Report: Supreme Court ruling caused mass polling place closures across Southern USA
tulc(thought this was appalling)Nearly 1,700 voting precincts in 13 states have been shut down since 2012, many in black or Latino communities, after a landmark court decision that removed federal oversight of local voting practices, according to a new report.
The report, released this week by the Leadership Conference Education Fund, showed a surge in poll closures after a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2013 that gutted a section of the Voting Rights Act requiring certain states and cities obtain federal approval before changing voting laws or practices.
After the law, which targeted communities with a history of voter discrimination, was struck down, Texas saw 750 polling locations closed, Arizona lost 320, and Georgia shut down 214, according to the report "Democracy Diverted: Polling Place Closures and the Right to Vote."
Voting rights advocates argued the court's decision in Shelby County v. Holder made it easier for elections officials to disenfranchise black and minority voters. From 2012 to 2018, a total of 1,688 polling locations closed.