The Nation: There Were 5-Hour Lines to Vote in AZ Because the SC Gutted the Voting Rights Act

[babylonsister]

http://www.thenation.com/article/there-were-five-hour-lines-to-vote-in-arizona-because-the-supreme-court-gutted-the-voting-rights-act/

There Were 5-Hour Lines to Vote in Arizona Because the Supreme Court Gutted the Voting Rights Act
Reducing the number of polling places in Phoenix had catastrophic consequences in the March 22 primary.
By Ari BermanTwitter
Today 10:53 am


Voters wait in line to cast their ballot in Arizona's presidential primary election on Tuesday, March 22, 2016 in Gilbert. (AP Photo / Matt York)


Aracely Calderon, a naturalized citizen from Guatemala, arrived just before the polls closed at 7 pm in downtown Phoenix to vote in Arizona’s primary last night. “When Calderon arrived, the line spanned more than 700 people and almost 4 blocks,” the Arizona Republic reported. She waited in line for five hours, becoming the last voter in the state to cast a ballot at 12:12 am. “I’m here to exercise my right to vote,” she said shortly before midnight, explaining why she stayed in line.

But many other Arizonans left the polls in disgust. The lines were so long because election officials in Phoenix’s Maricopa County, the largest in the state, reduced the number of polling places by 70 percent from 2012 to 2016, from 200 to just 60—one polling place per every 21,000 voters.

Election officials said they reduced the number of polling sites to save money—an ill-conceived decision that severely inconvenienced hundreds of thousands of voters. Previously, 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. This type of change would very likely have been blocked since minorities make up 40 percent of Maricopa County’s population and reducing the number of polling places would have left minority voters worse off. Section 5 blocked 22 voting changes from taking effect in Arizona since the state was covered under the VRA in 1975 for discriminating against Hispanic and Native American voters.

But after the Supreme Court gutted the VRA in 2013, Arizona could make election changes without federal oversight. The long lines in Maricopa County last night were the latest example of the disastrous consequences of that decision.

“We are outraged at long lines for Arizona primary,” The Arizona Republic wrote in a sharply worded editorial. The paper told stories of voters who left without casting a ballot because of the long lines.

Here’s what one Maricopa County voter wrote to us:

“I literally went to multiple polling places, a total of FIVE separate times, only to find that the 1 hour wait (which I didn’t have time for this morning) only increased as the day went on. Eventually, I gave up at 6:40 p.m. when I saw the line at its longest, at least 2-3 hours. This was the first time in my life I genuinely felt disenfranchised.”

“Disenfranchised” was a flash word on Tuesday. Many voters used it.

This impacted voters across the county, but some more than others. There were predominantly Latino areas in Maricopa County with no polling places. “It is no coincidence many poor and predominantly Latino areas didn’t get a polling place,” wrote Arizona Republic columnist Elvia Diaz.

The 2016 election is the first in 50 years without the full protections of the VRA. Widespread voting problems during the primaries in states like Arizona and North Carolina are a disturbing preview of what could happen in November.

[Uncle Joe]

1. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, babylonsister.

[riversedge]

2. and as Chris said--Officials can basically do what they want now.

[Agschmid]

11. Yup. It's bad, real bad.

[upaloopa]

3. So it wasn't the DNC and Hillary that caused the long lines. But tell me how was it that only

Bernie supporters waited in long lines?

[FarPoint]

6. My thoughts exactly.

[treestar]

8. and I insist that a member of a genuine revolution

would be enthused enough to stand in line. A revolutionary does not give up due to inconvenience! So laughable.

[EndElectoral]

23. You do know that if you were not in line by 7PM, you were turned away. Wasn't a matter of giving up

[treestar]

31. you would have to be in line by the closing time no?

If there had been no line at all, the polls would still close. What kind of revolutionary is late for the election?

[libdem4life]

12. That's all you got? Litmus Test. Citizen's United challenged. SCOTUS.

And, yes, that's a Bernie position.

[upaloopa]

15. What? Please elaberate.

Starting yesterday afternoon and into this afternoon there have been hair on fire claims that Hillary and the DNC were committing voter fraud and turning away Bernie supporters. I posted about it yesterday.

Check it out:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511552098

So 24 hours of attacking Hillary about this and that's you have?

[libdem4life]

20. This is about the VRA and the SCOTUS. I don't know how you don't get it.

The same SCOTUS that pilloried our campaign finance laws to steal elections legally. I'm sorry if you don't get the association as I'm not involved in the Arizona situation directly, but the results point back to...see first sentence.

[upaloopa]

26. I know that. I want to know when someone will come along from Bernie's side and admitt it was

Hillary's fault.

[EndElectoral]

28. It is the catalyst for the action, BUT whom in AZ came up with the 70% poll reduction and why?

[seabeyond]

33. It was not Clinton or the DNC and the asses throwing their fits trashing Democrats and accusing

them of this shit do not belong on DU and our Democratic board. Democrats fight voter suppression. To steal is and accuse the Democrats and Clinton in particular is offensive, wrong, and disgusting. I have read some of the shit about this from the Sanders supporters and they cannot even own that they are wrong wrong wrong.

