Preventing people form voting is a horrendous act. Republicans should be punished for it. It's almost as if we live in a dictatorship when US citizens are barred from voting for dumb reasons. While certainly Democrats have use the voter suppression tactic, the Republicans use of it in 2018 is equal to the Russians manipulation of the elections in 2016.
Vote Democratic so Democracy can win.
18
This public disservice announcement brought to you by your Supreme Court, but trust us, there is nothing political going on here. We are robbing you of your right to vote with all due respect.
22
And again, the law only applies to Democrats, not Republicans.
10
I have been following this closely and am appalled at the hubris and downright lack of ethics of the Republican Party not only in North Dakota but also in Georgia re its blatant attempt to suppress African American voting...no less by its Sec of State running for Governor against a highly capable Black woman.
Has not this country done enough to our American Indians? We have robbed them from their land and sacred rights for hundreds of years and continue to do so. But North Dakota, and this bigoted president and his party, can not steal from them their dignity. I am behind them and Senator Heitkamp. And by darn, if we can not win this battle we WILL win the war against this heinous discrimination all too rampant in our so-called "Land of the Free."
27
What's missing in the analysis is this: there are only 750,000 people in North Dakota, who elected Heitkamp by 3000 votes. In other words, 3000 people may determine the future of the Senate and determine the next two Supreme Court Justices. We wouldn't be at this crisis point if 4 million Obama voters hadn't stayed home in 2016.
7
It seems Republic ethics are always the same: The End Justifies The Means. And in this case The End is the 1% ruling over the serfs with a thin veneer of democracy to placate said serfs.
7
USA - one nation, one nationwide voting policy - that may come later but bears mention here as a sensible quest, damaging though it may be to GOP conquest.
6
It’s no small feat stealing elections when a clear majority of the nation hates your party’s guts (and with good reason).
One must reach for and deploy every bit of low cunning that permeates one’s wretched soul.
20
Are these the last gasps of a dying minority party that is desperate to hold on the power?
Or will the lying, cheating, voter suppression and voter intimidation from the Republican Party only get more extreme as they disenfranchise larger and larger proportions of the American population until we turn into a right wing fascist state run by a small white nationalist minority?
It’s clear the very fabric of democracy is at stake. I hope my fellow citizens rise up and VOTE the Republican Party out of power for the next generation, until we have a new, moderate, modern party replace it.
24
Thanks for finally co earring this story of VOTER SUPPRESSION by the Republicans. They know that IF Minorities turn out to vote Republicans LOSE!
FIRST, thing the Democrats must do when they take the House and Senate is to write up a VOTING RIGHTS Act, that will protect the vote of every American citizen, outlaw gerrymandering and voter suppression in any form!
In Georgia, where the Secretary of State is running the election in which he is a candidate for governor, has been suppressing the vote in clear daylight! Last week a voting rights group brought a group of elderly African Americans to their polling place from a nearby nursing home......and they were TURNED AWAY!
Republicans can never claim to protect our Rights, nor our Constitutional government! They are no better than Putin!
VOTE THEM OUT!
15
Oh the irony. Your nations longest resident inhabitants targeted for disenfranchisement by the usurpers of the land. The American Republican Party has no shame - zero.
33
Republicans are doing everything in their arsenal to stay in power. Despicable.
16
North and South Dakota, have a combined population (1.6 million) of about 1/3rd of the State of Louisiana (4.7 million). Also, it is about 1/24th of the state of California (40 million). It is insane that they have 4 US Senators, while California has only 2 US Senators. Remember, the "holy, sacred US Constitution, which does have mostly brilliant laws and by-laws, sometimes need to be amended, which it has many times. This is 1 of those times. It should be more like the House of Representatives, which is based on population. As great as the US Constitution is, there is no way the founding fathers odf the original first 13 colonies could have foreseen these things. We (the people) have an obligation to amend the Constitution when it becomes absolutely necessary. Take for example, the right to "own slaves", or Women's (lack of ) the right to vote. Those were amended, and the rightly. This is another situation which needs to be amended, just as the 2nd Amendment does. I believe in the right to bear arms. I do not believe people should have AK-47s; or, if they do, only in special circumstances.
7
Republicans have not been particularly careful to hide that these are voter suppression tactics not solutions for voter fraud. Their dismissal of reasonable identification alternatives is further proof of this. In Georgia, where the GOP candidate is IN CHARGE of the voting process, voter suppression is particularly egregious. An obvious solution in a true democracy would be for independent, non-partisan entities to oversee the voting process (ha ha, just joking).
