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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThere Were Five-Hour Lines to Vote in Arizona Because the Supreme Court Gutted the Voting Rights Act
Reducing the number of polling places in Phoenix had catastrophic consequences in the March 22 primary.
By Ari Berman
Aracely Calderon, a naturalized citizen from Guatemala, arrived just before the polls closed at 7 pm in downtown Phoenix to vote in Arizonas primary last night. When Calderon arrived, the line spanned more than 700 people and almost 4 blocks, the Arizona Republic reported. She waited in line for five hours, becoming the last voter in the state to cast a ballot at 12:12 am. Im here to exercise my right to vote, she said shortly before midnight, explaining why she stayed in line.
But many other Arizonans left the polls in disgust. The lines were so long because election officials in Phoenixs Maricopa County, the largest in the state, reduced the number of polling places by 70 percent from 2012 to 2016, from 200 to just sixtyone polling place per every 21,000 voters.
Election officials said they reduced the number of polling sites to save moneyan ill-conceived decision that severely inconvenienced hundreds of thousands of voters. Previously, Maricopa County would have needed to receive federal approval for reducing the number of polling sites, because Arizona was one of sixteen states where jurisdictions with a long history of discrimination had to submit their voting changes under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. This type of change would very likely have been blocked since minorities comprise 40 percent of Maricopa Countys population and reducing the number of polling places would have left minority voters worse off. Section 5 blocked twenty-two voting changes from taking effect in Arizona since the state was covered under the VRA in 1975 for discriminating against Hispanic and Native American voters.
But after the Supreme Court gutted the VRA in 2013, Arizona could make election changes without federal oversight. The long lines in Maricopa County last night were the latest example of the disastrous consequences of that decision.
more
http://www.thenation.com/article/there-were-five-hour-lines-to-vote-in-arizona-because-the-supreme-court-gutted-the-voting-rights-act/
Everyone should be outraged about this, no matter whom you support.
Response to n2doc (Original post)
KPN This message was self-deleted by its author.
malaise
(267,819 posts)It's the plan - they don't want people to vote because rational people will not vote for ReTHUGs
As far as I can determine Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell is a Repub. So she doesn't want D's to vote, and this year probably doesn't want trump voters either.
And November is going to be a replay, count on it.
malaise
(267,819 posts)Pakhet
(520 posts)Who stand in line that long were rethugs. He was positively giddy about it.
malaise
(267,819 posts)Maybe in midterms
Gothmog
(143,999 posts)The long lines here are in part due to the gutting of the Voting Rights Act by the SCOTUS which Clinton wants to restore http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2016/03/22/long-lines-bog-down-arizona-presidential-primary/
Lines snaked up to almost every one of the 60 polling sites across the county, with the exception of remote locations such as Gila Bend or Wickenburg. The county cut the number of polling sites for this years presidential primary from 200 in 2012 mainly as a money-saving measure.
In addition, the majority of voters get mail-in ballots, and independents who cant vote make up more than a third of the electorate.
All we can do is thank them for their patience, Bartholomew said of voters enduring the delays.
read more: http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2016/03/22/long-lines-bog-down-arizona-presidential-primary/#ixzz43kC9reof
Prior to the gutting of the voting rights act by the SCOTUS Arizona was a covered jurisdiction and the Federal govt. would get to approve the cuts in the number of voting locations
?@EvanWyloge
I wonder if the number of polling places we have in Maricopa County today would have been OKd under VRA Sect.5. Good thing thats gone.
We need to restore the Voting Rights Act to keep these type of voter suppression tactics from being used. If Arizona was still a covered jurisdiction under the Voting Rights Act, there would have been no cuts in voting locations.
DownriverDem
(6,206 posts)Of course I keep seeing Bernie folks blaming Hillary for it. Huh? Why do you all think Hillary has so much power?
SoapBox
(18,791 posts)The only one saying that, that I've seen, is you.
Read all of the above...that is how the problems were caused.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)NorthCarolina
(11,197 posts)Let them have "Provisional Ballots" which won't be counted. I wonder, is this the style of democracy that we spend trillions of tax payer dollars to spread around the globe? Maybe we shouldn't bother.
SoapBox
(18,791 posts)all over the World and through out history.
And yet, in 2016, in America...we have forces doing everything they can to block citizens from voting.
There should be riots in the streets over this.
