Decades ago, laws were put into place specifically to keep minorities from voting, and to generally designate them as lesser. That was the #1 priority…fuck over black folks. Those laws would have been put into place even if it hurt the white folks enforcing them… eg 2 bathrooms/water fountains more expensive than 1. The goal was to fuck over minorities. The racism was malicious.
The current racist voter laws #1 priority is to help the party in elections. That is done by disenfranchising a specific demographic that largely votes democratic. It’s still a racist policy, but it’s not as malicious as the Jim crow laws of old. That’s the way I see it anyways. Idk i am clearly expressing the difference I see?
I am not convinced these are good tests to determine the qualifications of a voter. Until it is shown that these things are needed to produce “good” voters, I don’t think it is a valid argument.
I think the qualifications should be that the person is a citizen of the USA (and of course over 18). That is it.
I think these are good ideas. We devote federal resources to a ton of less important things. But I don’t like automatic registration for the reasons doogie laid out.
I don’t consider it a hoop to jump through. Voting is a choice, so I think registration needs to be a deliberate choice. The goal is not to disenfranchise anyone, as there are numerous places to register and registration goes on for months. A “hoop” would be a deliberately annoying and useless bureaucratic requirement to fill… Not unlike a number of things the IRS requires…
I don’t see registration as being a critical component of democracy. I think other methods could be employed to ensure a secure election. I think some methods could make voting easier while not sacrificing security. Why would we not do this if we value democracy?
I don’t think registration is a critical component of democracy, no. There are many many more important components. And I do believe that we should make it easier for people to get off work to go vote without endangering their employment. I do think in general more availability for polling places and times is a great thing. And I of course don’t want to sacrifice security.
However, I do think we want to ensure that the people who vote are at least motivated enough for a basic level of agency on their own. There is a reason, not that I agree with the original restrictions ( I don’t), but there is a reason that the founding fathers restricted voting out of concern.
I am sure that trolling voters exist regardless, but I feel like automatic registration and mailing of ballots would simply make the trolling jobs easier. More to the point though, people simply don’t respect what they get for free.
Nope. But the intent of the move is clear. Federal judges threw out some of North Carolina’s moves because they ruled they were aimed at suppressing the minority vote. Of course none of the GOP will admit this and it will easily be defended as not a big deal. But it’s not an accident or anything. Traditionally red state loses in some key spots and now you’re going to see this all across the states. Two ways for the GOP to win elections. 1. Appeal to more people. 2. Lower the amount of people who vote for the other side.
It’s not like Harris County people couldn’t vote in other ways this year. Of course they could. But when did Republicans sue? Once it became obvious that Democrat turnout in that area was going to be very high.
I mean they weren’ even trying to hide suppression there and so dismissing it with “well it’s not like they can’t vote other ways” is simply buying into it.
When the President said he needed to find 11,000 votes after he lost Georgia you can do that in a variety of ways moving forward. One is to figure out ways to lower turnout. You don’t need a ton. Just a bit here and there to add up.
I’m not aware of any stated reasons why. This is overturning a bill that Republicans previously passed. I believe the latest version may have been amended to allow one Sunday after enough complaints about the move. But the intent was obvious.
Our town couldn’t either for a while. But we’re talking about voting. And about curbing a day that many people have organized to vote on for years in groups that have been discriminated at the ballot box historically.
It sounds like you are trying to say that motivation to vote is a sign of an informed and / or intelligent voter. I am not sure I am convinced by that. I think cultural differences (long family history of voting) explain that motivation as well as say the intelligence or level of knowledge of the voter. Many Qanon folks voted after all.
Yes it would be nice if I had the power to make the warm bodies that do vote be in line with my thinking. Sadly we are a large country with many different viewpoints. And I have long ago accepted that people may want different things than I do.
I’m not sure what you’re attempting to suggest here. Can you not be for the vast majority of people voting and still want good for the country? Doesn’t seem as if we are stuck with one or the other.
Don’t you think that’s odd? You’ve probably read several articles on the issue, but NONE of them bothered to present the Republicans’ reasoning. I’ll bet everyone of the articles said it would affect Black voters more, even though we both know that the majority of people who attend church on Sunday in Georgia is more than likely White. I think it would be fine to vote on Sunday as long as any Church holding a Souls to the Polls event would be willing to be audited regularly and give up their tax exempt status if they were found to be advocating for specific parties or candidates.
I’m not saying it isn’t out there but I haven’t dug and dug around to see what they said. Well what reasoning can you think of for making the change? Just you and me. Clearly they didn’t have that strong of a reasoning if they changed it correct? Maybe they got tired of it being pointed out as an issue? Maybe they were worried like in North Carolina it may get struck down? I dunno.
I have no idea. I don’t think it matters. We aren’t discussing church attendance but voting. Voting on a day that has been historically used by black people to organize and vote. Again a constantly discriminated group when it comes to polling with a history of suppression tactics ever since being allowed.
Oh now you’re speaking my language. As the party that overwhelmingly benefits from evangelicals this is going to drive Republicans bonkers. And many of these places don’t get to be tax shelters for preachers who own mansions and jets? Places that worshipped Trump paying taxes? Auditing them?!
I’m all on board. You must be like me and wonder why “non profit” mega churches needed billions of bail out money. Must not have had the jet paid off.
