Stop Voter Suppresion

While debating the outcome of the 2016 Presidential Election,  many of us overlooked the 2013 Supreme Court decision in Shelby County vs. Holder that gutted the historic 1965 Voting Rights Act.  The high court struck down a key provision of the law that required states with a history of voter suppression, such as poll taxes or literacy tests, to get Federal approval before making changes to their election laws.  As a result, state after state enacted voter ID restrictions or measures like Georgia's "exact match," which dilute voter participation among minority groups and the elderly,  who usually vote Democrat.  To prevent a similar occurrence in 2020, Democrats, or anyone who cares about democracy, must get involved.

We captivated the world in 2008 with a ground game that elected the first black president.  We went from door-to-door registering voters, staged unbelievable rallies, used the internet to our advantage, and got supporters to the polls.  Today we must take it further due to an unprecedented attack on American democracy in the post-Civil Rights era.

Democrats and moderates alike must beef up their representation at the State and local level, where decisions regarding voter rights or the opportunity to vote get decided.  The party in power decides how elections will be governed or who will be the next Supreme Court justice.  Yes, it is great to win the presidency. However, we cannot overlook governorships, secretary of state positions, and control of state legislatures cannot be overstated in the fight for voting rights since the modern Republican Party sees it as a hindrance. 

Voters should also be informed of changes to voting laws in their state no matter how trivial or ridiculous they seem, even if it means going from door-to-door again, lobbying college campuses or transit stations.  If voter IDs are required or if  "exact-match" is the new normal,  those desiring to vote should be well prepared ahead of time and not caught off guard at the last minute or misinformed.  This will make elections run smoother.

When all else fails,  Democrats and others who value a democratic society should take their message to the courts where Bush and Obama-era judges, as the president likes calling them, can render the final verdict.  Archaic measures like "exact-match" must be appealed to the Federal bench, and for those elections are not carried out fairly, the losing candidate should be allowed to seek redress or declare that the outcome be thrown out and a new race declared as was the case in a recent Congressional election in North Carolina.  This would shake up the system and prompt conservatives to think twice before engaging in dirty tricks in the future.

Republicans think they cannot win fair and square elections due to shifting demographics.  Thus, they engage in the tactics of the old Confederacy instead of reaching out to broaden their base. True Patriots must block their path in the New Jim Crow.