9
Just another example of how we have been discriminating against Native Americans for years. A country who claims to be religious and care about it's people, that only applies if you are wealthy and white.
11
North Dakota republican mantra: if you can't win honestly, disenfranchise several thousand voters just prior to the election.
N.D. needs watchdogs at every polling place to document the First Nations' efforts to ensure their members can cast a ballot AND have it counted.
The republican corruption never, ever ends...just sinks to new lows.
13
California has more citizens than the 24 least populated states.
That's 48 Senatorial votes - nearly half the Senate - to California's 2. North Dakota has fewer people than a lot of California's cities. Buying off a few senators is lunch money for the Koch Bros.
7
Let’s see here. Each election there are less than a dozen documented cases of voter fraud. Meanwhile, there are millions of documented cases of voter suppression. Three guesses which party talks about voter fraud and which party talks about voter suppression. Gambling in Casablanca, I am shocked, just shocked!
17
@Mike Z
Love it. Love it, love it, love it!
This is yet another example of the total corruption of the Republican Party. They have literally no shame and no respect for democracy, inventing a non-existent problem that will help them win the North Dakota Senate race by amorally disenfranchising many indigenous people. They know it is wrong and they don't care and the same goes for the Republican appointed judges who are allowing this to happen. This kind of nonsense does not happen in comparable countries.
17
I call out every Republican (and they are all Republicans) secretary of state and/or governor who claims they need to tighten voting laws to prevent voter fraud (which is virtually nonexistent, according to every study made). If they really cared about voters' access to the polls, they would implement the Oregon system of automatic voter registration. There when you apply for a driver's license or a state ID, or renew one, you are automatically registered to vote (you can opt out for religious reasons). Also voting itself takes place by U.S. mail. No one has to leave their home to vote. Oregon leads the country in voter participation. If it works there, it can work anywhere. State authorities who claim they are just looking to prevent voter fraud are lying, and they know they are lying.
12
It's pretty basic. Republican philosophy is not popular and they can't win a fair electoral fight. At least not in enough districts and states to retain power. So plan B: Suppress the vote by any and all means. It can be done with almost surgical precision, and the process is now being repeated in nearly every jurisdiction where Republicans have control.
Fighting mythical voter fraud doesn't pass the laugh test. No credible study validates more than a tiny number of incidents. Texas could only produce two cases in court. Voter ID laws are a sham, but regrettably these efforts are validated by too many courts (currently being packed with right wing ideologues). You can bet Brett and Neil will rubber stamp these laws.
You can add purging voter rolls (selectively) with Crosscheck, Exact Match, or if voting in a recent election is skipped; limiting early voting (in the right districts); limiting locations to register (in the right districts); harassing groups trying to register underrepresented voters; limiting polling locations on election day (in the right districts); and sometimes sending intimidating poll watchers dressed as police or military types (again, in selected districts).
Clearly, Republicans should change their messages and policies to something more agreeable to a majority of citizens. Then you can bet they'd try to get everyone to the polls. Yeah, I'm not holding my breath either.
6
As articulated without irony or shame by several NC officials last fall, Republicans believe suppressing votes is acceptable if it means Democrats won't gain office. In their view, they're doing their patriotic duty.
And the Roberts court showed us already that they share this viewpoint when they anointed Bush as President. Learn to love Republicans everyone because they are our permanent future.
6
Let me see if I understand this issue.
Native Americans born in the US and currently living in ND are eligible to vote.
The US Postal Services delivers US mail to PO Boxes in whether or not the mail recipient has a street address.
The state of ND hasn't built roads on the Native American reservation either because can't by law, or they don't have the funds or they don want to.
Before this ND voter law requiring that each voter have a street address, a Democrat was elected to the US Senate from a state generally considered a Republican-leaning state.
Is this something other than an attempt at voter suppression?
123
Given the past cruelties visited upon Native Americans by white elites, the chutzpah involved in voting disenfranchisement of this group reveals the Republican Party is worse than morally bankrupt.
75
Can you imagine how different the world would be if liberals hadn't elected George W. Bush and Donald Trump? We'd be living under our 25th straight year of Democratic presidents, and there would be 8 Democratic appointees on the Supreme Court. People would be able to vote freely, we would be fighting climate change, people would have more civil and human rights.
If only liberals hadn't elected Bush and Trump. Oh well!
