The New York Times' editorial board
reacts to the
new study from the Brennan Center for justice on voter suppression.
Of course the Republicans passing these laws never acknowledge their real purpose, which is to turn away from the polls people who are more likely to vote Democratic, particularly the young, the poor, the elderly and minorities. They insist that laws requiring government identification cards to vote are only to protect the sanctity of the ballot from unscrupulous voters. Cutting back on early voting, which has been popular among working people who often cannot afford to take off from their jobs on Election Day, will save money, they claim.
None of these explanations are true. There is almost no voting fraud in America. And none of the lawmakers who claim there is have ever been able to document any but the most isolated cases. The only reason Republicans are passing these laws is to give themselves a political edge by suppressing Democratic votes.[...]
Other states are beginning to require documentary proof of citizenship to vote, or are finding other ways to make it harder to register. Some are cutting back on programs allowing early voting, or imposing new restrictions on absentee ballots, alarmed that early voting was popular among black voters supporting Barack Obama in 2008. In all cases, they are abusing the trust placed in them by twisting democracy’s machinery to partisan ends.
The Republicans perpetrating this voter suppression aren't going to give a shit about the condemnation of the NYT for their practices. All that matters to them is that they shut as many Democratic voters out of as many elections as they can. Some acknowledge that voter fraud is essentially non-existent, but others, as in Maine, say the system is still vulnerable and that these laws will prevent the fraud which has never happened from ever happening.
While the GOP won't care about the NYT editorial board, it's critical that the news about the 5 million and counting people who have been disenfranchised gets out, that people recognize when this is happening in their communities, and that they organize against it.