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[Sho_Nuff82]

http://www.thenation.com/article/th...e-supreme-court-gutted-the-voting-rights-act/

 Aracely Calderon, a naturalized citizen from Guatemala, arrived just before the polls closed at 7 pm in downtown Phoenix to vote in Arizona’s primary last night. “When Calderon arrived, the line spanned more than 700 people and almost 4 blocks,” the Arizona Republic reported. She waited in line for five hours, becoming the last voter in the state to cast a ballot at 12:12 am. “I’m here to exercise my right to vote,” she said shortly before midnight, explaining why she stayed in line.

But many other Arizonans left the polls in disgust. The lines were so long because election officials in Phoenix’s Maricopa County, the largest in the state, reduced the number of polling places by 70 percent from 2012 to 2016, from 200 to just 60—one polling place per every 21,000 voters.

 Election officials said they reduced the number of polling sites to save money—an ill-conceived decision that severely inconvenienced hundreds of thousands of voters. Previously, Maricopa County would have needed to receive federal approval for reducing the number of polling sites, because Arizona was one of 16 states where jurisdictions with a long history of discrimination had to submit their voting changes under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. This type of change would very likely have been blocked since minorities make up 40 percent of Maricopa County’s population and reducing the number of polling places would have left minority voters worse off. Section 5 blocked 22 voting changes from taking effect in Arizona since the state was covered under the VRA in 1975 for discriminating against Hispanic and Native American voters.

But after the Supreme Court gutted the VRA in 2013, Arizona could make election changes without federal oversight.

One of the bigger decisions that will define Scalia's legacy was helping to rip up the Voting Rights Act, allowing states with a history of disenfranchisement to, well, get back to it without federal oversight. Restricting voting days, restricting voting locations, increasing ID scrutiny; all designed to squeeze as many people out of the process as possible, especially in poor, student-filled, or minority areas.

 

[entremet]

This is why SCOTUS matters.

I read this in the NYT and it was infuriating.

Those Bush appointments were a disaster.

 

[NeOak]

Republican plans working as intended.

 

[Machina]

Establishment politics, ladies and gents. They don't like being threatened once they're "established".

 

[R10Neymarfan]

Disgusting. And shame on those in the Supreme Court that decided that VRA wasn't important in this "post-racial not needed" society. Shame on you Clarence Thomas especially

 

[TyrantII]

Remember folks, the GOP and the Clinton's are exactly the same.

Exactly.

Stop laughing at my drum circle.

 

[HK-47]

Remember folks, the GOP and the Clinton's are exactly the same.

Exactly.

Stop laughing at my drum circle.

I heard Hillary did Arizona though.

 

[legacyzero]

But "there's nothing wrong with the establishment", right?

I also keep hearing "But Hilary would have won it anyway". Maybe. But now we're playing a game of Delegate margins, so this is bullshit.

Also, CNN calling it for Hilary 5 minutes after results started rolling in.

Also, It's YOUR fault, voters, for getting in line.

 

[The Albatross]

Does the voting rights act cover primaries? Wasn't sure if the voting rights act covered primaries, which aren't actually federally regulated voting procedures, but rather the private nomination process for private organizations.

 

[Cat]

Yes, and it's terrible. The problem is widespread and should be addressed with more immediate concern than it is. Several states, including swing states, have enacted new voter ID laws or restrictions. I hope this issue continues to receive some much-needed attention this year. I doubt things will done before the actual GE, but they definitely should!

In the meantime, sadly, people will have to do their best with what they have in making sure they have any necessary ID, if applicable, and plan accordingly for when they will vote. I recommend early voting for anyone who can do it.

 

[JCX]

But "there's nothing wrong with the establishment", right?

I also keep hearing "But Hilary would have won it anyway". Maybe. But now we're playing a game of Delegate margins, so this is bullshit.

Also, CNN calling it for Hilary 5 minutes after results started rolling in.

Also, It's YOUR fault, voters, for getting in line.

Hilary decided to reduce the number of polling places in Arizona in order to win the primary?

 

[Arkeband]

This might come as no surprise, but Bernie has been speaking about this on social media, but Hillary has been silent, as far as I can tell. I feel like it would do a lot for her image to stand with Bernie on this.

 

[legacyzero]

Hilary decided to reduce the number of polling places in Arizona in order to win the primary?

