The decision of the part of the US Supreme Court to declare unconstitutional Section Four of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 effectively gutted the key enforcement mechanism of an Act which for nearly forty eight years has prevented voter disfranchisement in various states and in violation of the Fifteenth Amendment on the basis of race. With the effective neutralization of this Act, voter suppression efforts directed by the Republican Party at the national, state, and municipal levels, aimed at minority voters who vote Democratic in overwhelming numbers will resume in earnest and we cannot safely assume that such efforts at keeping people of color from exercising their constitutional right to vote will be limited to oppressive voter ID laws, a cutback in early voting, or further gerrymandering itself.
To be on the safe side we must act as though the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was never passed at all; that the history of the past fifty years in regards to ending voter disfranchisement based on race never happened. As of now, according to the US Supreme Court, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's signature achievement has been erased from history. It is pre August 6, 1965 all over again and as such we can rightly expect a return of some version of the infamous poll taxes & literacy tests and with the black vote now suppressed we must be prepared for a return to office of old time pro segregation public officials on the order of Eugene "Bull" O'Connor and George Wallace who will no doubt use this activist Supreme Court to eventually overturn the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Brown versus Board of Education itself; returning America to the dark days of slavery, segregation, and Judge Lynch. Without the vote anything is possible for without the vote the people are ultimately powerless save a resort to armed insurrection.
The die has been cast but our cause has not yet been lost. We have time to reverse this if we act and act now and we can begin with the following basic steps:
1) Register to vote.
This of course is the first and most important step. If you're not registered to vote, register. If you haven't voted in awhile try to register again and if you're already on the rolls, make sure that your information such as address and phone number is up to date. For those of you with a access to a computer, either at home or public library, go to the following site to get information as to how to register and how to register properly.
http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Voting/Register.shtml
2) Organize Voter Registration Parties
Work with your local chapters of the NAACP, National Organization for Women, Urban League and other such organizations to hold voter registration parties weeks, if not months, in advance of upcoming elections. Give people a place to register other than the local DMV or online. Promote voter registration not only as a civic duty but also as a time of civic celebration. Invite candidates for local office to speak at these events, therefore making them not only an occasion to register people to vote but to educate them as to who and what they are voting for. Emphasize the power of the ballot and encourage young people not yet of voting age to hand out voter registration forms to the sick, the elderly, and the infirm in your local communities and teach them how to help their older fellow citizens how to properly fill out these forms. Involve our youth, no matter how young, in the process of voter registration. Make them feel a part of it, empowered by it, and educate them on the importance of every single vote while emphasizing that the ballot is far more powerful than the bullet; that it is the key to them having a bright and successful future.
3) Acquire a valid form of photo identification.
Even if it is not required this is essential because voter ID laws are going to be the first thing put on the books and as such we can save ourselves a whole lot of trouble ahead of time by acquiring one months in advance of the upcoming elections. If you know someone who is elderly, sick, or infirm, find a way to work with members of your local community to either transport this person to the place where such ID's are issued or try to find a way, if possible, to have the necessary photo taken and the paperwork filled out at home.
4) Double, triple, and if necessary quadruple check to make sure that your current address matches up with your local polling place.
When people relocate for whatever reason, it is easy to overlook the location of their new polling place. We tend to vote where we've long been voting out of force of habit and if we maintain a residence at our old address that has not been a particular problem. Yet understand that if you're a person of color the Republicans are going to look for anything that can possibly keep you from casting a vote and one of the ways they will try to do this will be to prevent you from casting a ballot because your current residence is not in the area where you are registered. Understand also that the Republicans are going to start playing musical chairs with polling places in predominately minority areas; deliberately moving them around in the hope that you will not be paying attention and wind up attempting to cast a vote in the wrong location. Don't let them get away with it. Stay focused on these shifts and make a point of keeping your friends, family, and neighbors informed of these shift in polling locations as well.
5) Make sure that everyone gets to the polls when the polls are open.
During the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-56, car pools were established in the African American community to transport people to and from work. A similar arrangement must be made long in advance of any election to transport people to and from the polls with local volunteers being prepared to use their private mode of transportation as a means to transport the elderly, the sick, and the infirm, to local polling places on election day. Work with your local hospitals & nursing homes to, if possible, have wheelchairs available for use that day so that those who weak will not have to stand too long in line. Urge your local churches & youth groups to provide free refreshments to those standing in line on days which are hot and umbrellas & blankets n case election day is rainy and cold.
