May High Gas Prices Prevent Poor from Voting? - One more way to steal an election.

[Mugsy]

Via "Mugsy's Rap Sheet":

May High Gas Prices Prevent Poor from Voting? - One more way to steal an election.

Last Sunday, a CBS News investigation found that the ongoing "Mortgage/Foreclosure crisis might affect Voting Rolls":

"Voters in pivotal Ohio with outdated addresses face possible pre-election challenges and trips to multiple polling places. They also are more likely to cast provisional ballots that might not be counted."

Current economic challenges have the potential to influence the numbers of ballots cast by low-income... typically Democratic... voters come November. Another factor that seems to be getting no attention: the possibility that high gas prices may result in fewer people willing/able to make the drive to their local polling station to cast their vote. And once again, the people most likely to stay home on Election Day because of the high gas prices are low-income Democrats.

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Last July, two economics professors, Maarten Allers & Peter Kooreman, produced a report entitled: "More Evidence on the Effects of Voting Technology on Election Outcomes". Among their findings:

"(A)s voting machines are expensive, their introduction usually goes along with a reduction in the number of polling stations. Since this increases individuals' average distance to a polling station and hence costs of voting - the polling station density is crucial to control for in establishing the causal impact of electronic voting on elections outcomes, in particular voter turnout." - (Pg. 3)

Quite simply, not only does the high cost of electronic voting machines mean poorer districts can afford fewer machines, which results in long lines that discourage voters unwilling/unable to wait, but it also means those few machines are spread out over greater distances, meaning longer drives to get to your polling station. (The Bush Administration, rather than compensate districts to purchase machines based on population, have instead decided to let districts, regardless of income, fend for themselves).

Between a Media that wants a close election and an Administration that will stop at nothing to depress Democratic turnout, the ONLY way for Democrats to lose in November is for Democrats themselves to allow this criminal administration to dissuade them from voting.

KNOW that they don't want you to vote and use that in November as motivation to make that long drive and/or stand in that long line. Get a bunch of your family & friends together and carpool to the polls if you must. Volunteer to bring others with you to the polls. Get mad. Get out and vote. And remember:

"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." - (exact source unknown)

Or in this case, give in.

Read the full story on "Mugsy's Rap Sheet".

[sui generis]

1. truly I'm at the opinion this pot is a little too cracked to hold water

If somebody is using the high price of gas as a reason not to vote, they weren't planning on voting anyway.

Occam's razor.

[spinbaby]

2. I could see it possibly happening in rural areas

I live six miles from my polling place and I'm sure many rural folk live a lot further. But rural areas tend to lean Republican so I can't see it as any kind of a Republican conspiracy to suppress votes.

[Mugsy]

3. Worse than neocons.

If there was an election where Democrats had a great chance to pick up many rural, formerly Republican districts, it's this year. It's sickening to hear Democrats so quick to dismiss any district with "rural areas are likely to vote Republican anyway". So hey, why even bother, right?

Need I remind anyone how many votes decided the 2000 election?

Fewer voting machines means longer lines and greater driving distance as they are spread over a greater area. Add in "Voter ID", and it all adds up to poorer Democrats deciding it's too much bother.

Even if the effect is small, just who does it affect disproportionately? Affluent Republicans or poor Democrats?

[RaleighNCDUer]

4. My thought exactly.

Low income Democrats more often than not are urban - like myself - and the polling station is in easy walking distance. Less than a mile. Every city I've lived in I've been within a mile and a half of my polling station. Only time I ever NEEDED to drive was when I lived in rural MO.