Republican lawmakers in North Carolina have introduced the most blatantly partisan voter suppression bill I have ever seen. It’s purpose is to disenfranchise college students. This is not even debatable. Senate Bill 667 would take away parents’ ability to declare their children as dependents if they register to vote at a different address. It would also require students to register their cars at the same address used on their voter registration. So, let’s say that you live in Asheville, North Carolina and your daughter goes to Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. If she wants to vote in Durham (because that is where she will be during the first week of November), she must reregister her car there. And her decision to register to vote there will cost you a couple of thousand dollars because you will lose your child deduction on your state income taxes.
These provisions have been rolled into the appropriately named Senate Bill 666 “which would also shorten early voting days, ban early voting on evenings and weekends and prohibit same-day registration.”
The most amazing thing is that the Republicans aren’t even seriously trying to hide their intent.
In an emailed statement this afternoon, [Bill] Cook, [R-Beaufort] defended S666 and S667, saying their reforms “will be appreciated by citizens in this state who view voting as a sacred civic duty.”
“In these tough economic times, we need to be proactive in finding ways to save money. One day of early voting in North Carolina costs $98,000. Our counties bear this cost exclusively. Cutting back early voting from seventeen to ten days does this by saving roughly $686,000 per election. This money would be better used to hire teachers and first responders,” Cook said.
“We are simply equalizing the playing field for all voters in our state,” the statement said.
Jay DeLancy of the NC Voter Integrity Project also voiced support for the student voting restrictions, citing a case in which college students in Buncombe County changed the outcome of a race for a county commission seat in 2012.
“That race showed how easily college students can be manipulated like pawns,” DeLancy said in a press release. “These bills will protect students from such abuse.”
Sure, Rep. Cook pays lip-service to the idea that he’s really just trying to save money, but then he acknowledges that he’s trying to “equalize the playing field.” Jay DeLancy is even more blunt. Because college students voted for someone he didn’t like, their vote must be taken away. Disenfranchising them will protect them from abuse.
Unbelievable.
It’s so brazen that the average person can’t even imagine that it could be true. But here it is.
Can something like this even be challenged in court?
And before I hear any more about whiny Progressives staying home in ’10, please research first. The North Carolina Democratic Party was/is a corrupt mess.
And with the “conservatives” on the Supreme Court having abdicated their responsibility to protect the right to vote by permitting basically any state vote suppression law, there’s little to be done. To the extent there was any wiggle room to protect voting rights at all, NC is in the 4th Circuit, which is packed with Cheney’s most rightwing extremists masquerading as “judges”. So no legal hope at all.
Once institutions (like courts) have been intentionally wrecked there’s little that can be done. And like all authoritarian fascist movements participating in electoral politics, today’s Repubs quickly move to rig the game to preserve their hold on power and rig the game in their favor once imbecile voters give it to them. Of course the voters are the real problem, they knew what they were electing.
I suppose the national college association could issue some public objection and threaten the NC colleges with some toothless sanctions for the NC legislature and guv’nor failing to protect student voting, but such an effort would be a day late and ten dollars short.
Like Walkerstan, this state can now be written off as hopelessly occupied by the American Hitler movement. Good luck to those with functioning brains there.
Also note the NC Authoritarians don’t even try to hide behind “voter fraud” any more. Just cost “saving” and overt college student hatred. The students were “manipulated” and abused” by deciding to vote against someone! How much you want to bet it was a Repub?
Anyway, the Repub vote suppression game is pretty much out in the open now. Repubs know they can do what they want and have total control. Any state that puts itself in that position with today’s American Fascist movement knows exactly what it’s getting.
THIS IS WHO THEY ARE.
how many times do I have to say this?
North Carolina has become the new Wisconsin. See how big a mess the General Assembly can make in how short a time.
How did that DINO stuff work out, NC Democratic Party?
The response to the student part of this SHOULD BE that the colleges inform their students and openly forgive them the time it takes to go home to vote.
so who pays for trips across country?
Well, if they are from out of state they really should vote absentee in their true home state.
Why?
They are just transients and don’t have a stake in the local elections. Maybe they don’t at home either, but it’s probably where they grew up so they should have some sort of informed opinion.
I know the law gives them the choice and the Republicans just want young liberals from voting, but that’s my take on it. In any case, classes should be cancelled on election day.
most of them are there for 4 years, there are a lot of people who aren’t in college that don’t stay in one district for 4 years should they not be allowed to vote in their current district because they are transients?
what seabe said
I was going to see what was involved in getting an absentee ballot tonight, but Chris texed, said he’d scored some killer weed and a couple of hotties were on the way over to his apartment for a hit…
The problem is that the officials in univ towns never pay for the vote theft. They can vote absentee.
If your policies are losers, change the rules of the game …. been going on for hundreds of years. Time for the Dems to wake up.
too bad NC voters chose to elect teabaggers top to bottom. possibly they’ll learn from this. up to them.
I have a funny feeling that if this passes, a lot fewer students will go to college in North Carolina. Great way to save money, cook, DeLancy & co.