Andrew Friedman

Keep in the Vote

Things are looking bleak for the Republicans. Polls show them steadily losing support among voters. Republican strategists, though, insist that their money and their sophisticated get-out-the-vote operation will prevent them from llosing too badly this November. But, get-out-the-vote is only part of the formula. In addition to agiting and mobilizing their base, they are seeking to suppress the vote of those who are most likely to disagree with them.

The most eggregious incident took place in Orange County California, where the Republican candidate sent a mailing, in Spanish, to Latino citizens, and others, stating,

If your residence in this country is illegal or you are an immigrant, voting in a federal election is a crime that could result in jail time.

Even Republican Governor Schwarzenegger has called the letter,

a despicable act of political intimidation.

That said, the idea of keeping certain voters home is clearly part of the national Republican Party's playbook. The House of Representatives recently passed legislation that would require that voters show government identification before voting. The identification would cost money, so it would essentially be a poll tax. The requirements, according to the organization Demos, would not just hurt low-income people, but would also disproportionately disenfranchise people of color, people with disabilities, and others who are less likely to be able to jump through beauracratic hoops or have ID in the first place.

Suppressing the vote seeks to circumscribe our political community and to exclude important perspectives and voices from our process. It is bad for the communities it excludes, and it is bad for democracy.

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Posted at 7:34 AM, Oct 23, 2006 in Democracy
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