I've been waving the red flag for a while now about how, since the primaries, the signs have been there for massive voter suppression in the November Presidential, Senate, and House elections. Well... More evidence is coming in to support it
Now, we really need to think about the cumulative effect of the "little" challenges we'll have with voting in November and the efforts being made to discredit mail-in voting, reduce the number of polling stations, and, we're finding out now, efforts to SLOW mail down and "leave it behind."
Check the links, read them, see what you think...
1. The president (and those around him) discredits mail in / absentee voting - if he loses because of those, "it's a sham election." He has been saying that for weeks, because of pushes to EXPAND absentee voting during increases cases of the virus. More people with access to absentee voting = more HONEST voting = closer to a popular vote, which he lost in 2016.
2. Close the number of polling stations - Reduce poling stations in areas known to lean Democratic in swing states. Net result = more likely for the state to land Republican when you take out mail in / absentee votes.
3. Slow down mail / "leave behind" mail - So, in different areas, how are absentee votes counted? Is it based on post mark or Received by dated? It may depend on the region, BUT when going through the articles for my post below, some of them were talking about received by. If the new USPS Chief appointed by the President is going to enact changes, which will, in effect, slow mail down, think about this - what if we look at zip codes? Which zip codes are more likely to vote Democrat or Republican? What if Democrat zip codes are slowed down just enough, so a higher percent miss the cut off, while more Republican zip codes do not? This could be "nudged" simply because, "oh, it's their distance from the local post office" or regional dispatch. There are any number of reasons to excuse it.
4. Lawsuits - don't forget as well that there are a number of lawsuits going on to make mail-in / absentee voting even more complicated! Needing to have your mail-in vote witnessed... Some people are suing to be able to mail-in-vote at all (safety)... Well, all you have to do is search on mail in voting lawsuits and you'll find hundreds of articles - just avoid partisan web sites and there's some good reading.
This is just FOUR things - pre-contest, restrict voting in places which would be more likely to vote you out, "slow down" the ability for people to vote you out, restrict mail-in / absentee voting. You get the idea!
The cumulative effect of all of this is to take a substantial lead Biden has over Trump on election day and hack away at it through tricks, not a fair election. Long lines, limited polling stations, slow mail... And, if it comes down to waiting for absentee votes which may be in transit - how long to wait until BIDEN is in a position where he has to either contest the election himself or bow out?
Do we want a free and fair election, where the PEOPLE choose the president, or do we want corrupt politicians to rig the "game" and choose for us? I'm sorry, but I'd be FURIOUS if a Democrat OR a Republican was pulling this same thing. Everyone has said the system is rigged for how long? Well, someone these guys are hitting the game with both palms and the machine hasn't started flashing TILT TILT TILT yet. It's time...
I can guarantee that the 2020 primaries and 2020 presidential election WILL lead to law changes - it's just a matter of whether they will be able to be enacted in 2021.... or 2025.
DO NOT REWARD CHEATING - DEMAND FAIR PLAY!!!
About me - Data analyst by day, so I'm used to looking at up to millions of lines of data at a time... Looking for the "ghosts" in the data. Also a long history of working in supply chain / logistics and process improvement / management. I look at everything going on from the 30,000 foot view, dig into the details, processes, what's going on behind what people are saying, and what, perhaps, could be done in the best case / worst case situation.
It's kind of funny what "logistics" can do to screw up an election, just like lines on a map can impact how people vote - polling stations, allocation of supplies, etc... Slow this down, shorten this, give more to the "right" areas, and you can subtly pre-skew how the results will come out in various areas comprising zips, counties, and states. It's not playing the odds... it's rigging them. We don't want anyone to do this from either party for any reason. We don't want anyone to decide who is "worthy" to vote or whose vote is more important. That is not democracy - it's a farce.
https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/07/15/postal-service-slower-mail-delivery
https://www.postaltimes.com/postalnews/postal-service-memos-detail-difficult-changes-including-slower-mail-delivery/
https://www.businessinsider.com/postmaster-general-carriers-leave-mail-delays-routes-usps-postal-service-2020-7
https://www.newsbreak.com/new-york/new-york/news/0PcIUH6p/disturbing-memo-reveals-trumps-usps-chief-has-slowed-delivery-amid-calls-to-expand-voting-by-mail
https://www.npr.org/2020/06/01/865043618/need-a-witness-for-your-mail-in-ballot-new-pandemic-lawsuits-challenge-old-rules
https://www.splcenter.org/news/2020/06/22/splc-lawsuit-challenges-louisiana-vote-mail-restrictions-during-pandemic
Voter Suppression Issues I was talking about in June on Social Media - Just a copy and paste with links...
Do we see the writing on the wall for November? Right now, the Rep's are working to maintain their hold on the Senate. Believe what you will about the left or right, voter suppression is WRONG. If both sides are doing it (we know it happens), it should stop. Below, we're seeing how areas are targeted by closing polling locations. Limit the number of votes that can be cast, limit people who are willing to brave the pandemic, and wait out the clock.
So, southern states, how do you justify closing down polling locations in heavily African American communities, meanwhile making it difficult to do mail-in voting and/or claim that mail-in is rife with fraud?
We can't allow this to continue NOW, and certainly not heading into November.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-locations/southern-us-states-have-closed-1200-polling-places-in-recent-years-rights-group-idUSKCN1VV09J <-- 1200="" dramatically="" has="" in="" jumped="" p="" recent="" the="" weeks.="">
Georgia - 868 voting locations were closed across the state, "usually in areas with poor people and minority communities that have less resources to get to other locations..." The voting locations are in 53 of the 159 GA counties. "Of the counties that have closed voting locations, 39 have poverty rates that are higher than the state average. Thirty have significant African-American populations, making up at least 25 percent of residents." Voter suppression? The long lines in the counties impacted and other complications certainly indicate a concerted effort to keep some peoples voices "less" heard, doesn't it?
https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/voting-precincts-closed-across-georgia-since-election-oversight-lifted/bBkHxptlim0Gp9pKu7dfrN/
https://www.npr.org/2020/06/09/873054620/long-lines-voting-machine-issues-plague-georgia-primary
https://www.governing.com/topics/politics/sl-polling-place-close-ahead-of-november-elections-black-voters.html
Kentucky - Kentucky cut the total number of polling places in the state from 3700 down to 200. In some of the most populous counties, there's ONE polling location per county.
Jefferson County, Kentucky, population 766k, has ONE polling location. The absentee ballot period has passed for people to request them... “We mailed out just under 55,000 ballots. We had to get everything done that had been requested through application, process return, or through the portal, they had to be mailed out before midnight last night," and that was on the 17th. FYI, two of the cities with the largest African American populations are in Jefferson County. It's kind of funny that it's Mitch McConnell's city (when he was a county judge back in the day), but he would do his best to suppress the vote of that county when it comes down to it... You cut voting locations at the last minute and the mail-in voting cut-offs (application period) has passed. The process appears that it was complicated to begin with as well. Interesting...
https://wfpl.org/judge-rules-against-lawsuit-calling-for-more-kentucky-polling-places/
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/06/kentucky-slashes-polling-places-voting-rights-mcgrath-booker-lebron-james/
https://lebronwire.usatoday.com/2020/06/20/lebron-james-criticizes-kentucky-for-closing-of-polling-places/
https://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Limited-voting-locations-for-Kentucky-counties-571277101.html
https://news.yahoo.com/kentucky-officials-criticized-cuts-primary-204804279.html
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