Maricopa County would have needed to receive federal approval for reducing the number of polling sites, because Arizona was one of 16 states where jurisdictions with a long history of discrimination had to submit their voting changes under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.

Agschmid

(28,749 posts)

6. Yup. Truth.

Reply to JaneyVee (Reply #4)

Wed Mar 23, 2016, 08:55 PM

Mar 2016

But now that the VRA has been gutted they can do whatever the hell they want.

oldandhappy

(6,719 posts)

5. Dem need to get everyone registered and signed up for mail voting.

Reply to Agschmid (Original post)

Wed Mar 23, 2016, 08:54 PM

Mar 2016

We do it here in southern CA. Makes a huge difference in voting.

Agschmid

(28,749 posts)

7. I LOVE mail in voting.

Reply to oldandhappy (Reply #5)

Wed Mar 23, 2016, 08:55 PM

Mar 2016

Especially with a carbon copy the voter can retain.

Lizzie Poppet

(10,164 posts)

11. It's been exclusively vote-by-mail here in Oregon for years.

Reply to Agschmid (Reply #7)

Wed Mar 23, 2016, 09:01 PM

Mar 2016

I love it. There are often a host of ballot measures here (many of them citizen initiatives that can be charitably described as "bizarre&quot , and I love the opportunity to sit down at my kitchen table, laptop open to look up answers to questions that arise, and vote carefully and at whatever pace I prefer.

Agschmid

(28,749 posts)

13. Very jealous!

Reply to Lizzie Poppet (Reply #11)

Wed Mar 23, 2016, 09:02 PM

Mar 2016

Lizzie Poppet

(10,164 posts)

14. Come visit! We also have Voodoo Doughnuts.

Reply to Agschmid (Reply #13)

Wed Mar 23, 2016, 09:04 PM

Mar 2016

Agschmid

(28,749 posts)

15. Ticket booked.

Reply to Lizzie Poppet (Reply #14)

Wed Mar 23, 2016, 09:07 PM

Mar 2016

I saw them on Buzzfeed and they look good!

DesertFlower

(11,649 posts)

8. we have mail (early) voting in arizona -- it's an option, but

Reply to oldandhappy (Reply #5)

Wed Mar 23, 2016, 08:59 PM

Mar 2016

we don't get a carbon copy.

Agschmid

(28,749 posts)

10. I think it would be an easy addition (even if a bit costly) to implement.

Reply to DesertFlower (Reply #8)

Wed Mar 23, 2016, 09:00 PM

Mar 2016

CorporatistNation

(2,546 posts)

18. Start Mailing Those Puppies In FOR Bernie!

Reply to oldandhappy (Reply #5)

Wed Mar 23, 2016, 09:29 PM

Mar 2016

Lizzie Poppet

(10,164 posts)

9. Agreed.

Reply to Agschmid (Original post)

Wed Mar 23, 2016, 08:59 PM

Mar 2016

While I'm certainly open to whatever the very necessary investigation into that fiasco uncovers, I'm not expecting anyone but the GOP to be responsible. They control AZ state government, and this smacks of voter suppression. With an intact VRA, they can't get away with shenanigans like that.

I'd prefer to see this election voided and a do-over held. Not because I think it would be any huge help to Bernie (I'd expect Hillary to win, if perhaps by a smaller margin), but because I think a lot of people were improperly excluded.

Dem2

(8,168 posts)

12. Rachel mentioned "mile long lines" in AZ

Reply to Agschmid (Original post)

Wed Mar 23, 2016, 09:02 PM

Mar 2016

noting that it wasn't even record turnout. I'll be watching.

pat_k

(9,313 posts)

16. Yup. Rec'd (nt)

Reply to Agschmid (Original post)

Wed Mar 23, 2016, 09:17 PM

Mar 2016

Blus4u

(608 posts)

17. Looks like mail in ballots is one thing this community can agree on. Eom

Reply to Agschmid (Original post)

Wed Mar 23, 2016, 09:23 PM

Mar 2016

Peace

NWCorona

(8,541 posts)

19. Indeed!

Reply to Agschmid (Original post)

Wed Mar 23, 2016, 09:34 PM

Mar 2016

Gothmog

(145,481 posts)

20. The long lines were due to the gutting of the Voting Rights Act by the Roberts court

Reply to Agschmid (Original post)

Wed Mar 23, 2016, 09:42 PM

Mar 2016

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/

Long lines were expected all day at polling places, Maricopa County Elections Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Bartholomew said.

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 year’s 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 can’t 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

Evan WylogeVerified account
?@EvanWyloge
I wonder if the number of polling places we have in Maricopa County today would have been OK’d under VRA Sect.5. Good thing that’s 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.

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