Holder slams voting restrictions, suggests reforms

[Playinghardball]

There was a widely held fear after Election Day that systemic voting restrictions would soon be forgotten. The outrage over voter-suppression tactics was real – unnecessary voter-ID laws, closed early voting windows, ridiculously long lines and waiting times – but once the election came and went, would the political world’s short attention span forget the fiascos?

Fortunately, no – or at least, not yet. Several Democratic members of Congress have already unveiled modest-but-helpful election reforms, and in the Obama administration, Attorney General Eric Holder continues to take the issue very seriously….

It's extremely unlikely that congressional Republicans would consider federal legislation to improve voter access or correct the flaws that plagued so many areas last month. But Holder's remarks are welcome anyway, in part because they offer worthwhile reforms that deserve to be part of the public debate, and in part because they keep the issue alive, resisting institutional inertia that pulls the focus away from elections once they're over.


http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/12/12/15862627-holder-slams-voting-restrictions-suggests-reforms?lite

[monmouth3]

1. I was thinking how ironic would it be if all of those people unable to vote were repubs..n/t

[pacalo]

2. I like his suggestions...

Holder suggested an "automatic, portable" registration system that allows election officials to use government databases to register voters automatically and keep their registration current when they move. He also said reforms could include longer voting hours and weekend voting, same-day registration and a new method of redistricting "that can't be abused to protect incumbents and undercut electoral competition."