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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGOP MAKING DEMOCRACY A CRIME FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR
SINISTER: GOP MAKING DEMOCRACY A CRIME FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR
After an election loss and years of mass demonstrations, Republican states are rushing to create new crimes related to voting and protesting.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/republicans-anti-protest-laws-voting-restrictions_n_60d5f163e4b0b6b5a165ac1a
UCmeNdc
(9,600 posts)Georgia law that created multiple new crimes related to voting. So we cant protest, and you cant vote, because theyve created five new crimes and injected so much confusion into the system. What does that mean for the society that we will live in?
TigressDem
(5,125 posts)THE party will be in charge of everything.
How you vote.
Who can vote.
What you will vote when you vote.
Otherwise, stay home or go to jail.
My mind is reeling. I hope we can squash this but I don't know how when all we have is the right to protest or form another Constitutional Congress and submit a Petition of Grievance to abolish ALL these type of laws.
It's like people "woke up" and said STOP!! The laws are being used to systematically promote racism.
Then the GOP said, "OH. You think so, huh? How about we REALLY make the laws completely racist? Watch us. You thought it was bad before. We are going to sew up things so bad you won't be able to cough without permission from the KKK. How is that?"
YoshidaYui
(41,831 posts)if some how the country got taken over by Republicans and they started to tear apart Democracy, I hope to be feeling some what safe in this state, except maybe if there is a war between Conservatives and Liberals they all might come out west... and start stuff... idk.
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)Try to pick one, and let's hear your argument that they're unequivocally 'racist'?
I think they are NOT being nearly so obvious as you suggest.
Its more insidious than "you won't be able to cough without permission from the KKK".
That's their trick, you see?
You can SAY their intent is 'racist' (and we DU'ers will agree) ... but you can't PROVE it.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)One doesn't need to produce a tape of the legislatures telling a Klan meeting "We passed a law to keep the nigras from voting, just like you wanted" to prove the law was passed with discriminatory intent.
A court can consider the totality of the circumstances - including the timing, demographic information, previous laws and turnouts, disparate impact, etc. and pretty easily conclude that the intent of the legislatures was to limit the franchise of minority voters
...
These legislative actions occurred at a time when the Black population in Georgia continues to steadily increase and after a historic election that saw record voter turnout across the state, particularly for absentee voting which Black voters are now more likely to use than white voters.
Our complaint challenges several provisions of SB 202 on the grounds that they were adopted with the intent to deny or abridge Black citizens equal access to the political process.
The provisions we are challenging reduce access to absentee voting at each step of the process, pushing more Black voters to in-person voting where they will be more likely than white voters to confront long lines. SB 202 then imposes additional obstacles to casting an in-person ballot.
Like all of the provisions in SB 202, the changes to absentee voting were not made in a vacuum. These changes come immediately after successful absentee voting in the 2020 election cycle, especially among Black voters. SB 202 seeks to halt and reverse this progress.
First, the law prohibits election officials from distributing unsolicited applications for absentee ballots as they did during 2020.
The law irrationally shortens both the period during which voters can request absentee ballots and the period during which election officials can mail them out to voters. In the 2020 election cycle, a voter in Georgia could request an absentee ballot up to 180-days before an election and up until the Friday before Election Day.
Under SB 202, the state moved the deadline for requesting an absentee ballot by a week, a critical time period close to Election Day, where data shows that Black voters are more likely than white voters to request an absentee ballot.
SB 202 imposes substantial fines on third-party organizations, churches, and advocacy groups that send follow up absentee ballot applications, and requires new and unnecessarily stringent identification requirements to obtain an absentee ballot.
We are also challenging a provision of SB 202 that places restrictions on drop boxes and would limit access and ease of voter participation. In the 2020 elections and the 2021 run-off election, the Georgia State Election Board allowed voters to drop off absentee ballots in drop boxes. This method of voting was widely deployed in the metro Atlanta area where the largest Black voting age population in Georgia resides.
During the 2020 election cycle, the four most populous counties in the metro Atlanta area provided over 100 drop box locations for voters. Under the bill, that number is expected to drop to roughly twenty.
The drafters of SB 202 did not stop their efforts at making absentee voting more difficult. Historically, minority voters in Georgia have been disproportionately more likely to wait in long lines to vote in-person on Election Day.
Given those long and protracted wait times, civic groups -- including churches -- have at times provided food and water to voters in line to make their wait more comfortable. SB 202 bans the distribution of food and drinks to voters in line. As we allege in our complaint, this needless ban was passed with unlawful discriminatory intent.