19
All this voter suppression going on in Republican controlled states brings to mind the 2013 Supreme Court's decision in Shelby County v. Holder authored by Chief Justice Roberts. Yes, Mr. Chief Justice, the data behind the legislation was 40 years old. Contrary to your opinion, the facts happening today show that voter suppression has gotten worse not better!
What is happening today covers you and the justices who joined you in that opinion with shame. Kavanaugh joining the Court further taints the Court with blatant partisanship.
27
Both sides don't do it.
Only Republicans fight to deprive people of their right to vote, access to healthcare, workers' rights, a minimum wage, Social Security Benefits, Medicare Benefits, Medicaid Benefits, Unemployment Compensation, freedom of assembly, womens' control over their own bodies, and the human right of children to remain with their parents.
Since the present Trump is withdrawing from the INF treaty while it withdraw from all those troublesome Indian treaties next?
Vote Democratic every time!
31
Democracy --which literally means rule by and for the people --requires that everyone be able to vote. In a better world than the one we currently find ourselves in, all political parties would understand this and no party would place obstacles in the path of any group of voters. Sadly, the Republican party has shown time and again that it thinks winning elections is more important than preserving democracy. Wherever it has the power to do so it has been willing to rig the system by imposing laws intended to make it difficult or simply impossible for groups supportive of the Democratic party to vote. The usual justification of such laws is that they are needed to prevent voter fraud, but evidence of fraud is scant and the Republicans rarely bother to produce any. Clearly, they do not see the need to hide their true motivation, which is to win at any cost and by whatever means necessary. That their tactics subvert our democratic system is of no concern to them. If Trump succeeds at moving the country toward an authoritarian "illiberal democracy," as the model is known in Hungary, it will be because the Republican party, in its lust for victory, paved the way.
14
It may or may not be too late for this now but if tribal governments care about solving the problem, they will drive/walk every road on the reservations, note every plat, and assign each a name/number. Yes, this would be hard to do and would take massive effort but no one ever should think preserving democracy is going to be easy. And volunteering to help instead of thinking a tweet or comment suffices would be great too.
5
How can true Native Americans be denied the right to vote in this way? Where is the Justice Department? This is a cynical violation of civil rights with little time left to rectify it. I now mourn for our democratic republic.
25
Fight. Don't give up, fight. Station tribal officials at all polling places near reservations. Document every instance of illegitimate suppression for later challenges to this election and this law. Native Americans did not live in this state for centuries because it was easy; western settlers did not come because they had pre-built condos and central heating waiting for them. You are tough people and cannot be pushed around. Fight !
33
How ironic that the leader of the Republican Party spends so much time squawking about rigged elections, yet it's the Republican Party spending so much energy to rig the election. Democracy only works when people agree to render authority to their leaders. If voters are suppressed, they will stop recognizing that authority. Quite a price to pay for a short-term gain.
37
We need a democratic revolution in this country. The Republican Party has become an albatross around the neck of this country, and whatever it takes to get rid of Republicans and the Republican Party I'm all for.
33
As the great defenders of patriotic America, you would think republicans would be finding ways of making voting easier...not harder. Voter suppression by the party of higher moral values, plain and simple...
7
This article seems like excuses for the loss that is bound to happen.
If we trust that the article’s numbers are correct, the 5% of Native American voters that comprise the state population of 750,000, is 37,500. Out of those, we are told only 5,000 lack the required documentation. That is only 0.67% of the population.
Then, for it to matter, we must assume that they are all going to vote, and that they will all vote Democrat. This is simply unrealistic. The more likely truth is that people without even an address will disproportionately not vote at all.
This is in a state that Trump won by 36%.
Guess what, North Dakota, your next Senator is going to be a Republican, no matter how many excuses anyone tries to make about a few people who are no longer eligible to vote, but who weren’t likely to vote in the first place.
I voted for Hillary, and I will vote for any Democrat to oppose Trump. But this is simply a non-story, when you look at the numbers.
4
All politics is local. Don’t be fooled by Trump’s percentage win against HRC!
2
@Doctor,t Hietcamp won her last election by 3,000 votes, so your argument that every vote does not count is preposterous. I think that the Tribes of ND understand what is at stake, even if you discount their genuine efforts.
9
A guy in the county of Steele
was told that his ID ain't real;
unable to vote,
he gave this fine quote:
"Are citizens prone to repeal?"
