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Protect the Vote: Stopping Voter Suppression

44 points by erichocean 6y ago

TheAdamAndChe 6y ago
Poll watchers are the most dangerous aspect of this year's election. You're going to end up with armed partisans of both sides showing up to polling centers. If conflicts(shootings) arise from this, it will further strengthen the claims by some that the election is illegitimate.
- rudedogg 6y ago
  This is what I've been thinking. It's exactly what Russia did when they scheduled Facebook Events at the same locations/times for groups with opposing views. Isn't voter suppression more of a legislative issue in modern times?
lordnacho 6y ago
Is there no culture of international election observation in the US? You sometimes hear about this on the news about elections, especially in newer democracies.
- Google234 6y ago
  Why would the US need that? You have people from both parties observing. Just take a look at how many lawsuits have been filed from both sides about elections laws trying to hold the state accountable.
- karlshea 6y ago
  There is, but most of them aren’t coming this year due to our stellar handling of this pandemic.
  - vinay427 6y ago
    Here's a source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/28/us-election-observers-europe-latin-america https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/28/us-election-... It's happened in 2016 and possibly before that (?) as well. I think it's probably a good idea for most democracies, newer or otherwise.
Google234 6y ago
I can’t really tell what this organization wants. Anyways, requiring ID is not voter suppression. This article wasn’t very hacker news anywya.
- karlshea 6y ago
  > Anyways, requiring ID is not voter suppression. I think if you did any reading on this topic at all you’d find that’s incorrect.
  - OneGuy123 6y ago
    If you don't have an ID then you are not a legal citizen: not paying taxes -> no vote for you. Why should I pay taxes while others freeload?
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - ghufran_syed 6y ago
    So is requiring id in order to fly, "flight suppression"? Is requiring id to buy alcohol "drinking suppression"? And if so, do you think we should get rid of those policies?
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - ghufran_syed 6y ago
    Looks like Canada has an id requirement to vote - if this is "voter suppression", whose votes are being suppressed? Or is there a racist assumption at work here that people of color are less likely to be able to follow simple instructions like bringing an id with them?
  - Google234 6y ago
    Wow every response to you has been flagged. Really makes me think... Anyway, why don’t you take a look at every other major and minor democracy in the world and see how they do it. They require ID.
taxicab 6y ago
The US needs voting reform badly. Race is currently one of the strongest predictors for how long people wait in line to vote even when you control for poverty [1]. Sadly, I don't see it happening without a change in our political landscape. The Senate has been actively blocking legislation to restore the voting rights act for the past 315 days [2]. This is the legislation introduced in the 1960's to prevent racial discrimination in elections at the height of the civil rights movement. Unfortunately, enforcement has been stripped out over the past few decades making it completely toothless. The tragedy, is that the legislation to restore its power isn't even being blocked because of discussions and legislative differences that can be worked through. It is being blocked by the majority leader just refusing to even hear or vote about it. [1] https://mavenroundtable.io/theintellectualist/news/study-race-one-of-strongest-predictors-of-how-long-people-wait-in-line-to-vote-yNpTfGliv0KGkaITp4y2jg https://mavenroundtable.io/theintellectualist/news/study-rac... [2] https://www.axios.com/john-lewis-voting-rights-senate-5fb8d35c-bac0-447c-a9ff-25603d96a901.html https://www.axios.com/john-lewis-voting-rights-senate-5fb8d3...
- input_sh 6y ago
  The most mind-blowing example I've seen is in Texas, where Loving County (population of 169) and Harris County (~70% people of colour, population of 4.7 million) both have 1 ballot drop off location.
  - ghufran_syed 6y ago
    Why do you need ballot drop-off locations for mail-in ballots? Can't they be, you know, mailed in? We don't have separate drop off boxes for tax returns, why would this be different? And that's something that carries penalties for not submitting on time. Or am I missing something? https://www.texastribune.org/2020/10/11/texas-ballot-drop-off-locations/ https://www.texastribune.org/2020/10/11/texas-ballot-drop-of...
    - underyx 6y ago
      You're definitely missing something, cause 82.3% of voters in Texas thus far went for in-person drop-off. (That's 24.3% of total turnout in 2016.)
brigandish 6y ago
> Unfortunately, voters this year will face obstacles that have no place in a modern democracy — and these impediments to voting will hit communities of color the hardest. This reminds me of the classic Ami Horowitz video where he asks whites at a uni about voter "suppression" and then blacks in the street about their responses https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odB1wWPqSlE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odB1wWPqSlE

44 points by erichocean 6y ago

Poll watchers are the most dangerous aspect of this year's election. You're going to end up with armed partisans of both sides showing up to polling centers. If conflicts(shootings) arise from this, it will further strengthen the claims by some that the election is illegitimate.

rudedogg 6y ago
This is what I've been thinking. It's exactly what Russia did when they scheduled Facebook Events at the same locations/times for groups with opposing views. Isn't voter suppression more of a legislative issue in modern times?

lordnacho 6y ago

Is there no culture of international election observation in the US? You sometimes hear about this on the news about elections, especially in newer democracies.

