GOP Lawmaker Comes Out Against His Party Publicly, Refuses To ‘Suppress Votes’ Anymore

[babylonsister]

GOP Lawmaker Comes Out Against His Party Publicly, Refuses To ‘Suppress Votes’ Anymore
Last Updated on March 31, 2016


After the voting debacle in Arizona March 22, there has been renewed attention on the Supreme Court’s decision to gut the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA) in 2013, which would have likely prevented the election disaster in the state.

See, Arizona was one of 16 states which were once required to send their decisions for elections to the federal government for review because of their history of discrimination against Latinos and Native Americans. After the Supreme Court gutted the VRA , Arizona no longer had to get pre-clearance for how they planned on holding their elections. Ultimately, the most populous county in the state drastically reduced the number of polling stations in Maricopa County which led to long lines and wait times of up to six hours in some areas. In central Phoenix, an area with a high concentration of minority voters, there were 108k registered voters per one polling place. Had the state handed their decision to reduce the number of polling places from 400 to 60 to the Department of Justice, the DOJ would have laughed at them and denied their request. Whether it was the state’s intention or not, this was clearly voter suppression.

And one GOP lawmaker has had enough.

In a New York Times op-ed , Republican Representative Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin wrote that he would rather lose his job than suppress votes.

Sensenbrenner wrote:

“Ensuring that every eligible voter can cast a ballot without fear, deterrence and prejudice is a basic American right. I would rather lose my job than suppress votes to keep it.”

In 2015, Sensenbrenner wrote a bill that would renew many elements of the VRA, including pre-clearance for states who engage in voter discrimination. The bill also requires all states to enforce bilingual elections and dings states who have a low minority turnout. All states must also be as transparent as possible in providing voters information on voting requirements, polling locations, and procedures. Sounds sensible if you believe in equal and fair democracy, right?



more...

http://news.groopspeak.com/gop-lawmaker-comes-out-against-his-party-publicly-refuses-to-suppress-votes-anymore/

[Jackie Wilson Said]

1. An actual patriot, how about that.

[Scuba]

20. He's shown a conscience over this issue, surprising many here in Wisconsin.

Glad to see it Jim. I used to live in his CD but never considered him my rep because he was always on the other side of the fight.

[Major Nikon]

22. Every once in a while one of them goes off the reservation

I'm sure the corrective measures are already being implemented.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Coming from Senselessbrainer, this is kind of amazing.

[hrmbaja]

3. I miss AWD

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Who is AWD? All I can think of is "All Wheel Drive."

[hrmbaja]

6. Hm.

Wrong page. Sorry!

[Agschmid]

8. A very old DU poster... Or a Subaru.

[klook]

9. Average White Drumpf

I miss him already!

[babylonsister]

5. He's actually been sounding the alarm for a few years...

GOP’s Sensenbrenner vows to repair Voting Rights Act
Evan Puschak
9:46 PM on 08/26/2013

... “The first thing we have to do is take the monkey wrench that the court threw in it, out of the Voting Rights Act, and then use that monkey wrench to be able to fix it so that it is alive, well, constitutional and impervious to another challenge that will be filed by the usual suspects,” Sensenbrenner said Monday at an RNC event held to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington.

Sensenbrenner is a longtime advocate of the Voting Rights Act. As chair of the House Judiciary Committee when the law was reviewed in 2006, the Wisconsin legislator oversaw extensive deliberations which ultimately affirmed the VRA’s continuing necessity–and resulted in a 25-year reauthorization. So when the Supreme Court effectively gutted the VRA in June by voiding the requirement for certain states to get federal “preclearance” before changing their voting laws, Sensenbrenner was displeased.

“Voter discrimination still exists,” he wrote in a June op-ed for USA Today, “and our progress toward equality should not be mistaken for a victory” ...

Within the GOP caucus, however, Powell and Sensenbrenner are .. exceptions ...

http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/08/26/republican-sensenbrenner-vows-to-repair-voting-rights-act/

[pangaia]

11. You're telling me. It's like Orrin hatch doing the same thing.

[SammyWinstonJack]

7. Whoa ....

[Dont call me Shirley]

10. Shocking! A Republican! Shocking!

[phazed0]

12. Now if we can just get a few in the Democratic leadership to do the same! nt

[CharlotteVale]

19. My sentiments exactly.

[840high]

23. Yep

[certainot]

13. he should be forced to divulge all he knows

[Rex]

15. Then start voting with Dems and get your few remaining sane GOPers to follow suit.

The teabaggers hold our country in a perilous state.

[NBachers]

16. Sorry- I'm glad he said this, but I just can't give Sensenbrenner a pat on the back.

He's one of the Bush-era villains. He may have changed his stripes, but I haven't changed mine yet.

[Wilms]

17. Patriot Act Author Says NSA Is Abusing Spy Law

http://www.wired.com/2013/09/nsa-abusing-patriot-act/

Most of them do a right thing here and there.

[Raster]

21. Sooner or later, most "good germans" have to look themselves in the eye...

...and ask themselves if they are doing the right thing, or are they part of the problem.

[Ed Suspicious]

18. He's a pile of shit, but he's right on this one. (also should add he is 100% safe in his district)

[Dr. Xavier]

24. Hear Here

finally a voice for the truth, any voter suppression is an attack on the Constitution and the Democratic Party has to make sure that our Constitution is not attacked. Its the best thing about this Country.

[geretogo]

25. Voter suppression today . Totallitarianism tommarow . This is the way all dictatorships progress .

We have been living under one party policies for 36 years now . The extreme right party .

[montanacowboy]

26. And this had to come from a Republican

I believe that Democrats are in this shit of suppression as much as the Republicans as long as it suits their cause.

But good for him, at least he has the guts to say it

[nadinbrzezinski]

27. Sensenbrenner has been rather consistent

On this

[bluestateguy]

28. I'd be fine with pre-clearance in all 50 states, everywhere

If that would clear up the constitutional problems, all the better.