The
Once upon a time in a collective mind set, far, far away, Americans believed, or at least we said, “Elevating voter turnout is a noble objective.” We agreed that we should aspire to develop, plan and execute strategies to increase voting because to do so would develop and enhance our democratic principles and ideals. This construct was largely accepted, as writ, without regard for Party affiliation, economic status, or ethnic background.
In a fit of non-partisan inspiration, 33 States and the District of Columbia
This flexibility, as intended, has expanded opportunities for voters to get to the polls. The voting experience is no longer compressed into a 12 to 14-hour period of one day, and does not require an excuse, such as planning to be out of town on Election Day. Not surprisingly, the stratagem worked. Perhaps in some peoples’ minds, it worked too well; at least for some voters.
The Salad Days of Early Voting, a staple in North Carolina
African Americans, as a whole, are poorer, less mobile, and have more difficulty getting away from their jobs, parenting responsibilities, and other obligations, in order to make it to the polls, than the voting age population at-large. Youth are often in school, or working jobs with little flexibility. Having a one-day window did not necessarily make voting impossible either group, but it often made it more of a challenge. Some times, simply having an obstacle during those 12 to 14 hours is all it takes to derail perfectly good intentions to vote that day.
Alas, the National Election of 2008, yielded a Perfect Storm, and with it, the advent of A.D. (After the Democrats). With the swiftness, and unexpectedness, of a magic wand, America
As noted earlier, among the identifiable trends emerging from the Early Voting experiment were increases in the numbers of people who chose to vote early; including marked increases among African Americans and youth. Not coincidentally, Democrats in general and President Obama in particular, won both groups, as well as total Early Voters, by a comfortable margin.
So it came to pass, after the Republican Party effectuated a stunning reversal in the 2010 midterm elections, a number Southern States with Republican Legislative majorities, including North Carolina, set out to restructure Early Voting laws, tamping them down, reducing them radically, in some cases. Two States, Georgia and Florida Georgia Florida
In North Carolina Ohio , a Battleground State
Two major themes headline the purported rationale for changing and delimiting Early Voting laws; requiring some form of government I.D. to eliminate voter fraud, and reducing the time allocated to cut costs. Interestingly enough, elections professionals and independent expert observers suggest both of these issues are straw men, not credible issues.
Despite widespread assertions to the contrary, the actual number of voter fraud cases throughout the country determined to have merit, is negligible. Moreover, elections officials argue the proposed changes will actually cost more, due to a resulting need to operate additional machines in more disparate locations, requiring increased staffing on Election Day, and having less over all flexibility.
Of course, this will not be the first time the arbiters of a politically motivated gambit rode roughshod over the facts; nor will it be the last. So, in spite of the fact it has been said, often, ignorance is bliss, forgive me if I figured you would want to know the unvarnished truth about “Disfranchisement: Coming Soon to a Voting Precinct Near You!”
I’m done; holla back!
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