voter disenfranchisement

Leaving 43,000 folks out in the cold:

The map leaves 43,000 residents of the new District 6 without representation in county government for the next two years. State Senate leader Phil Berger, who's responsible for creating this mess, still won't acknowledge that a problem exists let alone move to fix it.

That's because he doesn't consider it a "problem". Republicans in the General Assembly have treated municipalities/county governments with nothing but contempt since they took charge. If they could, they would take away all local representation, leaving everybody to depend on (a useless) state government for their needs. In a perfect world (again, we don't live there), that would equate to 43,000 votes against Berger (or whoever) in the next election.

It gives everyone time to consider how wrong it is:

Dorothy Cooper is 96 years old, and she's voted in every election but one since she was eligible to cast a ballot. But because Cooper's maiden name was on her birth certificate, she was told she needed a marriage certificate, too, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. She didn't have one. She was denied a voter ID.

Those of you who think this Voter ID thing is a good idea, do me a favor: Go find your marriage certificate. If (when?) you can't find it, see if you can get a replacement copy. I'll be waiting. I...won't really be waiting, that's just one of those things that you say. ;)

As states implement their new voter photo ID rules, a few minor hitches have begun to appear. In South Carolina, right next door:

We have 178,000 registered voters without current state-issued picture identification cards. We have ample record of persons who are unable to get certified copies of their birth certificates (a requirement to get those new IDs), and due to various reasons the state Republicans never bothered to consider, apparently. For example, you need a birth certificate to get a South Carolina ID card; yet, you need a valid ID card to get a copy of your South Carolina birth certificate. How's that for a Catch 22?

There's been yet another attempt to suppress voter turnout in North Carolina, including limiting civic participation from our youth. Senate Bill 657 is sponsored by three freshmen GOP Senators from Western NC (Sen. Warren Daniel, Sen. Jim Davis, and Sen. Ralph Hise). This bill would:

** Ban Sunday or “Souls to the Polls” voting in North Carolina

** Eliminate early voter registration for 16-17 year olds.

** Limit the early voting period to 7-9 days.

** Limit the available day time and hours of early voting locations.

Here’s a link to the full text of the bill:

http://ncleg.net/gascripts/members/memberList.pl?sChamber=Senate

This is the most blatant attempt yet to suppress the vote of non-far right voters in NC. I'll be interested in hearing their justification as to why it is on our state's best interests to block young voters from fulfilling their civic duty or to make it harder for working people to vote.

In case anyone needs reminding why the NCGOP wants to spend tax dollars during a budget crisis to solve a non-problem.

BlueNCers, we are continuing to work hard to oppose a Voter Photo ID bill for many reasons you can download here, and we've taken it to the streets to gather people's stories. One of them is near and dear to my heart: my dad, Guy Munger, and his assisted living roommate, Jenks, who were kind enough to tell it like it is in this video. The end of the video contains a call to action to help head off this bill. I'd appreciate it if you could share it and spread the word. Thanks!

In a few weeks the new GOP majority over in Raleigh is hoping to ram through a bill that would spend millions and millions of dollars on a problem that does not exist -- but that does help them block people they don't want voting from going to the polls. Please help us spread the truth about so-called Voter ID Fraud in NC. Free flyer to download after the jump.

Why would the GOP in North Carolina make instituting a Voter ID requirement a priority when we are facing so many other critical problems and there were less than two dozen cases of voter fraud out of the 4.3 million ballots cast in NC in 2008? Because it's all part of a national campaign to erect barriers to voting for citizens who do not support their party or their platform. Read this report and be sure to check out the links for some pretty horrifying facts. Whatever you do: don't let this issue fly under the radar. It is about so much more than Voter I.D. It is an old-fashioned power grab based on an attempted end run around democracy. Please help us spread this message to as many people as possible by sending the short report that follows to people in your organization.