3
Note that ND does not require voter registration - which is the solution most states use to prove a voter is a state resident. Use of the US Postal Service physical address has a longstanding precedent in verification of residency. Proof of residency is not a red-state disenfranchisement tactic - even the bluest of blue Washington DC says:
"To register when you vote during early voting and on Election Day, you must provide proof of residence that shows your name and current District of Columbia address."
4
@Ask4JD Sure - but how many native Americans live in the DC city limits? This may be an example of a false equivalency.
6
The plan of Justice Roberts and his conservative cabal on SCOTUS beginning with the clearly erroneous Shelby County decision in 2013, to disproportionately disadvantage minority voters in the South is working like a charm as the Governor’s race in the benighted state of Ga shows.
Now the Court has turned its disenfranchising ways to the north, where by sheer coincidence of course, their cert denial of challenge to a North Dakota GOP legislative scheme to deny Native Americans the right to vote that they had 4 months ago in the June primaries, will all but guarantee a GOP Senate pickup.
Justice Roberts and his majority have sealed their legacy on SCOTUS as being the same cut of cloth as the justices in the majority in Dred Scott and Plessey.
It is now obvious, if it hadn’t been before, that the “any means to the end” ethos of the GOP’s role to obtaining and maintaining political power is now firmly entrenched in all three branches of the federal government, starting from the top down.
It’s tragic for our system of government that those on SCOTUS, who have the last word on the validity of government action, are governed solely by political considerations and apparently care little about the integrity or legitimacy of the Court.
Plessy redux.
26
This seems like those old notions of the people of Germany in 1936. When they came for the Communists, I said nothing because it was not me. When they came for the Roma, I said nothing because it was not me. When they came for the Jews, I said nothing because it was not me. And when they came for me, there was no left to speak out. A failure to speak out against a wrong is quiet approval of the action. No Republican can claim to believe in the equality of their election system while this is going on.
As a History major who focussed on 20th Century politics and an outside observer, I'm not sure that many Americans realize how close they are to losing the concept of democracy in America. The checks & balances of Congress, Senate & Supreme Court are gone. Your elections are run under rigged systems that take active measures to disqualify people under the disguise of "voter fraud" when gerrymandering & outside influence are the true problems.
This is scary for the rest of the world because the USA has been so reliable as a bastion of decency on the world stage since WW II. It is scary to see a country that stood up to the USSR, made such major efforts to rebuild Europe after WW II and has been a leader in foreign aid for so long now be lowered to the level of a bully, both internationally & domestically.
Let your citizens speak their mind at the ballot box and please restore some of the decency that seems to be such a foreign concept in the USA today.
13
@Ken
I agree. Bill Maher uses the phrase to describe this, "A Slow Coup". He is dead on correct.
1
@Ken Speak our minds at the ballot box, yes, and hope that (more likely than voter fraud is the spectre of election hacking/fraud) it actually gets counted. Let’s face it, we need a fekkin SuperHero to save Democracy.
3
Maybe now we ALL get the joke:
"Roberts concerned Kavanaugh hearings will damage court credibility"
Har.
Mr. Roberts, the stare decisis king of confirmation hearings, has single-handedly made SCOTUS the world's most elite liar's club.
There is no justice in this country. There is no rule of law.
And now, there are only marginally fair elections.
Those hardy idealists who refused for decades to admit it must now surely see the Republicans, and their rich owners especially, are sick and tired of democracy getting in their way, and they will not abide it any longer.
Those who insist on playing politics and law as if they are gentleman's games will be crushed and discarded.
Roberts, and now Kavanaugh, offer you a clear demonstration of the contempt our jurists have for the nation and the law.
We probably have, oh, two more Presidential terms to rescue this situation. It will require rapid and unprecedented action, but if we can't save our Supreme Court, our police, our politics from this head-on assault in short order we will be lost.
Lucky for us the nations our leaders love to hate, all of Europe for example, have not fallen as far as we have. There may still be someplace to run.
Just stay out of Canada, that's mine.
5
This is designed to disenfranchise Native People, young people and renters. At the same time, ND property owners can easily vote in more than one state because there is NO voter registration to check.
30
Stories like this need to say, if possible, how the justices voted. I realize sometimes there’s no breakdown when the court refuses to act but you can be sure the “Stepford Justices” owned and operated by Leonard Leo and friends vote as they are told and/or are indoctrinated into voting. The recent story about the indoctrination process only serves to reinforce the right wing coup underway and nearly completed.
