Black Voters Matter. Seniors board bus to vote. Bus stopped and seniors kicked off.... [View all]

[jodymarie aimee]

LOUISVILLE, GEORGIA — Seniors in rural Georgia were dancing in the street, preparing to board Black Voters Matter‘s bus to cast their ballots on the first day of Georgia’s early voting period. But roughly 40 senior citizens were forced off the bus, an act that organizers described as witnessing “live voter suppression.”

As senior citizens boarded the vehicle plastered with photos of African Americans and raised black fists, the Leisure Center in Jefferson County was notified that someone had called the county commissioner and complained that the bus didn’t have the proper registration to take voters to the polls.

LaTosha Brown, one of the co-founders of Black Voters Matters, said there was nothing illegal about the group’s activity. The organization is non-partisan and the bus doesn’t endorse any particular candidate. She said it was a clear-cut case of “voter intimidation.”

“This is voter suppression, Southern style.”

“This is voter suppression, Southern style,” said Brown. “I’m very upset. I’m angry. I’m frustrated. I’ve got a lot of emotions right now.”

There are no laws in Jefferson County or in the state of Georgia prohibiting groups from transporting voters to the polls, and Brown said the elderly citizens “actually requested to ride with us.” Jefferson County is roughly 53 percent black, according to Census data.

Black Voters Matter, an advocacy group launched after Doug Jones’ Senate win in Alabama earlier this year, is currently on a bus tour it has called “The South is Rising.” The group is traveling across seven southern states, undertaking voter outreach and engagement, as well as providing disaster relief in parts of Georgia affected by Hurricane Michael.

The staff of the senior center and the Black Voters Matter organizers said they did not know who called the commissioner, but said it was likely someone who was scared by the sight of black people celebrating and preparing to vote.

“Even in the absence of law, they will use tactics like intimidation and voter suppression,” she said. “Somebody called the county commission, but there was nothing illegal or inappropriate.”

“At the end of the day, every senior that got off that bus, not only are they going to vote, but they’re going to get five to ten people to vote with them,” Brown said.

Once the seniors were back inside the building, Black Voters Matter organizers walked down the street to a historical plaque marking where a slave market once stood. While they planned their next steps, Louisville, Georgia resident Margaret Walker drove by and rolled down her window to offer some words of encouragement. “I just want you to know, y’all are on the right path,” she said. “We have a lot of people here who don’t have transportation and can’t get to the polls.”

Cliff Albright, the group’s other co-founder, said that being confronted by this tactic only fires up the organizers even more.

“They made us even more energized,” he said, to cheers from the seniors. “Can’t stop, won’t stop.”



https://thinkprogress.org/georgia-black-voters-matter-bus-blocked-from-taking-seniors-to-vote-a3c3e6580c5b/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tp-letters