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Quick thread on why the Voting Rights Advancement Act is so important
In 2013, the Supreme Court gutted Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act– making it more difficult for black and minority voters to vote
It was a direct rebuke of the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. Martin Luther King
And now we know why: Within five years of that decision, nearly 1,000 polling places in the U.S. have been closed—many of them in primarily black counties pewtrusts.org/en/research-an…
Here are some of the worst examples:
Texas, where the growing Latino population threatens Republican dominance, closed over 400 polling places since 2013 whowhatwhy.org/2018/10/28/pol…
Arizona, has closed 200 voting sites, more per capita than even Texas usatoday.com/story/news/pol…
Indiana has shuttered more than 1/5 of all polling locations washingtonpost.com/business/2018/…
In North Carolina’s majority-black Mecklenburg County, poll closures reduced black turnout by over 50 percent(!) in 2016 nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/st…
In Georgia, where Brian Kemp oversaw the largest voter purge in history, poll closures correlate almost perfectly with high poverty areas across the state—where people are more likely to vote Democratic ajc.com/news/state--re…
In 2018 alone, 10 counties with large black populations in Georgia closed polling spots after a white elections consultant recommended they do so to save money
As one voter suppression expert wrote, “It is just so Jim Crow… What we have today, with poll closures done in the interest of ‘streamlining’ and ‘saving taxpayer money,’ is no less pernicious. And no less pervasive.” newrepublic.com/article/151966…
In 2019, no one should have their right to vote denied. Let’s restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act. Let’s pass HR4. #RestoreTheVote