Nowhere in my post did I say that.

 

[JCX]

Nowhere in my post did I say that.

what did you mean by "establishment"?

 

[Machina]

what did you mean by "establishment"?

Politicians who know they have plenty of connections in white America to give them a good chance at the election. No need to be concerned about a few million poor black people who are caught up in this mess.

 

[danm999]

Just another example of how Republicans and their political appointees are unfit to hold office.

 

[Zeus Molecules]

Disgusting. And shame on those in the Supreme Court that decided that VRA wasn't important in this "post-racial not needed" society. Shame on you Clarence Thomas especially

To be fair Clarence Thomas knows no shame..... just look at his sexual harassment history.

This is an issue that whatever democrat in the general election needs to emphasize so people understand why a liberal judge is needed to replace Scalia.

 

[Marvie_3]

I bet there was less voter fraud though.

 

[Tesseract]

anyone agree we need a balanced court?

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

Does the voting rights act cover primaries? Wasn't sure if the voting rights act covered primaries, which aren't actually federally regulated voting procedures, but rather the private nomination process for private organizations.

Even if it didn't, the shuttering of polling locations that would also be used for the general election would have been deemed unconstitutional under the old provisions.

As it stands, the VRA can be fixed...if the current Congress writes up a new formula for determining which states/jurisdictions are currently participating in voter disenfranchisement. I'm not holding my breath for this to be done in good faith; half of the current legislative branch is actively pushing for the very same legislation that causes the modern issues.

 

[Aylinato]

Politicians who know they have plenty of connections in white America to give them a good chance at the election. No need to be concerned about a few million poor black people who are caught up in this mess.

Republicans? Republicans.



If you think democrats want this, you must not know who supports democrats (more people voting helps them win) so it isn't just establishment and really just a republican problem.

 

[ampere]

This is why SCOTUS matters.

I read this in the NYT and it was infuriating.

Those Bush appointments were a disaster.

Yup

VOTE people. The next president very well may decide 2 Supreme Court appointments

Does the voting rights act cover primaries? Wasn't sure if the voting rights act covered primaries, which aren't actually federally regulated voting procedures, but rather the private nomination process for private organizations.

Primaries are run by the state, caucuses are run by the parties. So yea it does affect primaries (like it just did in Arizona)

 

[Squirrel Killer]

What a complete disgrace, Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell should be impeached or kicked out of office by whatever means Arizona law allows. Please tell me at the very least that someone will run against her the next time she's up for election. I know that there's more to the county recorders office than just elections, but it's a pretty damned important responsibility of theirs to fuck up this spectacularly.

I'm wondering what type of voting machines they use down there, I'm not finding anything specific on the recorder's site. Anyone know?

Also, It's YOUR fault, voters, for getting in line.

She says something in there that caught my ear, "We are required by law to have no more than half our normal polling locations." What a stupid fucking law. And I'm dumbfounded with her talking about planning based on previous elections, it doesn't take genius to realize turnout is going to be a bit bigger this time around with both parties in contested races and turnout being huge in the lead-up to this one.

That said, there was one good aspect of the election that she mentioned in her interview, that voters could vote at any polling location. That would be a great advancement for voting access if implemented well.

 

[tearsintherain]

don't less places hurt republicans too? Its not like there are seperate lines for R and D, I guess proportionally it affects big urban areas more than rural areas and urban areas tend to vote D more?

 

[soundahfekz]

Politicians who know they have plenty of connections in white America to give them a good chance at the election. No need to be concerned about a few million poor black people who are caught up in this mess.

Don't try to throw black people in there to patch up your shit assertion

 

[HK-47]

Disgusting. And shame on those in the Supreme Court that decided that VRA wasn't important in this "post-racial not needed" society. Shame on you Clarence Thomas especially

I dont think shame was in the Constitution so he probably doesnt know what it means.

 

[watershed]

How anyone (I'm seeing it more on facebook than here) can blame Hillary's campaign or the DNC for this is beyond me. The democrats, yes including the dreaded establishment democrats, have always been in favor of increasing the ease of voting and protecting voters' rights. This is not an "establishment" issue. This is the latest in a long line of republican voter suppression tactics.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

don't less places hurt republicans too? Its not like there are seperate lines for R and D, I guess proportionally it affects big urban areas more than rural areas and urban areas tend to vote D more?

