Voter Suppression is real. Most of us, as individuals, can never completely stop it, but I think we can and must fight it with both fists whenever we can. So here are some ideas about how we can avoid voter suppression:
- Register to vote as soon as possible. Lots of people in Arizona were not able to vote because they missed the registration deadline and simply did not realize it, until it was too late.
- Vote by mail (if possible). Lots of states allow to do this easily and for FREE. If you vote by mail, you will avoid waiting in line for hours just to vote, as happened in Arizona.
- Watch your Party Registration. In most states, only registered democrats can vote for democratic candidates during the primaries, and only registered republicans can vote for republican candidates during the primaries. Know what party you are registered with and change it if necessary.
The State of New York, for example, has a webpage set up that makes it super easy to register to vote and change party registration online. A google search is usually all it takes to find your own state’s webpage.
The reason this is so important is not only because of the hard lessons we have learned here in Arizona, but also because Voter Suppression is a real, documented phenomenon and it is anyone’s guess as to whether it happened here. Here are some excerpts from a US Uncut article to illustrate the point:
In 2012, Maricopa County, which is the most populous county in Arizona, had over 200 polling locations open on primary day. In 2016, that number was reduced to just 60. This amounted to over 20,000 voters for every polling location, meaning voters had to stand in line for hours to cast their ballots…
…In Helen Purcell’s mad dash to consolidate polling locations across Maricopa County, she somehow forgot to have polling places open in densely-populated Latino communities on the day of the primary. This is a glaring oversight, given that 40.8 percent of Phoenix’s 1.5 million residents are Latino.
…As Arizona voters were still waiting to cast their ballots, US Uncut reported on allegations that voters who had previously registered as Democrat were instead listed in the voter database as “independent,” “No party listed,” or even “Libertarian.” In Arizona’s closed primary system, independent voters are denied their voice by having to vote with a provisional ballot. But what voters classified as “independent” who cast provisional ballots don’t realize is that their ballots are never counted.
“One man was a lifelong Democrat who was listed as independent. He left the precinct, went to his house, and came back with a card showing that he was registered as a Democrat,” Thornton told US Uncut. “But when I called the election center (administered by the county recorder’s office), they told me to just give him a provisional ballot anyway.”
Was all of this just an unplanned accident or deliberate? Either way, if you know you are registered to vote, registered with the right party so that you can vote for who you want, and (if possible) vote by mail, then you can avoid all of the problems outlined above.
It is time to at least investigate the possibility that deliberate fraud took place. Sign the petition to push for investigation. If it is going on, an investigation and prosecution will stop others from even thinking of doing this again. The Mayor of Phoenix is even calling for an investigation within the state.
Last but not least, the Hillary Clinton campaign has been sending out letters to Washington state residents with false information about when and where to vote (mostly to groups of people likely to vote for Sanders, apparently), which would obviously result in some people not casting their ballot at all. Don’t believe what you read about when and where to vote unless it comes from your state voter webpage or similarly reliable and official sources. Twenty seconds on Google is all it takes to fight to kill an attempt to stop you from voting.
California, your presidential primary is June 7th. It’s not too late to register to vote (if necessary) or request mail-in ballots.
As always: fight the power.