Google234 6y ago
Why would the US need that? You have people from both parties observing. Just take a look at how many lawsuits have been filed from both sides about elections laws trying to hold the state accountable.
karlshea 6y ago
There is, but most of them aren’t coming this year due to our stellar handling of this pandemic.
- vinay427 6y ago
  Here's a source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/28/us-election-observers-europe-latin-america https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/28/us-election-... It's happened in 2016 and possibly before that (?) as well. I think it's probably a good idea for most democracies, newer or otherwise.

Google234 6y ago

I can’t really tell what this organization wants. Anyways, requiring ID is not voter suppression. This article wasn’t very hacker news anywya.

karlshea 6y ago
> Anyways, requiring ID is not voter suppression. I think if you did any reading on this topic at all you’d find that’s incorrect.
- OneGuy123 6y ago
  If you don't have an ID then you are not a legal citizen: not paying taxes -> no vote for you. Why should I pay taxes while others freeload?
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- ghufran_syed 6y ago
  So is requiring id in order to fly, "flight suppression"? Is requiring id to buy alcohol "drinking suppression"? And if so, do you think we should get rid of those policies?
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- ghufran_syed 6y ago
  Looks like Canada has an id requirement to vote - if this is "voter suppression", whose votes are being suppressed? Or is there a racist assumption at work here that people of color are less likely to be able to follow simple instructions like bringing an id with them?
- Google234 6y ago
  Wow every response to you has been flagged. Really makes me think... Anyway, why don’t you take a look at every other major and minor democracy in the world and see how they do it. They require ID.

taxicab 6y ago

The US needs voting reform badly. Race is currently one of the strongest predictors for how long people wait in line to vote even when you control for poverty [1]. Sadly, I don't see it happening without a change in our political landscape. The Senate has been actively blocking legislation to restore the voting rights act for the past 315 days [2]. This is the legislation introduced in the 1960's to prevent racial discrimination in elections at the height of the civil rights movement. Unfortunately, enforcement has been stripped out over the past few decades making it completely toothless. The tragedy, is that the legislation to restore its power isn't even being blocked because of discussions and legislative differences that can be worked through. It is being blocked by the majority leader just refusing to even hear or vote about it. [1] https://mavenroundtable.io/theintellectualist/news/study-race-one-of-strongest-predictors-of-how-long-people-wait-in-line-to-vote-yNpTfGliv0KGkaITp4y2jg https://mavenroundtable.io/theintellectualist/news/study-rac... [2] https://www.axios.com/john-lewis-voting-rights-senate-5fb8d35c-bac0-447c-a9ff-25603d96a901.html https://www.axios.com/john-lewis-voting-rights-senate-5fb8d3...

input_sh 6y ago
The most mind-blowing example I've seen is in Texas, where Loving County (population of 169) and Harris County (~70% people of colour, population of 4.7 million) both have 1 ballot drop off location.
- ghufran_syed 6y ago
  Why do you need ballot drop-off locations for mail-in ballots? Can't they be, you know, mailed in? We don't have separate drop off boxes for tax returns, why would this be different? And that's something that carries penalties for not submitting on time. Or am I missing something? https://www.texastribune.org/2020/10/11/texas-ballot-drop-off-locations/ https://www.texastribune.org/2020/10/11/texas-ballot-drop-of...
  - underyx 6y ago
    You're definitely missing something, cause 82.3% of voters in Texas thus far went for in-person drop-off. (That's 24.3% of total turnout in 2016.)

brigandish 6y ago

> Unfortunately, voters this year will face obstacles that have no place in a modern democracy — and these impediments to voting will hit communities of color the hardest. This reminds me of the classic Ami Horowitz video where he asks whites at a uni about voter "suppression" and then blacks in the street about their responses https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odB1wWPqSlE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odB1wWPqSlE