Finally, our complaint challenges a provision of SB 202 that reduces the likelihood that out of precinct provisional ballots will be counted. Its well documented that communities of color change residences more frequently than other populations. And because of this greater residential mobility, and polling site closures and consolidations, Black voters are more likely to end up at the wrong precinct on Election Day. SB 202 reduces the chances that those eligible voters will have their ballot counted.
Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, one of our nations bedrock civil rights statutes, prohibits the enforcement of any voting practice or procedure that has the purpose of denying or abridging the vote on account of race, color or membership in a language minority group.
As we allege today, SB 202 violates this federal law. The Attorney General has made clear that the Justice Department will not stand idly by in the face of unlawful attempts to restrict access to the ballot. Todays filing demonstrates the commitment to this charge.
https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/assistant-attorney-general-kristen-clarke-delivers-remarks-announcing-lawsuit-against
---Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)That said, I agree with most all of KC's assertions, and I hope the court(s) see the reasoning as we three do.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)But those allegations will be proven in court with testimony and documentary evidence.
Trust me - they haven't alleged anything they cannot prove conclusively.
TigressDem
(5,125 posts)THIS HAPPENED. SO because we are trying to show the proof of these kinds of past practises, DeSantis has outlawed telling that KIND of truth by making people show their political stripes so he can dismiss them or cut funding.
https://www.mnrealtor.com/blogs/mnr-news1/2020/10/01/mapping-the-legacy-of-racism-in-twin-cities-real-e
https://www.minnpost.com/metro/2019/02/with-covenants-racism-was-written-into-minneapolis-housing-the-scars-are-still-visible/
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=8b6ba2620ac5407ea7ecfb4359132ee4
He's BANNED the teaching of Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project
https://apnews.com/article/florida-race-and-ethnicity-government-and-politics-education-74d0af6c52c0009ec3fa3ee9955b0a8d
SO when you eliminate the truth tellers ability to tell the truth all you have remaining is the propaganda machines.
It IS early and hopefully we can squash it somehow, but if you can't tell the truth and the people in power don't care about you only that they HAVE the power things historically head in a bad direction.
WE CAN PROVE that he is outlawing telling the truth.
WHAT we need to do is MAKE that a codified part of the law that you can not OUTLAW telling the truth.
It seems like you wouldn't have to do that, but... apparently we do.
madaboutharry
(40,212 posts)They dont believe in democracy. There isnt anything left to say.
roamer65
(36,745 posts)S-E-C-E-S-S-I-O-N.
We are not staying around for this fascism bullshit.
vercetti2021
(10,156 posts)Sadly that's the only outcome I see if it gets really bad here.
roamer65
(36,745 posts)vercetti2021
(10,156 posts)Long as the rich get their dark money and keep the uneducated stupid and poor, they'll convince them the only way they'll be happy and rich is to kill liberals in blue states and in blue cities.
wnylib
(21,485 posts)we are headed. I sure hope that I'm wrong.
Dan
(3,568 posts)How the Red States land mass fights against the Blue States population.
roamer65
(36,745 posts)wnylib
(21,485 posts)have someone collect ballots from people in far flung, widely separated areas, use vans and mini vans or buses to pick people up and take them to voting sites. And have the vans/buses escorted to protect them from being run off the road.
I remember reading that a few people on reservations in Arizona road horses to voting sites in 2020. Sounds good to me.
TigressDem
(5,125 posts)Also, how about people just drive buses in and bring the voters to the polls?
Of course, they will try to outlaw that too.
Sigh.
AZLD4Candidate
(5,698 posts)They will arrest everyone and anyone they can because, and I can't believe I'm saying this phrase to describe something in the USA,they are "just doing their jobs" and "just following orders."
gordianot
(15,238 posts)The Party of Lincoln no less are now the Party of oppressors, liars and cheats. I drew the line in my family it is about who you are and who you want to be. Truth matters and in my 70 years on Earth it has never been clearer thanks to a life long study of History. Rail against truth all you want I will not go along with your lies.
JustAnotherGen
(31,828 posts)Is on it. The GOP was so rotten during her confirmation hearing for a reason. She's FINALLY confirmed and a few weeks later . . .
Puts GA Senate and Governor on notice . . . I'm coming for you.
When the GOP pushes back on Democratic appointment - its because they know they are going to be effective.