Virginia really doesn't want people to vote
VA already has strict rules for early voting, which is describes as Absentee Voting In Person which requires that you have a valid reason to vote early. So I learned yesterday they were adding the Storm as a reason to vote early. So I contact the local Absentee Voting In-Person office listed on the states website. I call the location to see if it's open and it is. But they tell me that I have to vote at my local precint office. So I call my local precint office which is a block away and they don't answer the phone. I go over there and they are closed. I come back and now the website has been updated to state which offices are closed. Well there is an office 3 miles down the road from me which is open and its the office listed on the website as one of the sites for early in person voting. But I'm told that I can't vote there because I have to vote at my precint office, which is closed. I call the State Voters office and they tell me to call the Voter's office in my County. I call the County office and they say that all they can tell me is what the rules say. I ask what procedures do they have in the case of emergencies, which I would consider a major storm to be. They're like you have to vote at your precinct or you can request an absentee ballot by tomorrows deadline. Now if my precinct was open, I could walk in there today and vote absentee, but since they aren't I can't vote there, or at the precinct 3 miles down the road which is open because it's not my regular polling place. I have a Voter's ID card, and Photo IDs up the Yang, and Virginia has not back up plan for voting in case of an emergency. Jesus Christ.
I forgot to mention that our area is threatened with a possible power outage later in the day. If the power goes out, I will have to leave my home. We lost power with a wind storm back in July and power was out for over a week.
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Election Protection Coalition's 1-866-OUR-VOTE hotline helps voters if they face any form of suppression.
Fifteen days before Election Day, the 1-866-MYVOTE-1 Voter Empowerment Hotline is shifting from primarily voter registration to a valuable tool to help callers report voter suppression and other potential problems with the support of the nationwide nonpartisan Election Protection Coalition’s 1-866-OUR-VOTE hotline.
To help voters if they need any assistance voting or to get help if they face any form of suppression, the organizers of the hotline are getting the support of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Election Protection that will provide voters assistance from fully-trained volunteers based in more than 28 call centers across the country and through its website www.866OURVOTE.org.
“The reality is that since the Florida debacle in 2000, we’ve seen deliberate, systematic voter suppression tactics targeted at African Americans and Latinos,” Barbara Arnwine, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, told BlackAmericaWeb.com. “We learned that this wasn’t a one-time occurrence but a full-time feature in the voting landscape.”
This year, Arnwine said, voter suppression tactics by conservatives have hit a new low: Some black and Latino voters have been told recently that if they are found guilty of voter fraud, their children will be taken away from them.
“It’s vicious, deliberate and ugly,” Arnwine said.
Between now and Nov. 6, callers will be assisted seven days a week to get help with any problems they may encounter trying to vote. Since the beginning of the year, the 1-866-MYVOTE-1 hotline has helped voters get local voter registration forms, transfer to county election offices and leave up to a 60 second message.
But with more than 33 states passing voter identification laws, there is widespread expectation that voters will face unprecedented barriers to exercising their right to vote.
“As suppressive voting laws continue to sweep the country, most affecting traditionally disenfranchised communities, the work of Election Protection and the other resources remain critical,” Arnwine said.
“Together, we will continue to guide voters through the voting process and help with any voting challenges, ensuring that all eligible voters have the opportunity to exercise the fundamental right to vote, ” she added.
