Is it possible for voter suppression efforts to work....too well? This year, many states are holding elections after multiple years of election neglect. What is election neglect? Find out more about it and why you may wish to bring a portable chair and a good book with you to vote on Tuesday.
Since the chaotic Presidential election of 2000, we've learned that states run elections. Here's how they stack the decks against voters and why this year, it may begin to backfire.
The Map
As you know, we elect most of our legislators (House of Representatives and state legislators) by district. State legislators approve the map that sets those districts.
OK, pop quiz: who represents you in your State House and Senate? Don't know? Find out. Chances are, they are up for reelection on Tuesday. Reason 1 to vote.
If the legislature is controlled by Republicans, they will do their level best to make sure as many districts elect Republicans as possible. How do they do this?
- They concentrate Democratic votes in one district, which is drawn in such a way to capture only Dems (Gerrymandering.)
- They dilute Democratic votes by drawing districts in a way that slices up the population so that Democrats are always a small minority in each district.
They do one or the other, or both. They do this based on the results of past elections. This becomes very important because they know that just like the guy who talks fast at the end of the mutual fund commercial, "past results do not predict future performance." But up until now, this has been a pretty good tactic. By the way, Democratically controlled legislatures do this too. I live in a gerrymandered district that was designed to oust a Republican 10 years ago and to this day, it remains gerrymandered.
Resources
In states where Republicans control the governor's office, the legislature or both, the budgets for running elections have been severely cut. That means if the population changes in a district, there might not be enough money for an additional polling place. Forget about additional voting machines, either.
Here's the thing. The legislative map is good for 10 years--from census to census. Populations, however, migrate and sometimes, they migrate quickly. When a new development gets built in a district, you suddenly have an influx of voters. When a neighborhood gentrifies, the precinct's voter profile can change.
Sometimes, it can change in the span of time between a primary and a general election. I'm in North Carolina this week doing GOTV work. North Carolina has notoriously underequipped and understaffed their polling places. But there are places within the Research Triangle area that have seen explosive population growth. In this area, the highest influx of voters is from the "unaffiliated" category. These aren't new voters, by the way. A comparison of voter trends shows that the number of Republicans has dropped and "unaffiliated" is on the rise. Here's the thing. If there was to be any "fixing" of resources in favor of Republicans, this year, in this place, it isn't happening. When the highest shift is why "unaffiliated" voters, don't expect additional resources.
The legislature controls the resources for elections. The Secretary of State manages those resources and is in charge of the State Board of Elections. It is this body that determines not only the eligibility of a candidate to run for office, but which parties get on the ballot, the procedure for getting issues on the ballot and how many polling places, location and equipment for each.
Pop Quiz: Who is your state's Secretary of State? He or she may be up for reelection this year. Reason #2 to vote on Tuesday.
Time
Time is everyone's most valuable commodity. Elected officials know that. The easiest way to make sure that only a few people benefit from public policies is to make sure that most people don't vote.
Let me repeat that in italics.
The easiest way to make sure that only a few people benefit from public policies is to make sure that most people don't vote.
How do that do that?
In off-year elections, when voters choose the people who will be running elections, you can bulk up the ballot with lots of issues. Chances are, your ballot will be as long, if not longer than my diary. Voters might skip over issues with lots of words or run out of steam before they get to the last page. Or run out of time in line because the voters before them took too much time reading their ballots.
Helpful hint: visit your state's Democratic Party website and download a copy of the sample ballot. Download a bunch for your friends, too. Put a sticky on it and invite them to the polls. Take that sample ballot along for some reading. By the time you get in, you'll have it committed to memory.
North Carolina, like many states, cut back the length of early voting. The last day of early voting in North Carolina saw lines so long that someone actually had time to create a Facebook page about the lineswhile standing in line! Your state may have eliminated early voting all together.
Pop Quiz: What percentage of registered voters in the US voted in the 2010 Midterm Elections? Find out here. Reason #3 to vote: you don't want a minority of people determining your future.
So what's going to happen on Tuesday? Three things, all of which have the potential to affect Republicans as much as Democrats, depending on where you live. With early voting truncated, resources cut back for multiple years, changing demographics and populations, there is no predicting whether you will be spared from standing in line on Tuesday. Republican or Democrat. Bring a comfortable chair and a book. Make sure your boss excuses you. This may take awhile.