Report: Supreme Court ruling caused mass polling place closures across Southern USA

[tulc]

Report: Supreme Court ruling caused mass polling place closures across Southern USA

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.

tulc(thought this was appalling)

 

[redleghunter]

Report: Supreme Court ruling caused mass polling place closures across Southern USA

tulc(thought this was appalling)

I remember in 2014 it caused some confusion locally in my county in Texas. Many of the polling stations were consolidated. But every year if one is a registered voter you get your card with the polling station number. Then the local paper and a website showed a map to the polling station.

 

[tulc]

would you say this article explains what's happening?
https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-polling-place-closures/
tulc(is just curious)

 

[jgarden]

Report: Supreme Court ruling caused mass polling place closures across Southern USA

With a record turn out during the 2018 Interims and a predicted huge number of voters in 2020, the Republicans can no longer rely on the "gerrymandering" of Congressional boundaries and the Electoral College to suppress voter turn out!

Now they have enlisted the services of the conservative majority in the Supreme Court to make the lives of those planning on voting Democratic even more difficult!

Ultimately these delaying tactics will fail and conservatives had better pray that their liberal counterparts don't resort to the same methods once they take power!

 

[bekkilyn]

Report: Supreme Court ruling caused mass polling place closures across Southern USA

With a record turn out during the 2018 Interims and a predicted huge number of voters in 2020, the Republicans can no longer rely on the "gerrymandering" of Congressional boundaries and the Electoral College to suppress voter turn out!

Now they have enlisted the services of the conservative majority in the Supreme Court to make the lives of those planning on voting Democratic even more difficult!

Ultimately these delaying tactics will fail and conservatives had better pray that their liberal counterparts don't resort to the same methods once they take power!

I know I'm often a very naive person, but I just don't understand why Republicans don't want to win honestly. And maybe I really should put "Republicans" in quotes since the party has been going downhill since Eisenhower and just isn't the party it used to be.

 

[HannahT]

I don't remember clearly what the decision was all about. I did google if Texas turnout was lower, and I looked at the stats:

2016 - November (Presidential)
Registered Voters 15,101,087
Voting Age Population (VAP) 19,307,355
Percentage of VAP Registered 78.21%
Turnout 8,969,226
Percent of Turnout to Registered 59.39%
Percent of Turnout to VAP 46.45%

2012 - November (Presidential)
Registered Voters 13,646,226
Voting Age Population (VAP) 18,279,737
Percentage of VAP Registered 74.65
Turnout 7,993,851
Percent of Turnout to Registered Voters 58.58
Percent of Turnout to VAP 43.73

2008 - November (Presidential)
Registered Voters 13,575,062
Voting Age Population (VAP) 17,735,442
Percentage of VAP Registered 76.54
Turnout 8,077,795
Percent of Turnout to Registered 59.50
Percent of Turnout to VAP 45.55

2004 - General, November (Presidential)
Registered Voters 13,098,329
Voting Age Population (VAP) 16,071,153
Percentage of VAP Registered 81.50
Turnout 7,410,765
Percent of Turnout to Registered Voters 56.57
Percent of Turnout to VAP 46.11

I see some things vary from time to time, but nothing hugely drastic. I was actually surprised that on average only about 46% of registered voters come out.

 

[JackRT]

I know I'm often a very naive person, but I just don't understand why Republicans don't want to win honestly. And maybe I really should put "Republicans" in quotes since the party has been going downhill since Eisenhower and just isn't the party it used to be.

You just conjured an image in my mind. Imagine if you can Dwight Eisenhower meeting Donald Trump.

 

[bekkilyn]

You just conjured an image in my mind. Imagine if you can Dwight Eisenhower meeting Donald Trump.

My gosh, the horror!

 

[iluvatar5150]

I know I'm often a very naive person, but I just don't understand why Republicans don't want to win honestly. And maybe I really should put "Republicans" in quotes since the party has been going downhill since Eisenhower and just isn't the party it used to be.

There are a few reasons:

Some of them are aware that they can't win honestly because they just don't have the numbers - they and their policies are growing less popular over time and the only way to retain power is via means that strike some of us as underhanded.

Some of them don't care about winning honestly - they see their policies not as a set of ideas in competition with other sets of ideas, but something more along the lines of a divinely-inspired doctrine that is morally correct and worthy of being imposed on society whether we like it or not. The divine nature of this quasi crusade absolves them of responsibility for playing "fair".

Some of them see Dems/libs as not worthy of winning and being in charge, regardless of ideas.

IMO, much of this stems from the multi-decade retreat of Republicans and conservatives from cultural centers of thought. The right no longer cultivates within its ranks a thoughtful, interactive, civically-minded approach towards society, instead favoring a sort of authoritarianism that treats everybody outside the tribe as stupid, unworthy, threatening, and deserving of being controlled.

 

[BobRyan]

Report: Supreme Court ruling caused mass polling place closures across Southern USA

tulc(thought this was appalling)

In Georgia - Forsyth county went from 25 to 16 voting precincts -- it has a 202K people and a poverty rate of 6% -- one of the more affluent counties and yet it lost almost 40% of its voting precincts ... clearly that was not a case of targeting "people of color".

Georgia finds that a number of voting precincts do not comply with ADA rules and the counties don't have enough time to fix them in certain cases.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Officials said they don’t have time to fix them, so they would close

Conspiracy sounds so much more exciting than "details"

 

[tulc]

In Georgia - Forsyth county went from 25 to 16 voting precincts -- it has a 202K people and a poverty rate of 6% -- one of the more affluent counties and yet it lost almost 40% of its voting precincts ... clearly that was not a case of targeting "people of color".

Georgia finds that a number of voting precincts do not comply with ADA rules and the counties don't have enough time to fix them in certain cases.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Officials said they don’t have time to fix them, so they would close

Conspiracy sounds so much more exciting than "details"

Link?
tulc(thinks links in support of things are a nice detail)

 

[Blade]

I read more on this.. what the Court said.. seems allot is left out. How odd.. USA TODAY would leave that out.. hmmm