Latinos in Louisville, KY, 40,000 voters in Georgia, and members of the military in Texas are among the tens of thousands who having their votes suppressed in key elections around the country.
At a press conference today, the The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and Election Protection (Coalition) discussed ongoing attempts to suppress the vote in several key elections that are being held in red states.
Barbara Arnwine of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law said that Election Protection has received over 1,300 calls received over lost voter registration in Georgia. Thousands of Americans are being denied their right to have their voices heard. A 71-year-old voter who moved to Georgia in July has made two attempts to register to vote in Fulton County, GA was still not listed as a voter by the Secretary of State’s website. Thousands of voters in Georgia will have to vote by provisional ballot.
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The Election Protection hotline is receiving thousands of calls about voter suppression. The hotline has received over 12,000 calls mostly from Florida, Georgia, and Texas.
Arturo Vargas of the NALEO Educational Fund reported that Latino voters in Louisville, KY are reporting that they are being discouraged from voting.
Mee Moua of the Asian Americans Advancing Justice reported that Asian-Americans are calling in from Georgia, Florida, and Virginia stating that they could not find their names on the voting rolls are were not given confirmation that they were registered to vote.
The Election Protection Project noted that they saw higher than 2010 turnout in Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina.
Nicole Austin-Hillery of the Brennan Center for Justice discussed Texas and the fact that some voters with military ID are being given conflicting information.
Jerry Vattamala of the Asian American Legal and Education Fund told the story of a voter in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who needed assistance in voting but the poll worker voted for Republican Tom Corbett for governor instead of the voter’s choice of Democrat Tom Wolf. Tom Corbett has wiped out Asian language assistance at the polls in Pennsylvania.
Curtis L. Decker of the National Disability Rights Network noted that the same voter registration problems in Georgia are also making it difficult for those with disabilities to vote.
It should surprise absolutely no one that there are voting issues in red states with close races in Georgia and Kentucky. After the conservative majority gutted the Voting Rights Act, thousands of Americans are being denied their right to vote. Republicans are pulling out all of the stops. Since they can’t win an election with their ideas, Republicans are intentionally denying opponents their voice in our representative democracy.
If you are being denied your right to vote, you can report the violation to the Election Protection Coalition by calling 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683).
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