5
Within certain proscribed standards, states should have the ability to write the rules for voting for offices whose duties affect only the state. For offices that are national in influence and impact --US Senate, US House of Representatives, President-- a national standard is essential if the trope that all citizens are equal in the voting booth is to have any meaning.
The ability to register to vote for a national-in-scope office on election day should be federal law. If an individual changes residence in the weeks leading up to the vote, in many states, that person become disenfranchised in both the state he left and the one in which he now resides. Yet, though he remains a US citizen in good standing, is forbidden the exercise the right, the obligation to have his vote count.
Voting in America has devolved into farce. And the Republican Party is in blackface.
12
I believe that there is an aspect of this issue that Republicans, and the Nation ignore at their peril. What situations will arise if and when Democrats decide to resort to tactics similar to those of Republicans ? Voter intimidation and suppression can work both ways .
9
If the Founders wanted one-person-one vote, that’s what the Constitution would have established. We have been a managed republic from the start. Making sure only the right people vote is baked in.
9
@Wendell Jones
I have no idea what you are talking about. One person, one vote sounds like the correct thing. If this is what you mean, then I agree completely. If not, then I disagree completely. It's that simple. As far as "baked in", we would still have legalized slavery, women could not vote, and a multitude of other agendas which have no place in the US Constitution; that is why it has been amended to change these laws. Hence the word, "Amendment".
@Wendell Jones, very sad and very true. How long will this travesty be allowed to fester?
Enlightened people must demand their right to participate in their government.
Students of history know what voter suppression looks like, and it is sadly true that Power never gives up any thing without a demand.
The tribes of ND must follow their plan and vote in their districts, then demand that those votes be counted, all the way to the rigged Supreme Court. They must call out the disenfranchisement every step of the way, and we as a nation of equals must have their back.
9
Yes, this law will impact tribal nations across ND, which is rightfully getting media coverage.
It should be noted that THIS WILL ALSO LIKELY IMPACT THOUSANDS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS across the state, esp. at the research universities in Fargo & Grand Forks:
WHERE TO VOTE AS A STUDENT
1) Voting in Your Hometown
If you attend college in your hometown and still reside at home, you vote in the precinct (voting area) of your residence. If you attend school away from your North Dakota residence and you live on or off campus, you may still vote in your hometown elections if your address is still associated to that residence. You can do this either by absentee voting or by voting in person on Election Day at your hometown precinct polling place.
2) Voting in Your College Town
You may vote in your college town by updating your
identification to reflect the address at which you reside while
attending school. You must reside at the address for at least
30 days immediately preceding the election in order to be a
resident of the precinct.
3) Voting Absentee in Your Home State
If you attend college in North Dakota, but are a resident of
another state, contact the state election official in your home
state for information about the voter qualifications and
procedures for voting absentee in your home state. In most
cases, if you vote in an election in North Dakota, your
residency will change from your home state to North Dakota.
https://vip.sos.nd.gov/pdfs/Portals/Voting-CollegeStudents.pdf
39
As a once registered Republican, I am dismayed that once again, the GOP has shown that its only interest is power, and then it cuts taxes so that the rich who benefit will pay the money needed to pay for the campaign ads that somehow persuade the gullible to keep the GOP in power.
9
As a foreign reader, I find this one of the most terrible stories happening in the U.S. lately. How can Americans not care more about the rights of Native Americans, after all the truly horrendous things that were done over the past 398 years? It is not just a North Dakota issue; the entire country should stand up.
73
@Ricardo
You are so right. No one deserves the right to vote more than Native Americans. I have more respect for them, than any other people in this country. Never forget this: With the exception of Native Americans, every other inhabitant is an immigrant in this beautiful country. I don't care whether you are 1st generation or 10th generation immigrants; you are all still immigrants!
6
@Ricardo in the article it makes clear that those Native Americans on the reservation have the ability to get an address and with plenty of time before the election. This isn't a "terrible story." It's just another example of the press skewing perception that further pits American against American.
I'd like to believe that all Americans have more in common than we have differences, but in the current climate, the press is only interested in further dividing us.
1
In case you tuned in late, the descendants of the first humans in North Dakota, whose ancestors came roughly 10,000 years ago, are unable to vote because officials feel they are unable to prove their residency.
37
So, why don't Native Americans have street addresses? Because tribal lands are sovereign, and they don't have to.
