Stealing the Franchise

In the old days (twenty years ago) Republicans agonized that Democrats brought ineligible voters to the polls. Today they are attempting to shore up their sagging fortunes by denying the vote to voters who are eligible but inclined to vote Democratic.

In Minnesota and other tightly contested states Republicans had an outstanding organization to prevent people in Democratic districts who couldn’t prove their eligibility from voting. They even sent people to Duluth. This can be considered strict enforcement of the rules and is hard to fault.

But now in red state legislatures laws are being passed to prevent people, who coincidentally are more likely to vote Democratic, from voting. Who would this be? The poor. People without driver’s liscences. People who work two jobs and can’t easily register to vote. These laws now join the long standing Republican policy of removing for a lifetime the voting rights of convicted felons. At least this latter law applies equally to wealthy, white, Republican embezzlers as it does to poor, minority, drug dealers.

This is evidence of the Deep South’s takeover of the Republican Party with its ancient and revered practice of denying black citizens the right to vote through poll taxes, voter tests and intimidation.

NOW had a good expose of this last week. No wonder Republicans want to kill PBS.

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