Pa. Voter-ID Ruling a Slap in the Face to Democracy

By: The Rev. Al Sharpton | Posted: August 17, 2012 at 12:05 AM

MSNBC

A Pennsylvania judge has upheld a Republican-supported voter-ID law, and the Rev. Al Sharpton argues at the Huffington Post that we must take action against "the ones who are attempting to block us."

Last week, Florida's former Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer appeared on my TV show, Politics Nation on MSNBC, and candidly discussed how the GOP in his state systematically pushed for harsh new voter ID laws in order to suppress the vote -- specifically that of African Americans and young people. Blowing the lid off of insider meetings, Greer said his party gave up on courting minority voters and instead began seeking methods to disenfranchise and purge as many of them from participating as possible. He confirmed what some of us have long argued, and he provided a backdrop into what is transpiring all across the country in advance of the upcoming presidential election. Well today, in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, a judge ruled in favor of upholding the draconian Republican-supported voter ID law. This outrageous ruling is a slap in the face to democracy, and a slap in the face to all those who sacrificed so dearly in order to secure our liberties…

Today's unfortunate ruling is a clear upholding of voter suppression, but it is not the first time we've witnessed systematic methods of blocking the vote in this nation. It was a broad coalition of activists, religious leaders, lawmakers and citizens from diverse backgrounds that fought disenfranchisement in the past. During that time, some even gave their lives. If we've survived church bombings, brute force and more, we should at least be able to empower and assist the less fortunate among us to combat those who simply cannot win based on their own Party's platform alone. We must take action; no excuses. The ones who are attempting to block us aren't hesitating, and neither should we.

Read the Rev. Al Sharpton's entire piece at the Huffington Post.

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