Voting Rights Act Decision Underscores Need for National Vote-by-Mail

[Newsjock]

Source: The Stranger


Today's 5-4 US Supreme Court decision tossing out key provisions of the Voting Rights Act is sparking off a mad rush by Republican lawmakers to impose ever stricter Voter ID requirements. The goal of course is to make it as hard as possible for the elderly, the poor, and minorities to vote. You know, Democrats. Which means now more than ever is the time to impose national vote-by-mail.

Whatever you think about Washington and Oregon's vote-by-mail systems, they have been proven effective shields against Republican efforts at voter suppression. While millions of Americans were forced to wait for hours to exercise their right to vote, and/or jump through unnecessary bureaucratic hoops in an effort to claim that right, Washington and Oregon voters calmly filled out their ballots in the comfort of their own homes.

... Since Washington State went all vote-by-mail, Republican lawmakers have all but given up efforts to pass voter suppression legislation because frankly, there's not much they can do to suppress the vote. At the same time, vote-by-mail's inherent paper trail and mandatory audits makes tabulation fraud well nigh impossible outside of a broad bipartisan conspiracy.

... There are no lines at polling places in Washington and Oregon, because there are no polling places. It's time for the rest of the nation to learn from our example.

Read more: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/06/25/voting-rights-act-decision-underscores-need-for-national-vote-by-mail

[DonCoquixote]

1. down here in Florida

That "absentee balllot" is used to stop brown people from voting, either by harassing them when they show up for forms (we will tell the INS) or by outright trashing mail.

[mykpart]

2. I have been thinking all day that Latinos

will suffer more from the decision than black people. Texas has same problem as Florida. This is how the Republicans plan to deal with the growing hispanic population. I anticipate the next set of laws will have to do with requiring everyone to prove they are citizens before being allowed to vote! It's so discouraging to watch my country becoming less and less a democracy.