You Call This Democracy?: Chapters 6–8

Harmon, Wilson, and Bates are all victims of a phenomenon called voter suppression.

After Florida cut a week of early voting, more than two hundred thousand citizens were deterred from voting by long lines on Election Day.

Why do so many states require these IDs? “The ostensible justification for these stricter laws is to combat vote fraud,” says political scientist Frederic Schaffer of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. “There is scant evidence, however, that the types of voter fraud which these laws prevent are a real problem.”

Why do so many states require these IDs? “The ostensible justification for these stricter laws is to combat vote fraud,” says political scientist Frederic Schaffer of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. “There is scant evidence, however, that the types of voter fraud which these laws prevent are a real problem.”

In Indiana, “leaders concede that there has never been a case of in-person polling place impersonation in the entire history of the state.”

If you show up to vote and you are told you are not registered or you don't have the required ID, take these steps:
Ask to sign an affidavit swearing to your eligibility.
Ask for a provisional ballot. Federal law entitles you to a ballot to record your vote, to be counted after your eligibility is determined.

If you show up to vote and you are told you are not registered or you don't have the required ID, take these steps:
Ask to sign an affidavit swearing to your eligibility.
Ask for a provisional ballot. Federal law entitles you to a ballot to record your vote, to be counted after your eligibility is determined.

The racial implications of voter suppression cannot be ignored.

In Greensboro, North Carolina, where sit-ins at a lunch counter spurred the civil rights movement in the 1960s, election officials cut the number of polling sites from sixteen to just one.

These seemingly small restrictions can affect a huge number of voters in close races, obscuring the will of the American people.

At the University of Florida, students formed the Gator Coalition for Civic Engagement and organized rides to get students to the polls.

We amended the Constitution in 1961 to allow D.C. residents to vote for electors in presidential races.

“We want to be treated like any other state,” says non-voting DC house delegate Eleanor Norton.

Instead, they try to educate their colleagues about the plight of their citizens.

But without a national outcry in support of their efforts, the bill faces widespread indifference from the rest of Congress.

He graduated from the paralegal program, got a bachelor’s degree, and went on to obtain a law degree from the Florida International Law School.

No vote for people who have served their entire sentence and have reintegrated into the community—even after decades.

In Florida from 2007 until 2018, after completing felony sentences, people had to wait five to seven years to submit an application and supporting documents to get voting rights restored. Then it took an average of nine more years to get a hearing from the clemency board, which met only four times a year.

Here is short list of common activities and the felony charges they could bring you:
★ Taking a fake sick day from work—Scheme or artifice to defraud the company
★ Telling a park ranger you cleaned your campsite when you did not—Making false statements to a federal official
★ Illegally downloading a movie or song without payment—Copyright infringement

Here is short list of common activities and the felony charges they could bring you:
★ Taking a fake sick day from work—Scheme or artifice to defraud the company
★ Telling a park ranger you cleaned your campsite when you did not—Making false statements to a federal official
★ Illegally downloading a movie or song without payment—Copyright infringement

Here is short list of common activities and the felony charges they could bring you:
★ Taking a fake sick day from work—Scheme or artifice to defraud the company
★ Telling a park ranger you cleaned your campsite when you did not—Making false statements to a federal official
★ Illegally downloading a movie or song without payment—Copyright infringement

A Virginia state senator said the provisions would "eliminate the [racial slur] as a political factor in this State in less than five years, so that in no single county of the Commonwealth will there be the least concern felt for the complete supremacy of the white race in the affairs of government."

In Mississippi, politicians called for disenfranchisement for burglary, theft, and arson, but not murder.

"The original intent was to keep freed slaves from voting," says Desmond Meade, "but this policy has managed to transcend racial lines and now impacts more non-African Americans than African Americans....This impacts so many families."

The problem hits even before a conviction. No one is supposed to lose the right to vote when arrested. Our court system, with its presumption of innocence, protects against that.

Lacking a voice can breed apathy. If you believe no one is listening, why would you care about the political process and voting?

Research suggests voters are more likely to volunteer, reach out to elected officials, and keep abreast of local issues.

Researchers surmised that “voting appears to be part of a package of pro-social behavior that is linked to desistance from crime.”

In its policy statement, the American Correctional Association “affirms that voting is a fundamental right in a democracy and it considers a ban on voting after a felon is discharged from correctional supervision to be contradictory to the goals of a democracy, the rehabilitation of felons, and their successful reentry to the community.”

In its policy statement, the American Correctional Association “affirms that voting is a fundamental right in a democracy and it considers a ban on voting after a felon is discharged from correctional supervision to be contradictory to the goals of a democracy, the rehabilitation of felons, and their successful reentry to the community.”

The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution states: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

Guaranteeing the right to vote would separate our democracy from the criminal justice system. A person’s right to vote would not depend on local, regional, or state differences in criminal or voting laws. It would not depend on whether a judge is strict or lenient, favors prison or parole, or acts with racial or class bias.

If all Americans had the right to vote, jails and prisons across the country would have a process for people to exercise that right. It would completely alleviate the confusion for election officials and the public about who is eligible to vote—and stop making citizens afraid to vote.

“The last thing we want to do is start putting up insurmountable barriers to participation in civic life because someone may have been convicted of a crime,” said Republican Party spokesperson Mike Donahue.

Statewide efforts are also moving apace.