This problem is far more complicated than the Times is reporting. The indigenous people want to have their cake (self-rule on tribal land) and eat it as well (full participation in American society).
They SHOULD have both, but a compromise needs to be made. Tribal lands need addresses, and Natives need to create them.
6
Lots of rural folks don’t have street addresses. Street addresses are created by local governmental units when plats are drawn. Much of my life I had a rural route address. It isn’t an issue in rural Iowa or Nebraska or Texas, because the Republican legislatures have no interest in disenfranchising rural white folks.
22
History repeats. John Thune won his Senate seat in South Dakota by having the Indians' votes disenfranchised. Small poor tribes are easily abused. Large tribes with gambling revenue have a lot of leverage over politicians.
14
I just donated to four corners. This seems like banana republic stuff. I can’t believe that it is happening in America. Appalling. How do those people sleep at night knowing that they are so dishonest?
36
Unbelievable and reprehensible. All non-Native American citizens of North Dakota should be completely and totally outraged by this petty scheme by a group of corrupt politicians.
If ND does not return Senator Heitkamp to the Senate it is another indication that, out of sheer laziness, we have let our country be taken over by the lily white, greedy and unethical Republican party and their corporate backers.
Soon the rest of us will join the poorest North Dakotans as disenfranchised and suppressed if we do not vote the GOP out at all levels of government.
8
Don't Republicans realize that everytime they brazenly try to prohibit an entire group of people from voting the blinking lights over their heads that say "I don't stand a chance without cheating" get brighter?
Republicans: Do you think you have the voice of the people? Then step aside a moment and let democracy do it's thing.
7
What is the so-called Grand Old Party afraid of? Could be the electorate is finally getting their "number"? When are y'all going to figure out that our Republic is controled by the likes of Mitch McConnell and his "crew"?
Please VOTE to save our Republic.
11
How can the Supreme Court allow a major change in voter requirements to take effect less the ONE MONTH before an election.I guess the Republicans got the Court they fought for.The Court decided Bush v Gore for the Republicans and now they have disenfranchised American Indian s in North Dakota.The proposed fix would work but takes time to implement.The Court loses even more credibility when they support a change in voting- they are showing that they do NOT represent "Equal Justice Under Law".Tribal leaders fight for your rights!
65
I am appalled, embarrassed, and ashamed that one of the two major political parties in my country thinks that suppressing the votes of those who might vote for the other party is in any way an acceptable behavior. And that our Supreme Court is willing to double down by allowing this behavior.
If I could vote in North Dakota, I would be sure to vote for only Democrats in November. I guess I’ll do that in Florida.
144
Welcome to Republistan, the newest Russian Republic, where democracy and the will of the people can go to hell.
D for democracy; R for rigged, corrupt Russian-Republicanism.
VOTE in historic numbers to rid America of Republican criminals !
November 6 2018
71
Liberals need to start playing this game that has been overwhelmingly approved by the Supreme Court. They need to find the weak points , the pressure points of the Republicans voting system and legally attack those points. For example, in many states, conservatives prefer to use mail-in ballots which are perhaps the least secure form of voting. They need to seek last-minute injunctions like Republicans do. Liberals need to stop being beautiful losers and do what the Supreme Court is inviting them to do
37
@Buoy Duncan On one level, I consistently have the same thought, but in another I recognize that those of us who value true democracy can’t/don’t do cynical power grabs like this. I’m bewildered, however, that our system seems to reward those who do. These are very concerning times and I’m not sure the way out. Is ceding our own moral compasses to do so the only way out?
1
@Buoy Duncan. No. If we do not continue to behave decently, we may as well become Republicans ourselves. I do not want to relinquish the moral high ground in order to win. That isn't just winning a battle but losing the war, it is choosing to deliberately do harm. I cannot support that choice.
1
Anyone who thinks their vote doesn't count simply has to ask themselves why the Koch brothers and their International Mafia Robber Baron brethren - and operatives in OUR governments at every level, academic institutions and corporations - are spending BILLIONS OF $$$ manipulating OUR voter registration and suppressing OUR votes in any way possible.
They don't "win". They cheat and steal and do everything corrupt to try to take over OUR governments.
WE THE PEOPLE - average people across America - must stand in line as long as it takes, call to make sure OUR vote was counted if we mail or drop ballots and contact the local media if there is any interference.
OUR United States is in Constitutional Crisis thanks to the Koch brothers and their International Mafia brethren. Only
WE THE PEOPLE can/will stop them on November 6 and every election in the foreseeable future.
