voter disenfranchisement
-
Republicans to Drop $20 Million to Prevent Black People From Voting
It’s essentially an open secret that Republicans have to cheat to win. With the go-ahead from federal courts, the party is prepared to do just that. Vice reports that the Republican Party intends to spend $20 million to recruit a network of up to 50,000 volunteers to monitor poll locations. In 2018, a federal court…
-
Texas Upholds Draconian Conviction for Woman Who Cast an 'Illegal Vote' in 2016: 'It's a Tragedy'
Crystal Mason, sentenced to five years in prison for casting an illegal ballot, had her appeal denied by a Texas judge last week. As the Texas Tribune reports, on Thursday, a three-judge appellate panel affirmed Mason’s conviction for casting an illegal ballot in the 2016 presidential election. Mason, who was on probation for a federal…
-
Illinois Cancels Voter Registrations for Almost 800 Former Inmates
Faith in the American voting process has grown shaky in recent years. With GOP-led states trying their damnedest to suppress the vote, the current president having no problem with Russia hacking our voting systems and the Iowa caucus just being a massive failure, it makes sense. Unfortunately, tonight’s news will probably not help. CBS News…
-
Boxed Out of the Ballot: Florida Supreme Court Rules Formerly Incarcerated Must Pay Outstanding Fees Before Voting
In November 2018, Florida voters moved to restore voting rights to 1.4 million convicted felons following their release. Amendment 4 to the state constitution was seen as a major victory for civil liberties advocates, who have been fighting across the country to restore the political voices of the formerly incarcerated. But a Republican-controlled legislature quickly…
-
Top Civil Rights Groups Will Help Crystal Mason Appeal Her 5-Year Sentence for Trying to Vote
It was a case so unfair, it quickly became a go-to talking point to illuminate the criminal justice system’s deep racial inequities: Crystal Mason, a 44-year-old Texas woman was sentenced to five years in jail for unknowingly casting an illegal ballot. Last Friday, two major civil rights groups, the American Civil Liberties Union and the…
-
Tease Me, Stacey: Abrams Says She'll 'Jump In' Presidential Race If Fighting Voter Suppression Isn't a Top Priority
Yes, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams says she is still mulling over a run for the White House in 2020—and that the decision will rest on an issue dear to her: voter suppression. In an interview on the podcast Pod Save America Thursday, Abrams confirmed that a presidential run is still on the table.…
-
A Little Bit of Justice: GOP's Lone Black Senator Does the Right Thing, Opposes Controversial Trump Pick
I still don’t get why it took so long or why he seemed to struggle with what should have been a simple decision—if justice, not politics, was the goal—but Tim Scott, a U.S. senator from South Carolina, has announced he will oppose the nomination of Thomas Farr. That means the Scott I think I know—the…
-
It Should Be Easy For Only Black Republican in Senate to Vote Against Nominee Who Helped Craft Strategies That Hurt Black Voters
This should not have been a close call for Tim Scott, the black Republican representing South Carolina in the U.S. Senate, the first black man to be elected to such a seat from a Deep South state since Reconstruction, the black man who took to the Senate floor a few years ago to speak passionately…
-
Brian Kemp Doesn’t Need to Rig Georgia’s Election…Because Anyone Can
He had one job. Brian Kemp, Georgia’s Republican nominee for governor, is terrible at his job. As Georgia’s secretary of state, he “coordinates and monitors all election activity: this includes voter registration; municipal, state, county, and federal elections; campaign finance disclosure for state and federal candidates and political action committees; and certification of election results.”…
-
Voter Suppression Is Real and It Really Affects Black People
I think we all can agree that the 2018 midterm elections are critical. This means that our votes matter more now than ever. But what happens when you’ve registered and are ready to participate in this good ol’ democracy but can’t? Let’s talk about voter suppression. Voter suppression is simple—it’s a set of tactics used…