Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
I will from time to time refer to the consent decrees to which the Republican National Committee (RNC) is subject for its past organized voter suppression. A primer on GOP voter suppression: voter caging. The RNC regularly files an appeal every couple of years asking for the court order to be lifted.
The RNC's latest appeal has been rejected by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Court Rejects Voter Suppression Efforts | Truthout:
Last Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld a long-standing consent decree prohibiting the Republican National Committee (RNC) from engaging in underhanded campaign practices aimed at depressing voter turnout in communities of color. The consent decree, which arose out of a 1981 voting rights lawsuit against the RNC, bars the organization from using voter challengers, poll watchers, and vote caging plans to target and intimidate voters of color. It specifically precludes the RNC’s poll watchers from overstepping their role as election observers and prohibits them from asking voters for identification, filming or recording voters, and distributing literature about voter fraud penalties.
After a federal district court denied the RNC’s request to dissolve the consent decree in 2009, the RNC appealed to the Third Circuit.In unanimously rejecting the RNC’s appeal, the Third Circuit highlighted the continuing threat that voter intimidation poses to our election system. The court’s opinion described how poll watchers and poll challengers have the potential to disenfranchise lawful voters by causing delays, crowding, and confusion inside the polling place and creating a charged partisan atmosphere that can intimidate many new voters.
The Brennan Center has highlighted these problems in the past and applauds the court for upholding this important safeguard against voter suppression. The court’s decision represents a significant victory for voters but also serves as a critical reminder about the need to protect against the kinds of pernicious voter intimidation tactics that the court discussed in its opinion.
The Brennan Center offers excellent resources for identifying and fighting back against GOP voter suppression efforts. The GOP war on voting explained by the Brennnan Center for Justice.
Recent Comments