• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
    • Privacy Policy
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Economic Development Council
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • Fourth Amendment
    • First Amendment
    • Privacy
    • Second Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Third Amendment
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
    • 14th Amendment
    • Civil Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Flagler Youth Orchestra
    • Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
    • Palm Coast Arts Foundation
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2024
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

In Georgia, Voter-Suppression Becomes Systematic

June 11, 2020 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

Endless lines in Georgia Tuesday. (Facebook)
Endless lines in Georgia Tuesday. (Facebook)

By Thom Hartman

On Tuesday we saw the Republican’s number one voter suppression strategy on display, as black areas in Georgia were absolutely deprived of enough voting machines and polling places to accommodate their citizens, producing lines as long as six hours to vote.




While that is infuriating in and of itself, the real crime here is that the media continues to refuse to report on this for what it is: structural racism that produces naked voter suppression.

The media continues to be amazed and surprised, reporting on these long lines as if they are some sort of natural disaster. There’s nothing natural about them at all.

The Republican’s number one strategy for voter suppression is, and has been for decades, to make it difficult for black and Hispanic people to vote, while making it easy and fast for people in white neighborhoods to vote.

Louise and I lived in Georgia for 13 years, in upscale northern Atlanta suburbs, and I never waited more than 15 minutes to vote. At the same time, every single election, we read stories in the local press about black people in downtown Atlanta having to wait three, five, even eight hours to vote.

But it was never called “voter suppression” in the Georgia media when we lived there, and that was 30 years ago. It’s only rarely called voter suppression in the mainstream media today, either, which should shock us all.

Instead, the media narrative is that Georgia was using new machines and had poorly trained workers who just weren’t “prepared” to deal with the new systems. But that problem was limited to black neighborhoods, as has been every other serious voting problem for over a century.




Because forcing long lines representsthe GOP’s number one most effective voter suppression technique, and it requires forcing people to show up at the polling place to vote in order to work, Republicans, from the RNC to Trump to statewide Republican parties, are screaming and suing and doing everything else they can to block voting by mail.

Oregon, where I live, has had voting by mail for more than 20 years and never had a problem. In fact, we have one of the highest voter participation rates in the country.

The simple reality, as LeBron James recently pointed out, is that when Republicans hold the power to regulate voting systems, they structure them in ways that produce racist outcomes. It is, literally, structural racism.

commondreamsIt’s time to update our Voting Rights Act to include a requirement that every state provide citizens with the ability to easily vote from the comfort and safety of their own homes by mail. And it is essential that the media start calling this what it is: Republican voter suppression.

What Georgia did Tuesday was criminal, a racist crime against our democracy, and it’s time to criminalize voter suppression once and for all.

Thom Hartmann is a talk-show host and the author of The Hidden History of the Supreme Court and the Betrayal of America and more than 25 other books in print.

Support FlaglerLive's End of Year Fundraiser
Thank you readers for getting us to--and past--our year-end fund-raising goal yet again. It’s a bracing way to mark our 15th year at FlaglerLive. Our donors are just a fraction of the 25,000 readers who seek us out for the best-reported, most timely, trustworthy, and independent local news site anywhere, without paywall. FlaglerLive is free. Fighting misinformation and keeping democracy in the sunshine 365/7/24 isn’t free. Take a brief moment, become a champion of fearless, enlightening journalism. Any amount helps. We’re a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donations are tax deductible.  
You may donate openly or anonymously.
We like Zeffy (no fees), but if you prefer to use PayPal, click here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mike Cocchiola says

    June 11, 2020 at 9:11 pm

    Republicans are prepared to do anything to suppress the vote in every state in America. They will actively discourage voting by mail, they will publish misinformation, they will reduce polling places, they will frighten and intimidate voters and they will attempt to interfere with vote counting.

    The Democratic Party is raising an army of voter protection volunteers across the country. These volunteers will be trained to look for criminal activity throughout the process from the voter to the ballot box. They will have teams of lawyers ready to step in and there will be organizations like the ACLU, the League of Women Voters, Common Cause, Let America Vote, and many more watching carefully to prevent another Georgia or Wisconsin.

    Here in Flagler County, we have the utmost confidence in our supervisor of elections and her staff. We have zero confidence in the Republican Party at the state and local levels.

  2. David S. says

    June 12, 2020 at 9:04 am

    I agree this happens every year one would think that the Republicans and Washington has something to do with this….

  3. Richard says

    June 12, 2020 at 9:30 am

    I can’t believe that the left wing radical media, MSM, has refused to report on this subject. Frankly they would be all over this story if it was true. They have spent the last three + years trying to remove a Republican president that they absolutely HATE. They have lied so many times that maybe they have finally realized that no one is listening to them any longer.

