Voter Suppression in Full Effect: Part 1
What was once a problem in mostly Southern States is now a national issue.
Since the Supreme Court found Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act unconstitutional in 2013, voter suppression tactics have increased all over the country at an alarming rate.
For those unfamiliar with Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, it was the section that required States with a history of racial discrimination to seek clearance from the Department of Justice when changing election laws. The 2013 ruling allowed many States, mostly Southern, to change their laws without the use of strict guidelines.
The last election in 2016, was the first official election in 50 years to be conducted without the full protections of the Voting Rights Act.
Since then, many States have used the opportunity to suppress voting rights using many tactics. Voters have been purged from voter rolls, have been denied the right to register using trivial new rules, and polling places are being closed in poorer, largely minority voting districts and counties.
Communities that are largely progressive are feeling the brunt of these suppression tactics. Although none have drawn the attention that Georgia has in comparison.
Over the summer many were outraged at the idea of closing polling places in Randolph County, Georgia. The national attention about the potential closures was overwhelming and on August 24, the Randolph County Board of Elections voted 2-0 to save those precincts. Preserving access to the polls for about 1,700 registered voters.
While victory was declared over the battle to suppress votes in Randolph County, voters trying to preserve their local precincts are losing the war as voting locations are vanishing across Georgia and many other states.
In Georgia, county election officials have closed 214 precincts across the state since 2012. That figure means nearly 8 percent of the state’s polling places, from fire stations to schools, have shut their doors over the past six years.
Voting rights activists have rightfully claimed that poll closures are an attempt to suppress turnout by African-American and Latino voters. Local election officials claim that they’re saving taxpayer money by consolidating precincts at a time when more voters are taking advantage of early voting. Again, these precincts have been eliminating polling places without federal government oversight.
The Supreme Court ruling removed requirements under the Voting Rights Act for local governments to obtain federal clearance before making changes to voting practices, such as closing precincts. It was a requirement created specifically to prevent discrimination in states with a history of measures aimed at preventing minorities from voting.
Georgia doesn’t monitor the closure of polling places either. The Secretary of State’s Office is unable to provide any numbers regarding how many precincts had been eliminated polling places.
In fact, one-third of Georgia’s counties (53 of 159) have fewer precincts today than they did in 2012. Of those counties that have closed voting locations, 39 have poverty rates that are higher than the state average and thirty have significant African-American populations, making up at least 25 percent of residents.
Local election officials responsible for closing polling places contend that those locations are too expensive, underused, or inaccessible to people with disabilities. Under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, those communities would have had to show that those changes aimed at saving money would not disenfranchise minorities. Now, there are no such federal protections.
Additionally, forcing voters into different voting environments also affects their willingness to vote. The number of polling places in any county can have a significant impact on voters. Changing the location of polling places lowers voter turnout according to a 2011 study in the American Political Science Review.
People of color can be intimidated, just as White people would be, by being forced to vote outside of their respective communities. However, polling places in White communities aren’t being affected in this way.
There are also efforts underway in counties in Illinois, Kansas, Mississippi, Ohio, and Wisconsin to move thousands of voters to new locations. The supposed primary driver for closing some of these polling places is a tight local budget. But it’s clear what the motives behind these closures are.
But fewer polling places also lead to longer lines and longer lines dissuade people from voting. Knowing this, election officials can change the outcome of any election by manipulating polling places.
In Florida, officials are using these same tactics to target college students. A federal judge ruled in July that election officials, at the direction of Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott, “revealed a stark pattern of discrimination” by blocking early voting at the state’s college and university campuses.
Survivors of the Parkland, Florida massacre have led massive registration drives throughout the State. With so many young people registered to vote in a state known for inaction on everything from Climate Change to Gun Control, these young voters are seen as a threat to establishment Republicans.
It’s clear that Florida state officials are trying to block these first-time voters from getting access to the ballot.
These voter suppression tactics are no longer limited to the Southern States as they once were. Since striking down Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, many more states across the country have adopted similar tactics.
In Indiana, Republican Secretary of State Connie Lawson removed 170 mostly Democratic voting precincts from Lake County - home to the state’s largest Latino and second-largest Black communities.
In Kansas, voters in Barton County will now have to drive 18 miles to vote in the upcoming midterm election because of polling place consolidation.
In the past three decades, that county has gone from 40 polling places to 11. County Clerk Donna Zimmerman continues to claim that the main reasons for these closures are costs. We all know it has nothing to do with cost and everything to do with voter representation.
When local officials attempt to close polling places in minority neighborhoods, as they tried in Randolph County, Georgia, they force Black and Latino voters to travel farther to vote. To vote in an environment they may find threatening. Majority-white neighborhoods.
Polling places are being used as political tools just as they were prior to the Voting Rights Act. According to Andrea Young, the executive director of the Georgia chapter of the ACLU, poll closings target super voters. Voters who consistently vote and depend on routine and comfort in the voting process.
As of this writing, some of the states mentioned in this article have closed over 1,000 polling places in largely minority communities since 2013:
- Texas closed 403
- Georgia closed 214
- Arizona closed 202
- Indiana closed 170
- Louisiana closed 103
This is unacceptable. The only way to beat it is by playing their game and making ALL of our voices heard. We do that at the voting booth no matter how many no-color having folks try to intimidate us.
Looking for a place to vote? Check out the polling place locator at Vote.org. They have state by state lists of polling places where you can vote.
Need a ride to the voting booth? Contact Uber, Lyft, or your preferred candidate’s offices to ensure you make it to the polls. If you have to, organize your own ride-share service and get everyone in your community to the polls.
DO NOT be intimidated. Show up in groups, bring your friends, family, and neighbors.
If I have to go to a White neighborhood, which I do, I’m bringing a gang of Brown and Black, young and old folks with me. You can bet on that.
If they want to make it harder for us, so be it. They’ve made everything else harder for us and we fight through it every single day. Keep fighting and get out there and VOTE!
Change won’t happen without our voices being heard. The most powerful weapons we have are not bullets, they are our votes.
We need all hands on deck.
America needs us all.
Vote like your life depends on it, because for some of us it does. Vote for the benefit of the greater good because it helps us all. Vote for the benefit of our communities, because they’re all we got left.
