The Success of Vote Suppression
The long Election Day lines around Florida may have turned away more than 200,000 frustrated would-be voters who gave up and went home before they cast ballots — or else saw the lines and elected not to join them.
Analyzing data compiled by the Orlando Sentinel, Ohio State University professor Theodore Allen estimated last week that at least 201,000 voters likely gave up in frustration on Nov. 6, based on research Allen has been doing on voter behavior.
His preliminary conclusion was based on the Sentinel’s analysis of voter patterns and precinct-closing times in Florida’s 25 largest counties, home to 86 percent of the state’s 11.9 million registered voters.
“My gut is telling me that the real number [of voters] deterred is likely higher,” Allen said. “You make people wait longer, they are less likely to vote.”
You may remember this issue as one of the things that Michael Gerson got very offended about. I’m sure Gov. Luthor will have this all taken care of by 2016, then. And I’m sure Gerson will write about it!
TT:
January 26th, 2013 at 12:12 pm
This is all to the good according to George Will, because if we allow too many
Democratspeople to vote then, you know, Hitler!Dr.KennethNoisewater:
January 26th, 2013 at 12:25 pm
Chilling indeed. This is not democracy.
DocAmazing:
January 26th, 2013 at 12:34 pm
Since the DoJ is not busy pursuing financial crime, might this not be the sort of thing they would be interested in?
Rob:
January 26th, 2013 at 12:48 pm
Many, many more copyright infringement cases to work; many, many more cases against some people who use some drugs to work.
joe from Lowell:
January 26th, 2013 at 1:06 pm
The DoJ has been quite aggressive in fighting voter suppression under Holder. It’s probably the area in which this Justice Department has been most active, both in VRA reviews and bringing cases to court.
Link
Link
joe from Lowell:
January 26th, 2013 at 1:08 pm
Since we’re only allowed two links per comment, I’ll just continue posting links here. It seems appropriate.
Link
Link
God bless Eric Holder.
DrDick:
January 26th, 2013 at 1:47 pm
Our Republican dominated legislature is trying to do the same thing here in Montana.
Johnny Sack:
January 26th, 2013 at 3:29 pm
Rick Scott is going to get Corzine’d by a Democratic Christie. He’ll be a megarich one-term governor from the state’s majority party who alienates everyone in his own party, and no one likes.
Johnny Sack:
January 26th, 2013 at 3:30 pm
I’m against the death penalty, but I can make an exception for voter suppression.
joe from Lowell:
January 26th, 2013 at 3:51 pm
I hear you.
People died for the right to vote.
I don’t understand how someone like Rick Scott can look at himself in the mirror.
James E. Powell:
January 26th, 2013 at 3:53 pm
In my view, this all goes back to the Clinton years. The right-wingers who took over the Republican Party realized, step by step, that they could disregard the unwritten rules. They kept the Whitewater thing going, despite there being no evidence of any wrong-doing by the Clintons, until some wrong-doing turned up. It wasn’t really a crime, but they impeached him anyway. Then, they ruled that we should not count the votes. Then, in Texas, the re-drew the districts. Similar events have continued. The whole voter ID movement.
The thing is, the realized that their own supporters will accept anything but losing, that the general public either does not care or believes “both sides do it,” and the corporate press/media will never never never call their anti-democracy campaign what it is.
This is why beating them in elections is more important than winning any particular policy debate. They have to lose until their movement dies.
DrDick:
January 26th, 2013 at 4:19 pm
Not to mention all those whistleblowers who need prosecuting.
DocAmazing:
January 26th, 2013 at 4:31 pm
Yes, he’s doing as much as absolutely necessary.
joe from Lowell:
January 26th, 2013 at 4:34 pm
Bullshit.
You just refuse to give credit where it’s due.
patrick II:
January 26th, 2013 at 4:39 pm
When Rick looks in the mirror, there is nothing there.
MikeJake:
January 26th, 2013 at 4:51 pm
I voted in Columbus, Ohio in 2004 in the near off-campus area between Ohio State and downtown. I made it to my polling place after work at around 6:00 PM. I had to wait about an hour and a half in line to vote, an hour of which was outside in the cold rain. I have no doubt that a not insignificant number of people who came to vote after work saw that line and said to hell with it.
DocAmazing:
January 26th, 2013 at 4:53 pm
I’d be more impressed if I saw a more high-profile, fuck-with-the-vote-and-we’re-coming-after-you effort. You know, like with drugs. Or whistleblowers.
Michael Scott:
January 26th, 2013 at 6:19 pm
I’ve got an idea: Let’s indict Rick Scott and the FLA Secretary of State on charges of violating the civil rights of 210,000+ of their fellow citizens.
That ought to get their attention.
jefft452:
January 26th, 2013 at 6:19 pm
“The long Election Day lines around Florida may have turned away more than 200,000 frustrated would-be voters who gave up and went home before they cast ballots — or else saw the lines and elected not to join them.”
… And yet they still lost
James E. Powell:
January 26th, 2013 at 6:29 pm
That they lost does nothing to reduce my outraged objection to voter suppression.
It seems to me that the Democratic Party, nationally and especially on state & local level, have to make this a major issue. Have to.
I don’t want to depend on the courts to hold down the Republicans.
Murc:
January 26th, 2013 at 9:48 pm
Clinton years?
Try Nixon.
cwolf:
January 27th, 2013 at 11:46 am
A Jack Dupp Prod.
Informant:
January 27th, 2013 at 11:52 am
Or a “Democratic Crist” as the case may likely be.
Johnny Sack:
January 27th, 2013 at 12:39 pm
I will vote for anyone who runs against Scott. Crist was not that bad, for a 21st century Florida Republican.
Johnny Sack:
January 27th, 2013 at 12:41 pm
The most disturbing thing, by far, is the blinders my Republican family members have put up in this regard. I say family only because I no longer have Republican friends. They’ve all lost it.
13.8% of overseas military couldn’t vote in ’012 | Grumpy Opinions:
January 27th, 2013 at 1:52 pm
[...] The Success of Vote Suppression [...]
joe from Lowell:
January 27th, 2013 at 5:46 pm
From your entry:
Who controlled the Congress in 2009?
Republicans try to make voting harder for populations that are expected to vote against them. Democrats try to make it easier.
There is one party in this country that values democracy.