Urban areas are overwhelmingly Democratic.

 

[StopMakingSense]

Urban areas are overwhelmingly Democratic.

Romney won Maricopa country by 8 points in 2012. To be sure, a couple Republicans I know in the Phoenix area were very kissed off and were unable to vote.

 

[Machina]

Don't try to throw black people in there to patch up your shit assertion

Well who the fuck else is this affecting?

 

[Suikoguy]

what did you mean by "establishment"?

*sigh*

I figured he would not answer your post. His post makes no sense. I'm getting really tired of "establishment" this and "establishment" that, it has to be defined anymore since it's lost all meaning.

 

[nabe_shogun]

don't less places hurt republicans too? Its not like there are seperate lines for R and D, I guess proportionally it affects big urban areas more than rural areas and urban areas tend to vote D more?

Yeah, pretty much all of the Phoenix metro area is in Maricopa county, even the outer suburbs and less dense areas.

 

[Pepboy]

How anyone (I'm seeing it more on facebook than here) can blame Hillary's campaign or the DNC for this is beyond me. The democrats, yes including the dreaded establishment democrats, have always been in favor of increasing the ease of voting and protecting voters' rights. This is not an "establishment" issue. This is the latest in a long line of republican voter suppression tactics.

It's not even clear to me why people think this would help Hilary in the primaries. Last I heard, she polled stronger among minorities than Sanders... so this probably hurt her more than him unless I am missing something.

 

[Mrbob]

What a complete disgrace, Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell should be impeached or kicked out of office by whatever means Arizona law allows. Please tell me at the very least that someone will run against her the next time she's up for election. I know that there's more to the county recorders office than just elections, but it's a pretty damned important responsibility of theirs to fuck up this spectacularly.

I'm wondering what type of voting machines they use down there, I'm not finding anything specific on the recorder's site. Anyone know?


She says something in there that caught my ear, "We are required by law to have no more than half our normal polling locations." What a stupid fucking law. And I'm dumbfounded with her talking about planning based on previous elections, it doesn't take genius to realize turnout is going to be a bit bigger this time around with both parties in contested races and turnout being huge in the lead-up to this one.

That said, there was one good aspect of the election that she mentioned in her interview, that voters could vote at any polling location. That would be a great advancement for voting access if implemented well.

Her interview on Chris Hayes tonight was interesting too. She has put all the blame on herself now but the damage is done. I can't believe she blamed the county voters for showing up to vote.

 

[Cipherr]

But "there's nothing wrong with the establishment", right?

Place the blame where it belongs. This aint got shit to do with this elections new buzzword "establishment". It has to do with the GOP. Establishment democrats want nothing to do with this nonsense.

Jesus Christ....

 

[User 463088]

While there is never, ever an excuse for the disgusting ways in which the GOP attempts to make it harder to vote....one possible take away from this? If your state allows you to vote early or by absentee....do it. There's no reason not to. Arizona had nearly a month of early voting that was open to anyone. There are going to be fewer lines, and if there is a problem with your registration, you may have more time to get it straightened out.

 

[Wilsongt]

Urban areas are overwhelmingly Democratic.

Maricopa is a Republican stronghold, though.

 

[Kurdel]

Disgusting

 

[Suikoguy]

While there is never, ever an excuse for the disgusting ways in which the GOP attempts to make it harder to vote....one possible take away from this? If your state allows you to vote early or by absentee....do it. There's no reason not to. Arizona had nearly a month of early voting that was open to anyone. There are going to be fewer lines, and if there is a problem with your registration, you may have more time to get it straightened out.

Yep, even Florida has vote by mail for ANY REASON, so do it!

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

How the fuck is this shit legal.

 

[Bam Bam Baklava]

How anyone (I'm seeing it more on facebook than here) can blame Hillary's campaign or the DNC for this is beyond me. The democrats, yes including the dreaded establishment democrats, have always been in favor of increasing the ease of voting and protecting voters' rights. This is not an "establishment" issue. This is the latest in a long line of republican voter suppression tactics.

I said it another thread and I'll say it here. The so called liberals who are engaging in this are the GOP's best new friends. They spread their propaganda about Benghazi and e-mails for them and blame the DNC and Clinton for stuff they did. What a spectacle to behold.