Calm down that rhetoric... you sound like a trump supporter. Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders or ANY TRUE DEMOCRAT is NOT happy people died fighting throughout our history protecting the right to vote. You want to take that stance thinking one of our candidate is happy this is happening, then I feel sorry for you. Push that shit on Right Winger BS watch or Conservative Asshole underground.....but here, respect that fact that many DID die, perhaps someone your family, my family, even the Clintons knew....
dbackjon
(6,578 posts)NorthCarolina
(11,197 posts)while THOUSANDS were still waiting in line to vote. It's no secret that large voter turnout is "Disadvantage-Clinton", so yes, I'd say she is pretty happy with the results of the voter disenfranchisement because a win is better than a loss.
Cryptoad
(8,254 posts)now that Change that can get things done! No better reason to vote
Omaha Steve
(99,071 posts)K&R!
OS
NoMoreRepugs
(9,260 posts)I think there might be some second amendment consequences from the batshit crazed loons on the Reich, I mean Right
Orrex
(63,085 posts)Just ask them!
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)Simple, easy, and available to anyone who asks for it.
dbackjon
(6,578 posts)Note that 20% of the GOP vote was for "other" Votes for mostly Rubio from voters who voted before he dropped out via mail
They wasted their vote by voting early.
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)harm have been for a Bernie supporter to vote two weeks early? So what if he dropped out? Why would that have mattered? Wouldn't they be glad they made their mark for Bernie anyway?
tabasco
(22,974 posts)Please stop embarrassing yourself.
n2doc
(47,953 posts)pnwmom
(108,925 posts)to vote at the polls instead of getting a mail-in ballot.
Simple, easy to use, and requires no standing in line.
demmiblue
(36,751 posts)Eric J in MN
(35,619 posts)If Arizona officials had tossed mail-in ballots in the garbage, hopefully you wouldn't be saying it was the voters' fault for not voting in-person.
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)about the voting process.
We have all mail-in balloting in my state (except for party caucuses) and we get calls from all the campaigns to make sure we fill them out and send them in.
Bernie's campaign should have done that too, instead of blaming everyone else. Call banks are a better use of campaign funds than blanketing the state with TV ads that no one watches.
Eric J in MN
(35,619 posts)...and suppose that in the general election, Trump does better among older voters, who are more likely to vote absentee, and Clinton does better among younger voters, who are more likely to vote in person.
And suppose there are 4 hour lines. Will you blame that on the Clinton campaign?
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)"There were waits because too many people..."
Or because Maricopa county (the most populous county in AZ) reduced polling stations from 200 to 60 as a cost-saving move (in 2008, there were 400 polling stations). But, I understand your desire to blame voters for, well... voting.
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)Here in my state we have ZERO polling places and yet people are voting at higher rates than ever.
Eric J in MN
(35,619 posts)The petition has more than half the required amount to get a response from the White House.
The White House response can be a Yes or a No.
geardaddy
(24,924 posts)modestybl
(458 posts)...this was egregious...
Thousands were turned away who had changed their Party affiliation specifically to Dem to vote in this election were turned away... we were getting reports early yesterday from Sanders' poll watchers all over the state that this was happening...
Voting locations went from 200 to 60 in Maricopa county. 32K votes on election day yesterday vs. 118K in 2008.
http://recorder.maricopa.gov/electionresults/screen2.aspx
http://recorder.maricopa.gov/electionarchives/2008/02-05-2008%20Final%20Summary%20Report.pdf
The result? Sanders WON the election day vote 19.9K to 11.3K .... over 60-40% If the Election day vote was in the same proportion as the vote in 2008, he wins this county... same all over the state.
Clinton isn't who people really want, and the Clinton campaign has to cheat and lie and scare people into voting for her. The Democratic Party is rotten to the core...
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)modestybl
(458 posts)... seemed they weren't all that concerned about election day turn-out when their gal was ahead in mail ins...
Eager to see what they do now...
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)The Democrats protested the closures when they were announced ... more than a year ago.
Cryptoad
(8,254 posts)etherealtruth
(22,165 posts)Uncle Joe
(58,112 posts)Thanks for the thread, n2doc.
salinsky
(1,065 posts)... when the Repukes have the White House, they do things like nominating rightwing nutjobs to the SCOTUS, and then your purity candidate gets the screwgie.
We are getting close to coming full circle here.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)some for better for, in my estimation, better reasons than others (i.e., the disenfranchisement cited to in the article versus a nefarious plot of the DNC or HRC or both).
Jim__
(14,045 posts)We all need to work for a Democratic president, senate, and at least try for the house.
demmiblue
(36,751 posts)What the hell, DU?!
I don't care who you vote for (Dem or Rep)... this is just plain wrong.
mountain grammy
(26,571 posts)underpants
(182,279 posts)Thanks for the info