The Democratic party in Arizona was fighting this.

Shame on those throwing their fits just to throw out a jab at Clinton.

Disgusting.

[chervilant]

4. Interesting that

the M$M named Hi11ary the winner, with only 1% of the precincts reporting. I wonder if her team is at all concerned with how bad that looks.

[Agschmid]

13. But that's not accurate.

[upaloopa]

16. It was 41% reporting not 1%

It would be nice if just once the story would be reported right by your side.

[FlatBaroque]

5. So glad Tony Scalia is dead. Dead a f'ing doornail. Hope you're burning in hell Tony. /

[Gothmog]

7. Here is more on the real reason for the long lines

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.

[libdem4life]

9. We have the Versailles Court that used to be the Supreme Court.

"Let them eat cake." while they wait, take off work, get babysitters, whatever to freaking VOTE. What about the disabled? What about the feeble/elderly? What about...what about...what about...

May Bernie bring forth the Pitchfork Voting Revolution. Overturn Citizen's United...SCOTUS Litmus Test .... no ifs, ands, or buts or thinking about it.

Borrowed the Versailles analogy from another poster...passing it along. Unfortunately appropriate.

[Agschmid]

10. Yup.

[Gregorian]

14. Here's a link to petition reinstatement of the Act

https://go.berniesanders.com/page/s/reinstate-voting-rights-act?source=em160323-full

[BlueCaliDem]

17. Petitions aren't going to work. The *Senate* needs to be under Dem control and Pres. Obama

needs to get his appointee through and onto the SCOTUS and then we can get to reinstating Section 4 of the VRA. That will work.

Your petition is only going to give the Bernie2016 campaign your e-mail address so they can hit you up for cash. If Bernie wants to help get Section 4 reinstated, he should have drafted a bill to do so NOW - since he's still in the Senate! - instead of putting out a feel-good petition that only serves his campaign.

[FlatBaroque]

19. Yeah because Bernie has shown himself to be such a self serving guy.

[BlueCaliDem]

21. You said it. I didn't.

[AzDar]

18. The lines were outrageous and unacceptable... but only part of the scam.

[Dem2]

22. Rachel to talk about mile-long lines after the break (9:53 PM EST)

[EndElectoral]

25. Those lines were disturbing. If I was there at 7:01 to vote for a polling place that closed at 10

and I was prohibited/turned away from voting I'd be pretty pissed off.

One can clearly see that happening in the video.

[rhett o rick]

24. And the Clinton supporters don't care. They relish the thought of an tough authoritarian

leader telling them what to do. Let the Wealthy rule, let the Clinton Aristocracy rule. The hell with the 16 million children living in poverty. Frack them.

[EndElectoral]

27. What's disturbing is the lack of interest in getting to the bottom of it. Blame SCOTUS for the VRA

But why and who exactly in Arizona made the decision to reduce the Maricopa County polling 70%? This was more than about saving a few dollars.

Frankly, my first question. Is this going to be an issue in the GE? The VRA is not going to be changed by November.

Somebody in Arizona made these calls. Was it just incompetence, cheapness, or malfeasance? Look forward to hear the follow up going forward on this.

[NuclearDem]

29. This, folks, is why the Supreme Court matters.

[libdem4life]

30. and, I might add, litmus tests.

[Dragonfli]

32. Not to worry, "the champion" of the people will swoop in and save the Day!

With an army of lawyers to make sure at the very least the broken laws (like properly registered Dems, unlawfully being told they could not vote, get to) and making the county allow the POC that were not allowed to vote to receive their right to do so!!

,,,soon..

.....

...Well it's a busy day for rich people shopping for giant pearls, and the line is long today......she'll be right along soon with her sidekick bullhorn Bill in tow to tell them what's for.....


...Or maybe she forgot to wash her champion of the people superpower pantsuit, and without it lacks the courage and leadership strength required to battle the Republicans today is all...



Never mind, I just learned that the Republican voter fraud affected mostly only Latinos, you know, POC, "the help" to those as pearled up as her majesty, so help isn't coming, either that or she is too weak to fight for us as "our champion"™ against the much stronger Republicans in AZ. I sure do hope they treat her with kid gloves if she is elected, she's not strong enough to be our "champion" if it involves fighting for us against scary Republicans that are just too powerful for her weakness in chief

[jillan]

34. Has Hillary commented on this yet?

[Babel_17]

35. Too many caregivers, single parents, students with jobs, and people juggling schedules to ignore

Not to mention those who've been disabled, and those suffering from stress and anxiety. Peoples jobs aren't easily replaced, and many are working hand to mouth.

I side with these people, and hopefully our party will soon make no bones about its proactive position.

Election day should be sacred, and while mailing in your vote is a necessity for some, and a great convenience to many, voting on election day is part of the process of listening to the candidates, and reading editorials, and discussion in the community.

Given what we'll face in November, we can't afford to compromise our proud tradition on voters rights.