carolina Is Already Rejecting Black Voters’ Mail-In Ballots More Often Than White Voters’
Trump tells his supporters to break the law, commit Voter Fraud
Voting & COVID-19
1946 Mississippi
Trump is determined to rig this election, defraud voters and thwart the will of the people
Trump Chief-of-Staff Mark Meadows: Lack of Evidence of Mail-In Voting Fraud Is the ‘Definition of Fraud’
Republicans have insufficient evidence to call elections ‘rigged’ and ‘fraudulent’
Trump opposes election aid for states and Postal Service bailout, threatening Nov. 3 vote
Supreme Court Allows Rhode Island To Make Voting By Mail Easier Amid Pandemic
Postal Service warns 46 states their voters could be disenfranchised by delayed mail-in ballots
Fear of COVID-19 will not be reason to vote absentee in November, Tennessee Supreme Court rules
Trump claims right to issue executive order on vote-by-mail
VOTE!
We need to start preparing for the November election — now
Part of the plan:
More False Mail-In Ballot Claims from Trump
Trump is flat-out wrong. Mail-in voting is safer, not vulnerable to fraud, like he says | Opinion
A preview of November?
Georgia election ‘catastrophe’ in largely minority areas sparks investigation
Georgia, Nevada still counting ballots after day of voting problems
Key Georgia primaries to be decided after ‘unacceptable’ voting problems
A Trump election conspiracy collapses
‘It’s Partly On Me’: GOP Official Says Fraud Warnings Hamper Vote-By-Mail Push
Inside Wisconsin’s Election Mess: Thousands of Missing or Nullified Ballots
Wisconsin appeals court overturns ruling ordering voter purge
Trump, RNC announce $10 million plan to battle Dems on voting lawsuits
Some Dirty Words (HBO):
Voting is a RIGHT! NOT a Privilege!
Florida can’t bar felons from vote over fines and fees, court rules
Florida Supreme Court legalizes a Parole Poll Tax:
Florida’s Supreme Court Says Ex-Felons Must Pay Fines Before Regaining the Vote
The GOP is campaigning against voting — and it’s winning in some states
S. 1828 (115th): Weekend Voting Act
19 maps and charts that explain voting rights in America
Activist: ‘We’re the first generation of Americans to witness America become less Democratic’
There are stark racial disparities in voting times. Here’s how to fix them.
Federal judge to block latest North Carolina voter ID mandate
‘They’d never let black folk be in charge’: How voter suppression, confusion and fear sideline minorities in rural Georgia
Federal judge won’t undo Georgia voter purge
Do voter identification laws suppress minority voting? Yes. We did the research.
A Dead-Simple Algorithm Reveals the True Toll of Voter ID Laws
What We Know About Voter ID Laws
WOW!!!
REPUBLICANS TRADITIONALLY SUPPRESS VOTERS, TRUMP ADVISER SAYS IN RECORDING BEFORE WALKING BACK REMARKS
Trump top adviser: ‘Traditionally, it’s always been Republicans suppressing votes’
Judge orders state to purge more than 200,000 Wisconsin voters from the rolls
New Jersey Governor Signs Bills Restoring Voting Rights To More Than 80,000 People
Kentucky governor restores former felons’ voting rights
Precinct closures harm voter turnout in Georgia, AJC analysis finds
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp ordered to answer questions in election lawsuit
House Votes to Restore the Voting Rights Act
How to Fight Voter Suppression Nationwide
This is WRONG!
Does DeSantis want to void Amendment 4? His lawyers suggest yes, he does
Wait! Remember?
Florida voters will be able to restore voting rights to over a million former felons in November
Some Dirty Words (HBO – John Oliver)
https://www.miamirights.com/
A Chance to Revive the Voting Rights Act
Misinformation Efforts Over Kentucky Vote Could Be Playbook for 2020
Letter: 150,000-plus voters placed on ‘inactive list’
Judge rules to restore 165,000 ‘inactive’ Kentucky voters back to regular voting rolls
Voting Rights Act Takes Hit by Supreme Court
Before 2020: Upgrade voting systems, restore Voting Rights Act, end voter suppression
It is up to US to get Congress to write a new Act: http://vrafortoday.org/
Mitch McConnell is right. Secure, open elections would elect more Democrats.
Study: Voters in black neighborhoods face longer wait times
We have no Voting Rights Act!
Judge blocks Tennessee law restricting voter registration drives
MITCH MCCONNELL RECEIVED DONATIONS FROM VOTING MACHINE LOBBYISTS BEFORE BLOCKING ELECTION SECURITY BILLS
Top Voting Machine Vendor Admits It Installed Remote-Access Software on Systems Sold to States
Culling Voter Rolls: Battling Over Who Even Gets to Go to the Polls
Study finds higher rates of voter roll purging in states with histories of racial discrimination
With renewed vigor, U.S. top court scrutinizes curbs on voting
Please register to Vote! VOTE.ORG
Some dirty words (HBO):
