Aladamnbama
Damn black people. Damn ‘um. They won’t vote against their own self interest like indigent white people do.
Soooooo …
Maybe there’s a two-step solution.
1. Pass a voter ID bill in the legislature.
2. Keep people from getting IDs.
Facing a state budget reduction, Alabama’s Law Enforcement Agency opted to cut driver-licensing services at 31 satellite offices, serving 28 counties. Twelve to fifteen of the affected counties are in Alabama’s “black belt,” and every Alabama county where black people make up 75% or more of registered voters.
And it might get worse. The Legislature cut the budget tried to drown government in the bathtub so now they may have to close all but four of the state’s drivers license offices.
Well done, sumbitches. Well done.
Thanks to everybody for the heads up.
I’ll check with my family in Aladamnbama and see what they can do about this: for instance, charter buses to take loads of people to drivers licenses locations. If AL had a brain and a heart they would institute “rolling” drivers license offices just like Bookmobiles. Of course, gotta ask. Is the DOJ gonna jump in on this? Sounds like they need to big time.
1Causing John Birch to roll in his grave….Secretary of State and Chief Elections Official says: “By October 31 our office will have brought the mobile I.D. van to every county in Alabama at least once.”
http://tinyurl.com/of4c6cw
2maggie, DOJ will “jump” on this in sufficient time to have it adjudicated after the 2016 elections. The Republicons have pulled this type stunt before so many elections, yet DOJ continues to act like Charlie brown with the football.
Time to do voter registration like it was done in the 60s and do it now, then organize the buses to take people to the polls in 2016.
3Groups who want to register Alabama citizens to vote will have to rent buses from out of state. All the Alabama-based buses have been chartered to carry the Right-Wingers back to the early 1950s.
4I read an article about a provision of the (I think) 14th amendment that if a portion of the population of a state is prevented from voting, the state can lose a representative proportional to that disenfrancishement. Anyone have the link? Now that is an interesting idea.
5Continuing that GOP tradition: “If you can’t win, cheat.”
Sometimes I’m glad to live in a country that doesn’t have uprisings in the streets over elections. But then when I read (again) that more votes were cast for Democrats, but the GOP ended up with 60% of the seats….
To quote from “Young Frankenstein,” “A riot is an ugly thing… and I think it is just about time that we had one!”
6I read something about this debacle that said the state was short of money but they were going to have mobile voter reg. vans going out to register people. And I sent the article about this to an old college friend who is a GOP living in Alabama. He was shocked, said it was 150 years out of date, had I checked SNOPES etc? I said it wasn’t a scam, go read the paper.
7Furthermore, Mississippi requires things that cost money for folks to register to vote. Google voter registration in Mississippi and read instructions.
8This simply cannot be the 21st Century to still have such backward BS going on. The Southern states are so backassward … it all just boggles the mind!!
9The GOPers know their days are numbered. They will continue to pull every crooked string to stay in power for as long as possible. Know they reduce the numbef of Driver License Service Centers. Later they reduce the number of hours these services are open. People are going to have to make an effort to vote these a-holes out. Do whatever it takes. The vote is all we’ve got.
10They also go after the black voters who vote absentee.
11Snot Wanker and Wisconsin pulled this stunt a couple years ago. Shut down drivers license stations in high minority areas after making state approved id’s mandatory. I believe the courts/Dems forced them to re-open the closed stations.
12Good one,Old Mayfly! 🙂
13That’s what has to happen. The Dems, ACLU and the feds have to file suit in every state right which is pulling this vote-busting, now. This has been going on for far too long already.
14Rhea hit the nail on the head “If you can’t win, cheat.”
Virginia Republicans admit that they rigged the state to keep their party in power.
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/10/01/3707838/virginia-republicans-admit-they-rigged-the-states-congressional-districts-to-elect-gop-lawmakers/
15Okay. This stinks. BUT… we are at least 12 months away from the election. Making things difficult is not making things impossible. We need to get motivated NOW.
And then prepare yourself for Part 2: Because of those same budget cuts look for reduced voting locations, fewer voting machines and shorter hours.
Yeah, it’s difficult but not impossible. Just don’t let the bastards win. Just don’t.
16Old Mayfly nailed it big time. Why am I still fighting for the same damned things for 50 years? And JAKviginia is right, too — there’s still quite a lot of fight left in me, and I don’t intend to just shut up and go away.
17In addition to closing offices, Alabama has also increased the fee for license renewal by some 54%
http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/02/alabama_drivers_license_fees_i.html
Can you say “poll tax”?
This simply can not be allowed.
18From my family in AL: “haven’t heard about any mobile dmv offices. The offices that are closing are in the poorest counties and I have seen at least two online petitions so far about this issue. This state is on a Bataan style death march to oblivion. Their finger pointing at DC is outrageous.”
19NPR reports today that the DOJ is actually gonna jump all over Alabama about this! And best of all I haven’t grown much older waiting for this to happen!
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