Georgia: Blacks poised to pack polls

[CatWoman]

A surge in voter registration has some African-American leaders predicting high black voter turnout on Nov. 2, even though Georgia is not viewed as a swing state in the presidential race.

The Georgia secretary of state's office and local election boards are struggling to keep up with a huge increase in registration paperwork, much of it from African-Americans. From Jan. 1 through Sept. 23, the state registered 332,869 new voters — 34 percent of them African-American, according to data provided by the secretary of state's office. During the last several election cycles, blacks have accounted for only about 25 percent of registered voters in Georgia.

The Rev. Timothy McDonald III, pastor of Atlanta's First Iconium Baptist Church, said blacks are frustrated about the war in Iraq and the sluggish economy, and are still angry over the 2000 election.

"I think this go-round we're going to see one of the largest turnouts of new registrants voting," said McDonald, who has preached voter registration from his pulpit, and is working with organized groups including Concerned Black Clergy.

"You hear it. You feel it. I think the registration numbers reflect that," McDonald said.

Richard Grigsby, director of voting for the Southern Regional Council, a civil rights group based in Atlanta, also expects strong turnout.

"I believe African-Americans have another issue that is overriding: the feeling of being disenfranchised, of the election being stolen in 2000," Grigsby said.

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/election/1004georgia/03blackvoters.html

[CatWoman]

1. oops

Mods, please move this to GD2004.

[WillyT]

4. Hey Cat... This Is WAY Beyond 2004 Nonsense...

It belongs right here! No doubt!

:hug:

[CatWoman]

10. Heh -- it does get rather hairy in there

:hi:

:D

[xultar]

2. My parents registered 10 @ church today,,,,they are registrars.

I'm so proud!

[Cheswick2.0]

3. I hope diebold doesn't make this all for nothing

Good news though! It is going on all over the country, in swing states and places where people are angry and it is good news for democracy.

[Booster]

5. If we can get it over the top there will be no way they can

steal it without the entire country rioting. I just don't think any real American is going to stand for "voter problems" in states that already look fishy.

[Terran]

6. Give 'em hell in Jawja, Sistah!

I hope y'all surprise the hell out of the pollsters!

[Jane Austin]

7. I am telling my minority friends

to go to the polls in groups.

I think they should have all the muscle they can find, plus cameras, tape recorders, cell phones pre-set with TV station numbers, ACLU numbers, and District Clerk numbers.

I think it's going to be much harder to intimidate people if they are in groups.

Pass it along, please.

[fortyfeetunder]

11. Even more intimidating if they bring their dogs!

I say do the reverse of 1964, when the police sic'd their dogs on people marching for civil rights, specifically trying to vote.

Folks should round up their dogs, put them on leashes, and take them to the polls. and if someone dare intimidate, Fido will protect....

[Jane Austin]

15. I like it!

n/t

[stevedeshazer]

8. Great

I think ALL disenfranchised American voters are going to turn out in huge numbers.

The ruling class is in for a big, big surprise come November 2!

[Bluebear]

9. Red alert! Help us, Katherine Harris!

Way to go Georgia!!!!

[Sugarbleus]

13. Ditto that..... ROCK ON GEORGIA!!

BIG Party for all the hard working campaigners, GOTVer's, canvasers, volunteers etc...after Kerry wins!! :party: :beer: :hi:

[Tight_rope]

12. You damn straight we are MAD!....Bush* the Idiot Chimp must go!

[Roy]

14. Same thing going on in Missouri...

Instead of October surprise, there may be a November surprise.

[Jane Austin]

16. Minorities particularly or new registrations in general?

n/t

[sundeen65]

17. Unity

More power to them. The unity of the Black race in America is something I wish could be practiced by all segments of our society. We should all study what and who speaks in our best interest and vote that way.

[CatWoman]

18. kick

:kick:

[tnlefty]

21. Hi sundeen65 and welcome. It seems more and more that the Con-

gressional Black Caucus has been consistently speaking for me for years now. Both the women and the men speak truth to power.

[funkybutt]

19. My volunteer group registered 1800 in the last week

the VAST majority of those being african american. People are energized for change. People repeatedly told us how the "can't wait" to cast their vote in November. I'd say 98-99% of those we registered intend to cast their vote for Kerry. WE registered elderly people who hadn't voted in 20-30 years, felons who were "misinformed" of their voting rights, and young people who were excited to be able to participate in their first presidential election. People would leave our location, go round up some people who needed to register, and bring them back to sign up with us. Our registrars office is SWAMPED with new registrations. I don't know how their going to process them all by Nov. 2

[Kanary]

22. "I don't know how they're going to process them all by Nov 2"

Therein lies the rub.

I'm afraid that is going to be one of 2004's way of disenfranchizing people. It's already starting to leak out.

:mad:

Kanary

[funkybutt]

26. I should have phrased that differently

how about, "At their current rate of progress, there's no way they will be able to process all these registrations in time. I think they need to bring in more help!"

I'm not trying to disenfranchize anyone. As a matter of fact, everytime we registered someone or discussed voting problems/issues with them, we'd supply them with a "Louisiana Election Information" notecard that has the phone number of the registrars office (so that people can call to make sure they're on the rolls or see if their registration has been processed) as well as information about Provisional Ballots. We're encouraging everyone to demand a provisional ballot if they are told they can't vote. We're saying "DO NOT LEAVE THE POLLS WITHOUT VOTING"

Here's an article about the backlog at the New orleans registrars office. Keep in mind, that my concern is legitimate.

