Suppressed 2020 The Fight To Vote
Voter Suppression Notes from documentary and talk after viewing:
Suppressed 2020 The Fight To Vote
https://www.bravenewfilms.org/suppressed
First of all, PLEASE watch this film – I am going to summarize my takeaways from this intense film but there is so much more I cannot begin to express and expressed by the people STILL fighting for the right to vote.
Know that blatant organize voter suppression kicked into high gear in 2013 when the fuckin Supreme Court gutted the most significant provision of the 1965 Voter Rights Act. Many states IMMEDIATELY or soon after enacted photo ID laws and 17 million voters were removed from voter roles.
But before and after 2013, one of the most cherished and loudly lauded lies of our fuckin democracy is the claim that every citizen of this country has the right to vote.
Since 1870 the 15th Amendment lie ‘giving’ Black men the right to vote; since the 1920 19th Amendment lie that gave womyn the right to vote; since 1924 and the Indian Citizenship Act lie that citizens were supposed to have the right to vote the white male power structure has found a myriad of more and more brilliant and blatant ways to suppress the votes of mostly Black womyn and men, as well as brown people and even poor white people.
This documentary is about Georgia specifically, and the 2018 election where Georgia voters got a chance to elect a Black womon as governor, for the very first time not just in Georgia but in the entire u.s.ofa. but the ‘steps’ listed below have been and are duplicated all over our country, and not necessarily in this order:
Suppression:
1) Close polling statons: in predominantly Black and democratic counties/neighborhoods; of the 53 counties that lost polling locations, 39 were predominantly poorer than the rest of Georgia counties and had a significantly high – 25% or greater - Black population
2) Process Voter Registration Forms AFTER the election: Over 80% - 53,000+ - Voter Registration Forms were put on the roles AFTER the election
3) Purged: since 2013, almost a million voters have been wrongly removed from voter roles; subsequently, once removed many difficult steps are put in place making it almost impossible to be re-registered. 60% of counties with voters purged are Democratic counties.
4) Absentee ballots not sent, sent to wrong address, sent after election, thrown out: 97% of people who vote absentee are Democrats. Over ¼ MILLION voters requested absentee ballots
5) Remove machines, power cords at polling stations in Democratic and Black precincts: people had to stand in line from 2 to 5 HOURS to vote and often after standing so long, were told they were at the wrong place and directed to other precincts with the same exceedingly long lines
6) Exact match rule: if you’re Spanish or Asian you’re 6 times more likely to be eliminated from voting, if you’re Black 8 times more likely due to the ‘exact match’ rule.
7) Turn students away: lying to out-of-state students’ residing in Georgia about their eligibility to vote, turning them away
8) Supply only ¼ of machines necessary to vote in Black precincts: and many more machines than necessary in wealthy, white precincts
9) Provisional voting: not making it clear to provisional voters they have to come back with the ‘proper’ paperwork to provide proof of eligibility
10) Modern version poll tax: making people miss work in order to stand in line to vote or to return to prove who they are, etc.
ACTIONS:
1) Drop boxes: find out locations of drop boxes already installed; take pics and post to social media; inform surrounding neighbors. Check how many “pending” drop box locations are listed and not yet installed. Advocate for their installation – follow-up and make sure they are/have been installed. In Alameda County: https://www.acgov.org/rovapps/maps/ballotdropbox_map.htm
2) Know the facts for voting: where to vote, options how to vote, who can drop off paper vote, deadlines!!! Etc.
3) Confirm your/friends/neighbors registration: check and make sure you are registered, help family, friends, neighbors check https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/
4) Sign up for Where’s My Ballet?: track your ballet from Oct 5th when paper ballots for ALL California residents will be sent out. Follow your ballet from mail to return and also see that it has been counted! Tell everyone you know to keep track of their ballot by this service. Sign up here: WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov
5) Be an election protector volunteer: If you are not able to be a poll worker, volunteer to be an election protector! https://protectthevote.net/ and https://www.commoncause.org/california/our-work/expand-voting-rights-election-integrity /election-protection/
6) Vote EARLY! Help others to vote early as well. Really, vote as soon as you get your ballet if you are able by mail, drop box, registrar of voter’s office, polls. Make sure you follow your ballet all the way through the election.
7) Power the polls! polls are closing because of the claim there are not enough volunteers so if you are able, VOLUNTEER! Recruit others to volunteer.
8) Phone banking, texting, post cards: there’s a myriad of ways to contact people locally and nationally https://swingleft.org/p/phone-bank
9) Connecting in c.v. times: we can no longer go door-to-door but we can set up ironing boards and merely mask up and stand 6 feet away, Provide notebook or clipboard so people who are facing challenges to voting can sign their name and number and get a phone call. Have a column for “Need a ride to the polls or your ballet delivered?” Or make a large poster that says: “Need help voting?” or “Have Questions re:voting?” call – and put your/a number. Have voter reg cards and other voting info materials next to sign-up sheets.
Organizations to work with/for:
Swing Left
Voterize.org
https://www.mobilize.us/ft6/event/306250/ - voterizer – too make calls/texts to college students & other purged voters Mondays
swing states actions
Reclaim Our Vote (ROV)
https://actionnetwork.org/forms/reclaim-our-vote-signup
This all might be and probably is reinventing the wheel – hopefully it will be helpful! Please feel free to add ideas, information, contacts; to correct, make suggestions, etc.
MOST importantly, know that this election is just a tiny beginning step in changing our country and bringing justice, liberty for all. The REAL work begins when we get these people into office and hold them accountable DAILY – not waiting for a fuckin election!
posted by Xan @ 2:34 PM
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