The extremely long wait times for voting are essentially a Poll Tax of Voter Suppresion

[Ichingcarpenter]

A poll tax, in the sense of a discrimination tax which was a pre-condition
of the exercise of the right to vote, emerged in some US states in the late 19th century.
After the right to vote was extended to all races by the enactment of the Fifteenth Amendment,
many Southern states enacted poll tax laws which often included a grandfather clause
that allowed any adult male whose father or grandfather had voted in a specific year
prior to the abolition of slavery to vote without paying the tax.

These laws achieved the desired effect of disfranchising
African-American and Native American voters as well as
poor whites who immigrated after the year specified.


The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, outlawed the use of this tax
(or any other tax) as a pre-condition in voting in Federal elections.


Now with the economy in taters and people holding two jobs or more,
voting may be costing people to lose 1/5 of their weekly
income because of the voting system in the United States. Even though
states allow you to vote without repercussions from the employer and even
others allow it with pay, the time alloted is totally inadequate as is the process.

Most poor people can ill afford to lose hours off of their weekly pay check. So this is
just a hidden poll type tax hoping to disenfranchise voters.

I hope in the Obama administration and new Congress, that our Byzantine voting system will be reformed
early in the first term.

I watched the pundits this week on TV never addressing this aspect of long lines and wait times.
So this rant really is addressed to the media and their myopic viewpoints.


Rant off.

[BlooInBloo]

1. Artificially limiting supply.

[cliffordu]

3. This is exactly right - -Voting should be as easy as buying crack or getting a gun.

[thunder rising]

2. I have to ask where is the ACLU and a suit to force a more equitable distribution of machines and

personnel.

This is certainly a constitutional issue. 8 hrs in Atlanta?

[tpi10d]

4. very well put.

Something needs to be done about this.

[lonestarnot]

5. Very early! with federal uniformity.

[Ichingcarpenter]

8. Apparently Nevada even with early voting and large turnout

doesn't have a problem. Somehow they have put voting places in malls, shopping areas
colleges, schools and other places.

Those worried about the student vote must realize many have jobs and classes this
week and couldn't cut classes or lose work in order to wait in line for hours. Many have
weekend jobs.

I just wish the media would mention that the long lines are a type of suppression and
disenfranchisement. Tuesday is gonna be interesting.

[gravity]

10. Early voting is intended to increase voter turnout

It is designed so that they can avoid the problems of long lines during the election day and increase participation. It does the complete opposite of voter suppression, and states don't have to do early voting.

The problem is that the election officials didn't expect to massive turnout for the early voting sessions, so they can't really be at fault. It is a problem that should be addressed in the future, but I disagree that it is voter suppression when its whole intention is to increase turnout.

If the long lines occurred during election day then it could be voter suppression, or in the future when election officials expect more people to show up for early voting. This year, the claim doesn't hold much water.

[gravity]

6. Early voting lines are different than on election day

Early voting isn't required and most places weren't planning on a massive early turnout. It should be a problem addressed next election cycle, but I wouldn't classify the long lines as voter suppression this year for early voting.

If it was on election day, it is a major problem because that is the day everyone is suppose to vote and election officials would have planned for a big turnout then. There is no excuse for long lines in that scenario.

[avaistheone1]

7. I am in California and the early voting lines are very long here too.

The buzz is this should translate into an Obama victory.

[RichardRay]

9. It seems like we have conflicting requirements that make it

hard to be successful.

First, we want short lines, quick turnaround and flexible supply for voting.

Second, we want a pure paper, mechanical and human supervised and validated voting process.

Both are certainly desirable, but they are also competing. Which one gets the resources?

[BlooInBloo]

11. Bullshit. Other countries have no trouble satisfying all the desiderata.

[RichardRay]

13. And you know this how? n/t

[Overseas]

12. Rachel was talking about that too. I hadn't thought of it that way.

But the long lines are definitely a poll tax of sorts. And you're right that no other media person has talked about it in that way that I have heard.

It is a pity that partisan Secretaries of State have sometimes used the distribution of voting machines to favor one side or the other. Republican dominated precincts sailing through voting while Democratic areas have long lines.

For Modern Republicans, the Ends Justify the Means. All's Fair in Politics for their party.

Even imposing a loss of hours of wages for the folks who have to stand in line for a whole day.

There is a lot to be done in election reform here in the USA. Funny how things got so messed up just after Republicans managed to steal election 2000.


www.stealingamericathemovie.org for a FREE DOWNLOAD of a comprehensive documentary of voting rights issues.