City Council given earful over lack of voter ID Cards

07:26 AM CDT on Friday, October 1, 2004

Brett Martel / Associated Press

Numerous residents who have participated in voter registration drives -- some held months ago -- have not received identification cards and are fearful of being disenfranchised, activists told a city council committee Thursday.

Leaders of several groups who have run get-out-the-vote drives -- mostly in black neighborhoods, high schools and colleges -- voiced those concerns, angrily at times, to the City Council's Government Affairs Committee.

"When they try to disqualify people from voting in national elections ... this is very serious," said Carl Galmon, representing the Selma-to-Montgomery Historic Voting Rights Trail. "There is a conspiracy to disenfranchise African-American voters from the Nov. 2 elections that you are a part of."

While council members avoided discussing conspiracy theories, they did show concern over why the perception exists that numerous people in New Orleans won't be able to vote.

They had asked Orleans Parish Registrar of Voters Louis Keller to show up at their special meeting Thursday, but Keller instead sent a written statement saying his office was too swamped with work for the upcoming election.

When reached by phone later, Keller said anyone concerned about whether their registration is current could call his office.

"We encourage them to do that in spite of all the other work we have to do," Keller said. "We will take a few seconds to find the information on the computer."

Part of the outrage exhibited in council chambers was a reaction to a recently published list of about 45,000 New Orleans residents who are classified as being inactive voters. That means they soon could be purged from voting rolls if they have not voted in two prior federal elections.

Elsie Cangelosi, director of national voter registration for the Louisiana Secretary of State's Office, said people become classified as inactive when the addresses they have on file are in question because verification cards sent to them were returned by the post office.

The deadline for registering for the Nov. 2 election is this coming Monday. Mail applications postmarked by then but received later also will be accepted statewide, Cangelosi said.

More registration drives are scheduled to take place in churches throughout the city and state Sunday. But several organizers in New Orleans expressed concern as to whether their work would be for naught.

Gwendolyn Carriere, representing the Voices for Working Families, said her group has helped more than 2,000 residents fill out voter registration cards since June. She told the council she gets calls daily from people who have yet to receive their identification cards.

"I have a concern that if the registrar of voters is not given serious assistance and direction ... many of our African Americans are not going to be able to vote."

Councilmembers said they would compile comments and complaints in a report and seek to find out what happened to if cases exist where cards were properly filed but residents were not registered in time to vote.

Keller said all registration cards submitted on time for the Nov. 2 election would be processed on time, even if it means working extended hours.

"We've been working the past two weeks extra hours to catch up," he said. "For this election, it seems like a great majority of people are interested in registering because of what happened in 2000. The interest is very high."

[Kanary]

28. Whoa! I didn't say *you* were "trying to disenfrancise anyone"

I realize there is an inordinate amount of attacking here on DU, but there was no way that I was tryig to put *you* on the hot seat!

I'm simply saying that this is what is being said in some states, and I think there is a possibility of a lot of disappointment for those who have worked hard to register people, if they end up in unprocessed piles until after the election.

We can't overlook any rotten attempt by the RW to throw this election!

Kanary

[funkybutt]

31. Hey, I hear ya!

I just wanted to make sure you didn't think that me expressing my concern would somehow disenfranchise people. Sorry if i was overly defensive :) and you're right, way too much attacking here! I prolly shouldnt have had that 3rd cup of coffee ;)

[Dob Bole]

20. I think Denise Majette helps too..

This is the first time that the Georgia Democratic Party has nominated a black person as the Senate candidate. We already have black Democrats elected to statewide offices, but Majette is running behind in this race.

Still, I think she's encouraging a lot of new voter registration.

www.majetteforsenate.org

[tnlefty]

23. Thanks for posting this!! Seems as though registration is up in many areas

and our "Dean group" registered many people prior to the primaries who were disgusted with bush*, but who had never voted. I don't understand people in their 30's, 40's and up who have never voted...blows my mind!

Local news Sat. night ran a story about the Bradley County, TN, election commission extending the deadline to register and opening the office on Sat. because they have been so overwhelmed with new registrations and also with people trying to ensure that they won't have any problems trying to vote on election day!!!

This sounds good to me.

[cmf]

24. Easy for GA to fix, now that they have advance warning

a few strokes of the keyboard, and now every 3rd vote in black areas is thrown out. Easy to do with electronic voting machines.

[mimitabby]

25. in my neighborhood

a whole bunch of NAACP signs just went up urging people to vote

[HootieMcBoob]

27. I love hearing this

I can't get enough of these good news get out the vote stories. If every one of the newly registered voters gets out and votes on November 2nd and their votes are counted properly we could see some real history being made here. We can take back our country! Every freaking vote counts!!!!
:toast:

[Media_Lies_Daily]

29. Blacks aren't the only folks pissed about the 2000 election theft.

[CatWoman]

30. No, we're not the only ones pissed

but we were the ones targeted for disenfranchisement.

[Love Bug]

32. This is excellent news!

It will be interesting to see the effect of new voters voting Dem in GA on local races. Even if Boosh still carries the state, that doesn't mean these new voters won't have a real impact on local races. Same can be said everywhere else new registrations have spiked. If someone who doesn't ordinarily vote registers just to defeat Boosh, chances are they are going to vote a straight Dem ticket simply because they no longer trust Boosh's party, either.