6) Beating the Ban
To beat the ban and suppress these voter suppression efforts by the Republican Party will require a community wide effort all across this nation. Everyone will have to do their part to preserve the ballot for those who now stand to lose it because of the color of their skin. We must hold the fort until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is restored to its original strength. We can do this but what's more we don't have a choice not to do it for the future of this nation literally hangs in the balance. So spread this message far and wide. Beat the Ban and and make America again Freedom Land.
To be on the safe side we must act as though the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was never passed at all; that the history of the past fifty years in regards to ending voter disfranchisement based on race never happened. As of now, according to the US Supreme Court, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's signature achievement has been erased from history. It is pre August 6, 1965 all over again and as such we can rightly expect a return of some version of the infamous poll taxes & literacy tests and with the black vote now suppressed we must be prepared for a return to office of old time pro segregation public officials on the order of Eugene "Bull" O'Connor and George Wallace who will no doubt use this activist Supreme Court to eventually overturn the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Brown versus Board of Education itself; returning America to the dark days of slavery, segregation, and Judge Lynch. Without the vote anything is possible for without the vote the people are ultimately powerless save a resort to armed insurrection.
The die has been cast but our cause has not yet been lost. We have time to reverse this if we act and act now and we can begin with the following basic steps:
1) Register to vote.
This of course is the first and most important step. If you're not registered to vote, register. If you haven't voted in awhile try to register again and if you're already on the rolls, make sure that your information such as address and phone number is up to date. For those of you with a access to a computer, either at home or public library, go to the following site to get information as to how to register and how to register properly.
http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Voting/Register.shtml
2) Organize Voter Registration Parties
Work with your local chapters of the NAACP, National Organization for Women, Urban League and other such organizations to hold voter registration parties weeks, if not months, in advance of upcoming elections. Give people a place to register other than the local DMV or online. Promote voter registration not only as a civic duty but also as a time of civic celebration. Invite candidates for local office to speak at these events, therefore making them not only an occasion to register people to vote but to educate them as to who and what they are voting for. Emphasize the power of the ballot and encourage young people not yet of voting age to hand out voter registration forms to the sick, the elderly, and the infirm in your local communities and teach them how to help their older fellow citizens how to properly fill out these forms. Involve our youth, no matter how young, in the process of voter registration. Make them feel a part of it, empowered by it, and educate them on the importance of every single vote while emphasizing that the ballot is far more powerful than the bullet; that it is the key to them having a bright and successful future.
3) Acquire a valid form of photo identification.
Even if it is not required this is essential because voter ID laws are going to be the first thing put on the books and as such we can save ourselves a whole lot of trouble ahead of time by acquiring one months in advance of the upcoming elections. If you know someone who is elderly, sick, or infirm, find a way to work with members of your local community to either transport this person to the place where such ID's are issued or try to find a way, if possible, to have the necessary photo taken and the paperwork filled out at home.
4) Double, triple, and if necessary quadruple check to make sure that your current address matches up with your local polling place.
When people relocate for whatever reason, it is easy to overlook the location of their new polling place. We tend to vote where we've long been voting out of force of habit and if we maintain a residence at our old address that has not been a particular problem. Yet understand that if you're a person of color the Republicans are going to look for anything that can possibly keep you from casting a vote and one of the ways they will try to do this will be to prevent you from casting a ballot because your current residence is not in the area where you are registered. Understand also that the Republicans are going to start playing musical chairs with polling places in predominately minority areas; deliberately moving them around in the hope that you will not be paying attention and wind up attempting to cast a vote in the wrong location. Don't let them get away with it. Stay focused on these shifts and make a point of keeping your friends, family, and neighbors informed of these shift in polling locations as well.
5) Make sure that everyone gets to the polls when the polls are open.
During the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-56, car pools were established in the African American community to transport people to and from work. A similar arrangement must be made long in advance of any election to transport people to and from the polls with local volunteers being prepared to use their private mode of transportation as a means to transport the elderly, the sick, and the infirm, to local polling places on election day. Work with your local hospitals & nursing homes to, if possible, have wheelchairs available for use that day so that those who weak will not have to stand too long in line. Urge your local churches & youth groups to provide free refreshments to those standing in line on days which are hot and umbrellas & blankets n case election day is rainy and cold.
6) Beating the Ban
To beat the ban and suppress these voter suppression efforts by the Republican Party will require a community wide effort all across this nation. Everyone will have to do their part to preserve the ballot for those who now stand to lose it because of the color of their skin. We must hold the fort until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is restored to its original strength. We can do this but what's more we don't have a choice not to do it for the future of this nation literally hangs in the balance. So spread this message far and wide. Beat the Ban and and make America again Freedom Land.
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