After
decades of trying to ease voting restrictions that suppress voter turnout in
the U.S., already among the lowest among industrialized nations, Republican-led
state legislators and GOP governors have quickly implemented or proposed a
series of changes aimed at reducing Black political clout.
Among the
recent developments to limit Black voter participation:
· At least
34 states have introduced legislation that would require voters to show photo
identification in order to vote;
· At least
12 states have introduced bills that would require proof of citizenship, such
as a birth certificate, to register or vote;
· At least
13 states have introduced legislation to end popular Election Day and same-day
voter registration;
· At least
nine states have introduced bills to reduce their early voting periods and
· Two
states – Florida and Iowa – have reversed prior executive orders making it
easier for ex-felons to vote.
These
voter suppression efforts are detailed in a recent report by the Brennan Center
at New York University’s School of Law titled, Voting Law Changes in 2012.
“The
general thrust of the law over the past few decades has been to ease
registration requirements to make it easier for eligible citizens to get on the
voter rolls,” the report stated. “The most significant advance was the National
Voter Registration Act of 1993, also known as the ‘Motor Voter’ law, which made
voter registration opportunities widely available across the country. More
recently, states have taken the lead in modernizing their voter registration
systems so that more voters are getting on the rolls and the rolls are getting
more accurate.”
However,
that’s no longer the case.
“This
year, the tide reversed,” the report observed. “Instead of efforts to increase
voter registration, this year new registration requirements have been instated
that will make it more challenging for eligible voters to ensure that they are
registered to vote on Election Day. Voter registration regulations range from
restrictions on individuals and groups who help register voters, to efforts to
scale back Election Day and same-day registration, to new rules making it
harder for voters to stay registered after they move.”
These new
restrictions could have a significant impact on the outcome of the 2012
presidential election. The states that have already placed further restrictions
on voting will provide 171 electoral votes in 2012 – 63 percent of the 270
needed to win the presidency. Of the 12 battleground states, five have already
cut back on voting rights and two more are considering following their lead.
Most of
the public attention on voter disenfranchisement has centered on voter
identification laws. Prior to 2006, no state required its voters to show
government-issued ID, according to the study. In 2006, Indiana became the first
state to require voters to show a government-issued photo ID. This year, 34
states introduced similar legislation. Of those, seven have been enacted so
far: Alabama, Kansas, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and
Wisconsin. The type of government ID accepted is also an issue. Texas, for
example, will recognize permits to carry concealed weapons, but not student IDs
from state universities.
The
partial or full elimination of early voting on Sundays will certainly reduce
the Black vote. Ohio has eliminated all in-person early voting on Sundays.
Florida has eliminated it for the last Sunday before Election Day. And North
Carolina is considering eliminating all in-person voting on Sundays.
The
Sunday restrictions target “Souls to the Polls” campaign popular in African-American
churches. Forbidding early voting on the last Sunday before an election hurts
Blacks. Florida is a perfect example. In the 2008 general election, 32.2
percent of those who voted early on the last Sunday were Black and 23.6 percent
were Latino (Blacks represent 13.4 percent of all early voters in the state and
Latinos 11.6 percent).
The
movement to restore the rights of the formerly incarcerated has also hit a
roadblock.
Since
1997, according to the report, 23 states have either restored voting rights for
the formerly incarcerated or eased the restoration process.
“By
executive action, Governors Terry Branstad of Iowa and Rick Scott of Florida,
both Republicans, returned their state policies to de facto permanent
disenfranchisement,” the report said. Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, also a
Republican, vetoed a bill with bipartisan support that would have automatically
restored voting rights to anyone who honorably completed a felony sentence and
probation or parole.
One of
most serious threats to Black voting is the curbs being placed on community
groups that assist in voter registration, such as the National Coalition on
Black Voter Participation.
Texas is
considering a proposal that would require anyone who registers voters to first
be deputized and attend mandatory training that ends with an exam. On May 19,
Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed a new law that requires voter registration
groups to pre-register with the state before engaging in voter registration
activity and mandates that every voter registration form collected be presented
to county officials within 48 hours of signature. Those who don’t comply face
civil penalties. In addition, the group conducting the voter registration must
place their state-issued ID code on each form collected from a voter.
The net
results of these new laws could mean the disenfranchisement of at least 5
million voters, the Brennan Center report noted. Republicans have made it clear
that their primary goal is to defeat President Obama in 2012. What they are not
saying is that they hope to do that by suppressing the Black vote.
George E.
Curry, former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine and the NNPA News Service, is
a keynote speaker, moderator, and media coach. He can be reached through his
Web site, www.georgecurry.com. You
can also follow him at www.twitter.com/currygeorge.
