I'm HATIN': Because They Want to Take Away Your Right to Vote, Black People!

Image Captured From:  http://doonesbury.slate.com/strip/archive/2012/07/25

Listen up, my fellow African Americans, and all people of color, this post is aimed directly at you.


Our right to vote is being challenged and you don’t even know or care enough to get enraged, engaged or active in the discussion.


I’m HATIN’


Did you know that the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Act the prohibits states from imposing any "voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure ... to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color," has to be renewed every 25 years? Yes, tis sad but true. And lawmakers are seemingly getting smarter at devising ways to disenfranchise people of color to keep us away from the voting booth and from exercising our right to vote.


Wikipedia states, “In July 2006, 41 years after the Voting Rights Act passed, renewal of the temporary provisions enjoyed bi-partisan support. However, a number of Republican lawmakers acted to amend, delay or defeat renewal of the Act for various reasons. One group of lawmakers led by Georgia congressman Lynn Westmoreland came from some preclearance states, and claimed that it was no longer fair to target their states, given the passage of time since 1965 and the changes their states had made to provide fair elections and voting. Another group of 80 legislators supported an amendment offered by Steve King of Iowa, seeking to strip provisions from the Act that required that translators or multilingual ballots be provided for U.S. citizens who do not speak English. The "King letter" said that providing ballots or interpreters in multiple languages is a costly, unfunded mandate…


The bill to renew the Act was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on July 13 by a vote of 390-33, with support from Republican House leadership, led by Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. The U.S. Senate passed the bill 98–0 on July 20. President George W. Bush signed the bill in a morning ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on July 27, 2006, one year in advance of the 2007 expiration date. This extension renewed the Act for another 25 years. The audience included members of the families of slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. Also in attendance were the Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, NAACP Chairman Julian Bond and other prominent African Americans.”


Does anyone else think it is LUDICROUS that there are members of the House actually voting AGAINST the Act, or that, at this point in our “post-racist society”, the Act has to be renewed at all?


Fast forward to today, right now, as we speak, new laws have been created and put into place that can largely effect this coming presidential election and future voting rights. Voter registration requirements are changing and, if you’re not careful, you won’t be included, and will ultimately be stripped of your God-given right to select the men and women who govern you.


Voter registration and proof of identification are the latest in attack tactics. The New York Times reports, “Advocates say the laws have nothing to do with voter suppression and are about something else entirely: ensuring the integrity of elections, preventing voter fraud and improving public confidence in the electoral process in an era when photo identification is routine for many basic things, including air travel.”


Let me be the first to say that loss of confidence in the electoral process was NOT a direct result of not asking me for ID when I come to the polls, but rather, the entire electoral college process, in which a candidate can win the “popular vote” but can still lose the election. Riddle me this, how can someone win a majority of all of the votes, when counted, reflecting all voters who came out to the polls that day, and still lose the election, based on an indirect election process that specifies how many electors each state is entitled, to cast a vote for President and Vice President? (Electoral College: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_College_(United_States))


The New York Times goes on to say, “Thirty-three states have passed laws requiring identification for voting. Five — Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kansas, Tennessee and Georgia — have, what are called strict photo identification requirements, meaning voters must present specific kinds of photo IDs before voting. Six states — Michigan, South Dakota, Idaho, Louisiana, Hawaii and Florida — have less strict photo requirements, meaning voters may be able to sign affidavits or have poll workers who recognize them verify their identities.”


Let’s look at Pennsylvania for a moment, shall we?


Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, who recently signed the law requiring new identification measures, fielded a reporter's question on the subject, recently in Pittsburgh, and couldn't remember the forms of ID he's requiring his constituents to have. Take a look…


Well, Mr. Corbett, here’s a refresher; Your new law mandates that voters be required to show an acceptable photo ID on Election Day. All photo IDs must contain an expiration date that is current, unless noted otherwise. Acceptable IDs include:

• Photo IDs issued by the U.S. Federal Government or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (including the Department of State Voter ID Card)
• PA Driver’s License or Non-driver’s License photo ID (IDs are valid for voting purposes 12 months past expiration date)
• Valid U.S. passport
• U.S. military ID- active duty and retired military (a military or veteran’s ID must designate an expiration date or designate that the expiration date is indefinite). Military dependents’ ID must contain an expiration date
• Employee photo ID issued by Federal, PA, PA County or PA Municipal government
• Photo ID from an accredited PA public or private institution of higher learning, including colleges, universities, seminaries, community colleges and other two-year colleges
• Photo ID issued by a PA care facility, including long-term care facilities, assisted living residences or personal care homes

- http://www.votespa.com/

Meanwhile, the number of Pennsylvanians who might not have the photo identification necessary to vote this November has more than doubled: at least 1,636,168 registered voters, or 20 percent of Pennsylvania voters, may not have valid PennDOT-issued ID, according to new data obtained by the Philadelphia City Paper. In Philadelphia, an enormous 437,237 people, or 43 percent of city voters, may not possess the valid PennDOT ID necessary to vote under the state's controversial new law.


SO, what can we do?

• Contact you local legislators, congressmen and voice your concerns. Stay abreast to the current legal battles regarding voting laws and rights.
• Fight fire with fire – Learn the new rules and regulations of your state and update all of your identification cards. State ID’s, Driver’s License anything that has a photo of you.
• Register to vote! I know I blogged about my ambivalence toward voting in an earlier post titled, I’m HATIN: Because Voting and New Logos Aren’t Fancy, but it is still important to be a part of the change you wish to see. Follow this link to find out how you register: http://www.eac.gov/assets/1/Documents/National_Mail_Voter_Registration_Form_English_2%2015%2020121%20Cor.pdf

Keep HATIN’ Alive