It’s getting harder and harder to vote in the Land of the Free.
New voter suppression laws have recently been passed in North Carolina by Republicans in the General Assembly. In essence, these laws make it harder to vote.
State Republicans claim these laws will prevent voter fraud and bring greater uniformity to the system, but that’s just a front for the press.
The real reason these laws have been passed? To keep Democrats out of office.
Here’s the worst part: other swing states are now following North Carolina’s example.
Governor John R. Kasich of Ohio recently passed a law that cut “Golden Week,” during which voters could register and vote early on the same day.
“They know when they are taking away early voting exactly who it’s affecting,” Ed FitzGerald, the executive of Cuyahoga County and a Democratic candidate for governor, told The New York Times.
Yep, laws reducing early voting affect many people, but they especially hurt low-income and minority voters — a historically Democratic voting bloc.
It’s no surprise Republicans would want to reduce early voting. Early voters have won states for the Democratic Party in presidential elections. Just look at North Carolina during the 2008 election. On Voting Day, McCain beat Obama handily, but once early voting was factored, Obama managed to barely snag the electoral votes.
While the reason for the strategy isn’t surprising, it’s insane that it’s actually passing.
It gets worse, though. A federal judge recently upheld laws in Arizona and Kansas requiring voters to provide a birth certificate, passport or other documentation to prove citizenship when registering to vote.
“This is a really big victory not just for Kansas and Arizona, but for all 50 states,” Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach of Kansas told The Associated Press. “Kansas has paved the way for all states to enact proof-of-citizenship requirements.”
He’s right; this is a huge victory for Republicans in terms of their prospects for elections. Suppressing Democratic Party voters tends to have that effect.
“It is shameful,” said Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science Robert Duncan in an email interview. “Our elected representatives should be working to make it easier to vote rather than trying to make it more difficult.”
I completely agree, but it appears Republicans are now looking at voter suppression as an actual political strategy. Anyone else getting deja vu from the 1960s?
I also had the chance to talk with those who are fighting for our rights here in North Carolina.
“Notice which states are following North Carolina’s examples: we shouldn’t be proud of any of them,” said Moral Monday protester Whitney Stanley in an email interview with The Guilfordian. “North Carolina used to be considered a fairly moderate state that happened to be in the South. Now, we seem to be the pied piper of ridiculous politics.”
So, what will it take to have these laws reduced or repealed?
“Education,” said Ashley Pinner, another Moral Monday protester, in an email interview with The Guilfordian. “The lawmakers who enacted this legislation are not going to say, ‘Hey, wait a minute, we made a mistake! Let’s fix this mess!’ The only way to ‘fix’ this ‘mess’ is to make sure people know what they have done and who has done it.”
I agree. As a state, we may have regressed significantly, but that doesn’t mean we get to give up. Getting involved and educating the public are the keys to success in North Carolina and other states.
But, what impact will these new laws have on elections? While it’s too early to tell since many of these laws are so new, I suspect the impact will be massive.
In past presidential elections, swing states have been won or lost by just fractions of percents. My guess is that these laws will be more than enough to tip the balance in favor of Republicans in these states.
Until then, try to get involved with the Moral Monday protests or similar efforts if you truly care about this issue.
