Thread by @RachelMcGonagi1

SCOTUS, you absolute fücking fücks. Roberts, are you fücking proud of yourself? Does THIS look like it maybe is "approaching the 'pervasive,' 'flagrant,' 'widespread,' and 'rampant' discrimination" of the farking states the #VotingRights Act was protecting against?

#RobertsSucks

https://twitter.com/AriBerman/status/1124091821775310851

It would take me a month of Sundays just to list all the discriminatory voting laws passed by states that weren't allowed to pass such laws without express permission, when section 4(b) of the VRA was still law of the land.

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird Do you know what states put forward discriminatory laws THE VERY DAY SCOTUS' execrable Chief Justice John Roberts decided that the success of the VRA meant it was no longer needed for these states?

Texas, Mississippi and, you guessed it, Florida.

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird The extent of damage of 2013s Shelby vs Holder decision can not be underestimated. It's been devastating, especially to poor & minority communities: new voter ID laws, closed polling places, voter roll purges, & ending online registration, same day registration, & early voting.

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird Nearly all these laws or changes--not just in southern states--have been made in states or districts that had the highest Black voter turnout in 2008.

This is not a coincidence.

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird There've been over a 1000 polling places closed. 23 states have enacted stricter voting laws.

The preclearance requirement in the Voting Rights Act led to greater representation of Black people in govt, and Black interests, you see, and that didn't sit right with some folks.

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird And almost every single law to restrict voting rights post-Shelby has been passed by Republicans.

That seems...statistically significant.
nytimes.com/2018/11/03/us/…

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird One of the other things many of these states did was redraw districts to gerrymander TF out of them and make sure they could keep their Reps Red, like they wanted them. This would've been illegal under the VRA, or subject to pre-clearance at least, but after Shelby: 👍

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird So, listen. One HUGE reason why Dems had a smaller turnout than expected in 2016 (tho it was still BIG) was because of successful GOP voter suppression that'd been ramping up for 3 years by that point in many states, among loyal democratic voters.

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird And even when a white majority finally comes to their senses and helps vote to enfranchise an historically, unfairly disenfranchised group by a huge margin...the GOP, still frightened, still very very racist, WILL step in and try and take those rights away.

Because they cheat.

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird The white majority has to continue to take a stand against GOP voter suppression tactics. ALL the time. EVERYWHERE. You like that democracy you got there? Guess what, you got nothin without the assist--pardon me, the leadership!--of minority voters.

So get your rears in gear!

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird If you live in Florida, call your state representative.

Call your state senator, too, especially if they were a douchecanoe, and express your outrage.

Use this site to find yours, if you don't know who they are (but why don't you know who they are??)

stateofflorida.com/state-legislat…

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird Then you can read this report from US Commission on Civil Rights done just last year of the impact of Shelby on minority voting access. If 400+ pages scares you, just read pp60-193. Maybe you'll get some serious perspective, and some good talking points.

usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Mino…

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird It'll also give you an idea of what your own state (cuz it's about 1/2 of em) has done to keep people--mostly Black people, mind you--from voting. And then you can look up your own state representatives and senators and give them whatfor.

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird And during all this readin and phone callin at the state level...you should be looking nationally for a couple of things:

1. #HR1--Lobby for this mightily. One of the 3 major tenets of the bill is voter rights: voting rights for felons, end to gerrymandering, limiting purges &

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird promoting voter registration by making it easier to register to vote via online, automatic registration (like my state has) and same day & early registration.

Text of the bill (Division 1 is what you're most interested here):
govtrack.us/congress/bills…

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird Now, #HR1 was passed in the House, which is AWESOME! But @senatemajldr McTurtleHead has let it languish in the Senate and says he sees no need to bring it up for a vote.

THIS IS YOUR MOMENT TO SHINE!

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird @senatemajldr You have TWO Senators. Give both a call. Send both an email. Not a tweet (mostly that's ignored as dross.)

🚨Phone number for ALL Senators: 202-224-3121🚨

Tell em to get on McTurtle's áss about Senate Bill 949. About voter rights. And dark money. And ethics.

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird @senatemajldr Obviously, #HR1 doesn't cover everything, and isn't likely to pass while Mitch is in charge, no matter how hard we try. So, in the meantime, we need other things to do nationally.

2. Donate to the @ACLU. Seriously. They fight the good fight.
aclu.org/donate-aclu?ms…

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird @senatemajldr @ACLU 3. Donate to @dscc or Democratic Senatorial candidates of your choice. It's imperative, if we want to pass legislation that will restore voting access to millions of people, that we regain control of the Senate and also the White House.

secure.dscc.org/page/contribut…

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird @senatemajldr @ACLU @dscc 4. Donate your time to a cause: restoring voting rights, working for a candidate for the Senate or House, or for a Dem primary candidate for president. Volunteers are ALWAYS needed. Many jobs (like calls, postcards, data entry) can be done from your home.

I leave you to google.

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird @senatemajldr @ACLU @dscc The most vital (as far as elections, thus, everything else) is as follows:

5. When it comes to it, on Nov. 3, 2020....

VOTE BLUE NO MATTER WHO

Seriously.

#VoteBlueNoMatterWho, no matter who becomes the Dem nominee. It's that important. So much damage has been done already.

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird @senatemajldr @ACLU @dscc Huh. I meant to include this somewhere along the line, but I guess I forgot. Anyway, it's a good summary, as of its publication last July, of horrible changes to voter access wrought since Shelby. Less hard on the eyes that the Commission's Report, prolly.
theatlantic.com/politics/archi…

@ifindkarma @HriSherryb @hr_indivisible @votolatino @connectvotedots @repjohnlewis @axidentaliberal @DemocracyStorm @TheDemCoalition @SaysHummingbird @senatemajldr @ACLU @dscc Like I said. Call your Senators:

🚨Phone number for ALL Senators: 202-224-3121🚨

#ForThePeople #HR1 #S949 #EveryVoteMatters

https://twitter.com/SpeakerPelosi/status/1124710181735149569?s=20