Making Caging Lists Legal in 2006 - Bringing Jim Crow Back

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

Please forward this to your lists.

A group of southern Republican Congressmen(and Women) launched
an attack on the Voting Rights Act, hoping to render it toothless:

Please make a quick telephone call to US House Speaker Dennis
Hastert and urge him to RENEW THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT NOW.

Call toll-free 866-808-0065.

VOTING RIGHTS ACT NAILED TO BURNING CROSS
call Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert to
RENEW THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT NOW

Behind the “Delay” in Renewing Law is Scheme for Theft of ‘08
White Sheets Changed for Spreadsheets

by Greg Palast
For The Guardian
June 23, 2006

Don’t kid yourself. The Republican Party’s decision yesterday to “delay” the renewal of the Voting Rights Act has not a darn thing to do with objections of the Republican’s White Sheets Caucus..

In the 2004 Presidential race, the GOP ran a massive multi-state, multi-million-dollar operation to challenge the legitimacy of Black, Hispanic and Native-American voters. The methods used broke the law -- the Voting Rights Act. And while the Bush Administration's Civil Rights Division grinned and looked the other way, civil rights lawyers are circling, preparing to sue to stop the violations of the Act before the 2008 race.

Therefore, Republicans have promised to no longer break the law -- not by going legit … but by eliminating the law.

More here... http://www.gregpalast.com/voting-rights-act-nailed-to-burning-cross-2

How it is going down, and who is doing it - the good old boy southern GOP'ers:

From Students United for a Responsible Global Environment -
www.surgenetwork.org

The 1965 Voting Rights Act was scheduled for a vote for renewal
this week,until a group of Southern Republicans, including Rep. Virginia Foxx
and Rep. Patrick McHenry from NC, convinced the House Speaker to stop
the vote.

Please make a quick telephone call to US House Speaker Dennis
Hastert and urge him to RENEW THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT NOW.

Call toll-free 866-808-0065.

Renewal of key parts of this law --our most effective tool for fair
elections and against discrimination -- is backed by a huge coalition.

It passed the House Judiciary Comm by a 33-to-1 vote. The Speaker says he wants
it to pass,but here comes a group of Southern whites who think it "harms" the
South. They think discrimination has ended and there's no reason to keep
parts of the law that protect minority voters....

Our own NC Board of Elections officials say the law is useful, not
a burden and should be renewed.

http://www.votingrightsact.org
http://www.votingrights.org/advocacy/?resourceID=68

Democracy North Carolina
http://www.democracy-nc.org

*Note - I spoke with an assistant to NC Rep Virginia Foxx (R), Bob Honald,
and he advised that Foxx wanted to make sure that English was the only language
printed on the ballots etc.

At Least two provisions of the Voting Rights Act that are in jeopardy:

There is a requirement for what is called "Justice counties" of which several
southern state counties are in.
This requires these counties to get justice approval before we change precinct lines, district lines, polling places, etc.
They submit a whole lot of information such as maps, voter registration data, statistics, etc.,
and they look to make sure that the changes will not negatively impact minority voters
and are not going to have a discriminatory effect.

This is a good provision and although it is a LOT of paperwork and in
general a pain in the ass, the oversight is good because it does provide
an added layer of protection.
It would be helfpul if the bureaucratic paperwork and time frame for doing all this could be shortened.

Another section in jeopardy is the one in which it requires counties
with a significant minority population to either print ballots
(or instructions) in the voters native language.

For instance, in some counties, some of their towns, and in some precincts
there are over 10% Hispanic voters.
In those precincts we are required by this law to have the ballot
instructions in English and spanish.

Those are the two main parts at least that are in jeopardy of expiring.

This could be disastrous, because even though many/most don't engage
in discriminatory practices, other places might and the oversight is necessary.

Some advocates would like to have all counties in the country subject to the law.

[EFerrari]

1. WHY THE F DOES THIS POST ONLY HAVE 3 VOTES?

:wtf:

GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND PRESS A KEY

[Pachamama]

3. Off my butt and pressing the key now....

:hi:

PS: This news is indeed disturbing....Gawd, does it ever end?

[EFerrari]

4. No, we have to outlast it. Thank you, Pachamama!

:hug:

[Heywood J]

17. Because of this:

"Error: you can only recommend threads which were started in the past 24 hours"
So, if I don't get to Friday's topic until today because of work, I can't recommend it at all?

[Kurovski]

2. The fifth vote, and on to greatest...where it belongs.

[EFerrari]

5. OT because it's really late

[Kurovski]

10. What's OT? Occupational Therapy?

[EFerrari]

13. LOL! Yes, it is. Also, off topic.

[Kurovski]

14. This is also off topic...

:loveya:

[bobbieinok]

6. remember when blacks would worry abt Voting Rights Act being

done away with and everyone would say 'Oh don't be so paranoid, nothing's going to happen to the act??' Of course, few realized then that there was a group working hard to delete all the gains of the 60s Civil Rights Movement. Because, you know, the Civil Rights Movement and the Women's Liberation Movement of the 60s destroyed the natural order of things, the real 'traditional American values.'

BTW, in 2002, the OK republican candidates for each state and federal office emphasized that the republican party supported 'traditional OK values.' I read that the very first law passed by the new state (OK became a state in 1907) was a Jim Crow law; so indeed, the republicans support 'traditional OK values' of racial prejudice and discrimination.

[nolies32fouettes]

7. K and r. I posted on caging too. Google might pick it up &

that might help spread the word.

http://www.progressiveu.org/115540-republican-national-strategy-of-voter-discrimination-want-to-see-somethig-horrible

[eomer]

8. K & R. The VRA is so important because it gives legal redress

based on the effects of actions without a requirement to prove intent (IANAL but that's my understanding). So many of the GOP tricks use the traditional "OOPS, I didn't realize that would disenfranchise anybody" approach that this tool is very important.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

12. we need to get this out to the groups it most directly hurts

I am thinking the latino and all minority populations -

My states SBOE is happy to provide the translated materials and has
not asked to stop.

We have counties that are Jim Crow counties, and election officials tell
me that we need the Voting Rights Act still.

What is our strategy for dealing with this, in addition to getting the word out?

Hmmm. ideas?

[eShirl]

9. republican agenda: erase the 20th century (n/t)

[Kurovski]

11. Well, not ALL of the 20th century...

Compassionate conservatism=friendly fascism.

[tinfoil tiaras]

15. Republicans want this done away with for one reason

most blacks vote for democrats.

Disenfranchizing blacks in every election is TOO HARD to do sometimes. They've pulled out the big guns now.

This is sad. MLK and all the other (deceased) civil rights leaders have to be rolling over in their graves now... :( :(

[Einsteinia]

16. What is "caging"? I forget.

n/t

[Kurovski]

18. Wikipedia says...

Caging is a technique of voter suppression. In caging, a political party challenges the validity of a voter's registration; for the voter's ballot to be counted, the voter must prove that their registration is valid.

Voters targeted by caging are often the most vulnerable: those who are unfamiliar with their rights under the law, and those who cannot spare the time, effort, and expense of proving that their registration is valid. Ultimately, caging works by dissuading a voter from casting a ballot, or by ensuring that they cast a provisional ballot, which is less likely to be counted.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caging_list

[Kurovski]

19. Kick.(nt)