  4. Roger Ware says

    June 12, 2020 at 9:38 am

    Thom, if this were a general election you might have a case but this was a PRIMARY election. People were voting for their own party candidate. The problem area’s were all Democratic strong holds in Atlanta, yet it is the Democrat’s that are screaming voter suppression. There is no question the new systems did not work properly and people were not properly trained. Also, many who were suppose to help at the polls did not show. Voter suppression? Before you write such garbage, get your facts correct.

  5. Local says

    June 12, 2020 at 10:46 pm

    I call bs! White people are in that line too. Why no cry for the white voter supprression? Inner cities voting polls have more people per square mile than rural areas. Plus there is early voting available. Democrat propoganda at its weakest.

  6. Charlie F Ericksen says

    June 13, 2020 at 5:52 am

    Well I’m sure, the writer of the article, Mr Hartmann, doesn’t have any prejudice in his words, especially with the credentials he presents.. ” Talk-show host” must be the place he gets all the facts

  7. JPK says

    June 13, 2020 at 8:59 am

    An impeached President and his Wife can vote by mail in Florida from the White House (even though there is some question as to whether Mar-A-Lago can qualify as their residence) and Derek Chauven can vote by mail in Florida while he is a Minneapolis police officer, but the Republicans are sure that a black, work or you don’t get paid single mom will commit voter fraud by voting by mail – we must be all living in the Twilight Zone.

  8. Just the facts Ma'am. says

    June 14, 2020 at 12:28 pm

    From your far left NPR: https://www.npr.org/2012/02/14/146827471/study-1-8-million-dead-people-still-registered-to-vote and 24 million AND And 24 million registrations are either invalid or inaccurate.

    I want a State issued ID card to identify you as a voter who is legally able to vote…It should be your drivers license and issue ID cards to those who supply proof of Identity by your social security number and other proof of identity. Fixes everything…You dont drive?? We’ll come to you, take your information and confirm it and issue an ID card in the mail to make it all legal.

  9. Glenn says

    June 16, 2020 at 1:21 pm

    Requiring an i.d. to vote is voter suppresion and is illegal. No need for a voter i.d., just check the name and address of the voter. Once they have cast the vote the name is removes from list. Simple. This method has worked flawlessly for mamy years , if its not broke, dont fix it.

  10. Trailer Bob says

    June 23, 2020 at 7:51 am

    Requiring an ID is NOT voter suppression Glenn. No one knows who you are without a valid photo ID. I can’t even purchase a pack of cigarettes without a photo ID at the Dollar General. Is that really such a tall wall to climb…really?

  11. Berticus Maximus says

    June 23, 2020 at 1:20 pm

    Need an ID to conceal carry, a right granted by the constitution. Need an ID to drive. Need an ID to buy alcohol. Need an ID to get a military discount. Need an ID to open a bank account. Need an ID to apply for food stamps/welfare. Need an ID to apply for social security/Medicaid. Need an ID to apply for a job. Need an ID for unemployment. Need an ID to apply for a mortgage. Need an ID to rent a car. Need an ID to get married. Need an ID to fly. Need an ID to buy cold medicine at CVS. But an ID to vote is illegal voter suppression. Explain that to me.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Conner Bosch law attorneys lawyers offices palm coast flagler county
  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Primary Sidebar

  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Recent Comments

  • Pierre Tristam on Florida School Appeals to U.S. Supreme Court to Allow Christian Prayer Over Stadium Loudspeakers
  • Sherry on Gutting USAID Is Musk’s Deadliest Legacy
  • Sherry on The Authoritarian Message Behind Military Parades
  • Deborah Coffey on Florida School Appeals to U.S. Supreme Court to Allow Christian Prayer Over Stadium Loudspeakers
  • Pogo on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, June 11, 2025
  • Atwp on Coaches in All Local Sports Organizations Will Need Higher-Level Criminal Background Checks; Palm Coast Seeks Standards
  • Atwp on Taxable Property Values Rise 9% Over Last Year, But Rate Is 3rd Decline in a Row in Cooler Housing Market
  • Sherry on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, June 11, 2025
  • Sherry on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, June 10, 2025
  • Glenn Sims on Florida School Appeals to U.S. Supreme Court to Allow Christian Prayer Over Stadium Loudspeakers
  • Ray W, on The Authoritarian Message Behind Military Parades
  • Steve on Ex-Council Member Ed Danko’s Ethics Complaint Against Mayor Norris Found ‘Legally Insufficient’
  • Ray on Energy Association Warns Florida Could Lose Up to 21,800 Solar Jobs If President’s Tax Bill Is Enacted
  • Jack Howell on Abandoning Most Public Responsibilities, But Not Pay, Palm Coast Mayor Norris Forces Council Members to Pick Up Slack
  • JC on Reported Abortions in Florida Down 46% from 2024
  • Just a thought on The Authoritarian Message Behind Military Parades

Log in