73
It is now time that a fair, nationwide, acceptable means of voter ID at the polls be implemented.
To live as a citizen in the United States means you can vote, less a few things like felons, etc.
To be sure, there are states' rights. But to vote for national offices, there should be one standard. To vote for representatives to the Congress, there should be one standard.
If states feel that you qualify in one state, but not in another, then allow them to print two ballots, one for national seats, and one for the state.
It is without logic to assume that where you live determines whether or not you can vote in an election.
43
That Election Day is not a national holiday is a long standing form of purposeful voter suppression.
9
@reid Agreed. The 15th Amendment to the Constitution declares that the “right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged...on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” The GOP “zeal” to protect our Constitution appears to stop at the 2nd Amendment.
2
This Roberts Supreme Court has approved just about every ad hoc, vote suppression measure and on short notice quite often, that has come before it. Republicans would have been screaming that this was too short a notice as in North Carolina where they demanded months to adjust to minor changes. If this is ever resolved, it is a guarantee that Republicans will keep coming up with more ideas like this. We really are a poor example of a democracy
113
There is a system called What3Words that divides the world into 10 foot squares and assigns a unique three word combination to each square. This could be used to uniquely identify each residence for voting purposes, even those without street addresses.
36
@catlover Thank you! That is what I was thinking. But even with that address, will they be able to get the proper documents before election day?
3
Republicans are evil geniuses. Seriously. Every time a court blocks one of their voter suppression schemes, they're ready with two more. And each time, the Democrats are like, "Whoa, where the heck did that come from?" Now, it's all moot. This Supreme Court will approve every and any voter ID scheme that successfully suppresses the Democratic vote. If a Blue state attempts to suppress the GOP vote, well, I'm sure the High Court can find a reason why that doesn't pass legal muster.
204
@keepgo
Actually, there’s a very good strategy hidden in your post. Perhaps, Democrats, should actually try the same strategies against Republican voters? In particular, they should try the same strategies that have already been upheld by the Supreme Court. That could possibly end up in a reversal of the precedent that has been set.
It could also be tried with other questionable rulings, such as the Hobby Lobby case. If a company that was non-Christian tried to restrict the insurance coverage of their employees based on the company’s faith, I wonder if that would help to overturn the Hobby Lobby decision?
Or perhaps, in both cases, such reversals of discrimination would lead Congress to pass new laws or amendments that would prevent such discrimination from happening entirely. Laws that the Supreme Court would be required to rely on in future rulings.
3
I am a resident of North Dakota. It is reprehensible that the Republicans in charge in this state, with the help of the Supreme Court, could have these changes pushed through so close to this upcoming election. I did not hear of any cases of voter fraud in ND in the last election, so why was this change necessary? If proof of address is sufficient for the tribal officials, then Al Jaeger and his cronies have to reason to push further.
204
Hopefully, this fact of voter suppression will encourage even Republicans to vote against the state Republican Party! Hoping that North Dakota residents get angry enough at this injustice and vote for the Democrats!
3
I can only marvel that state officials could be so brazen as to 'steal' an election rather than risk losing it. Whatever happened to the idea of let the best (candidate) win. Put this situation together with what is happening to minority voters in GA and the only message is 'Be afraid, be very afraid.'
221
Why is it that all of the restrictions on voting and access to the ballot affect groups that tend to vote for Democrats? If you ask why I would ask that question when the answer is obvious (I agree with that last part) then you, like me, are afflicted by the overwhelming cynicism that has infected our political system.
Perhaps a better question is, Why are no Republicans of consequence are standing up to protest? Why does the Republican Party, which led the nation through a Civil War that, in the end, was largely about democracy seem to have no taste for a truly democratic process?
153
@JJM
I wholeheartedly agree with you! I have never been this scared about our government, I wasn't even this afraid when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade when I saw the duck walking and singing "Duck and Cover".
9
The Republican party that led us through the Civil War was the progressive party of its time. They were, in short, the Democrats of their time. There was a shift after Reconstruction.
7
When will the USA do a U-turn and start moving towards being a democracy? It will not get there before removing the widespread suppression and exploitation of large numbers of citizens.
184
These seemingly innocuous legislations which help "protect" are nothing more than stepping stones leading to fascism. Just like domestic spying (NSA), border "protections" and searches, and stronger police presence...these are all advertised as being for our "benefit" and "protection" but are really just means to remove freedoms.
155