 

[davepoobond]

How anyone (I'm seeing it more on facebook than here) can blame Hillary's campaign or the DNC for this is beyond me. The democrats, yes including the dreaded establishment democrats, have always been in favor of increasing the ease of voting and protecting voters' rights. This is not an "establishment" issue. This is the latest in a long line of republican voter suppression tactics.

im having an "argument" with someone about it on Facebook, oddly enough. its nonsensical.

i dont even know what part of it i can post that would make sense. he basically blames Hillary because she "claimed victory" at <1% of the vote in.

The elected only want a more conservative voter base because that's the same base that elected them, regardless of their political party. Now finally, Hillary's "guilt" is only implied because her campaign claimed victory when only 1% of the votes were counted the day-of. No honest candidate would ever make such an early claim - especially after what happened in Michigan.

and he talks about how the political parties dont matter, yadda yadda


im not responding to it anymore. there's no point. this is the exact kind of people who will be flipping to Trump from Bernie.

 

[User 463088]

For anyone who is complaining about the networks calling the race or claiming victory it's quite simple, especially in Arizona.

Approximately 60-70% of the votes cast were early votes. Those are, typically, reported first. If someone has a huge lead in early voting, they are going to, more likely than not, win. Calling a race doesn't mean we know the margin, just that we can say with some certainty that a certain person is going to get more votes than the other person. It's not some huge conspiracy invented to hurt Bernie Sanders. It's just math and counting.

That's why a well run campaign (a la Obama 08/12 and Hillary 16) push early voting. You get your numbers up early. You know where your voters are. You've got banked votes. People don't have an excuse to not show up on election day. It's one of the best ways to deal with these ridiculous attempts to suppress the vote.

 

[EdibleKnife]

How the fuck is this shit legal.

Because it was made un-illegal

 

[davepoobond]

For anyone who is complaining about the networks calling the race or claiming victory it's quite simple, especially in Arizona.

Approximately 60-70% of the votes cast were early votes. Those are, typically, reported first. If someone has a huge lead in early voting, they are going to, more likely than not, win. Calling a race doesn't mean we know the margin, just that we can say with some certainty that a certain person is going to get more votes than the other person. It's not some huge conspiracy invented to hurt Bernie Sanders. It's just math and counting.

That's why a well run campaign (a la Obama 08/12 and Hillary 16) push early voting. You get your numbers up early. You know where your voters are. You've got banked votes. People don't have an excuse to not show up on election day. It's one of the best ways to deal with these ridiculous attempts to suppress the vote.

the argument then is to say they suppress the day-of-vote so they have the early votes, which are supposedly "more conservative" be counted and not the more liberal vote which is on the same day.

but i dont see how that works in the democrats favor since most democrats are not generally "conservative" and this is a closed primary operated by the GOP on both sides.

 

[User 463088]

the argument then is to say they suppress the day-of-vote so they have the early votes, which are supposedly "more conservative" be counted and not the more liberal vote which is on the same day.

I'd counter with "There's nothing stopping the "liberal" voters from going to the polls early." But, ya, in recent days I've heard people claim early voting is fraud and disenfranchising people.

It's jut kinda where we are. If one candidate wins, then everything worked like it should. If another candidate wins, then there's fraud, and disenfranchisement. There seems to exist no world in which the second candidate can legitimately win anything.

 

[Armaros]

But "there's nothing wrong with the establishment", right?

I also keep hearing "But Hilary would have won it anyway". Maybe. But now we're playing a game of Delegate margins, so this is bullshit.

Also, CNN calling it for Hilary 5 minutes after results started rolling in.

Also, It's YOUR fault, voters, for getting in line.

Hillary decided to reduce the polling places in places where she won?

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

Blaming this on Hillary is...bizarre, to say the least. She had absolutely zero control over localized Arizona budgetary concerns or the Supreme Court three years ago.

 

[noshten]

Democracy in action

Blaming this on Hillary is...bizarre, to say the least. She had absolutely zero control over localized Arizona budgetary concerns or the Supreme Court three years ago.

Has Hills actually commented on what happened in Arizona?

 

[kirblar]

THE ESTABLISHMENT is the new "Ds and Rs are the same thing anyway."