The Washington Post snagged a great quote from North Carolina Republican Carter Wrenn:
“Of course it’s political. Why else would you do it?” he said, explaining that Republicans, like any political party, want to protect their majority. While GOP lawmakers might have passed the law to suppress some voters, Wrenn said, that does not mean it was racist.
“Look, if African Americans voted overwhelmingly Republican, they would have kept early voting right where it was,” Wrenn said. “It wasn’t about discriminating against African Americans. They just ended up in the middle of it because they vote Democrat.”
Other writers are all over the ridiculousness of the claim that this isn’t racism. Of course it is. But what struck me is the pure cravenness of blatantly excluding unwanted voters from the polls. I mean, sure, on one level, this is just a classic Kinsley gaffe: “when a politician tells the truth – some obvious truth he isn't supposed to say.”
But this also reveals the inanity of the claims that both sides are equally guilty of all forms of political dirty tricks. I can’t even think of an example where Democrats would work actively to suppress the voting rights of perceived Republican groups.
The mere thought of this led me down a path that was self-amusing and maybe a tiny bit enlightening. If they were so inclined, how would Democrats do this? What voters would they target? What rules could ostensibly be sold as “reasonable” while having the practical effect of being grossly unfair?
I came up with one, down below, but I’m sure the community can do better. What dastardly scheme can you come up with? Here’s a chance to show off your super villain potential for a good cause!
So here’s my wicked thought: Require text message or some other form of e-verification to obtain a ballot. This would be an easy sell as a security measure, but would clearly place a greater burden on the less tech-savvy voters. Based on no actual data, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that tech-aversion skews older and more rural, which roughly correlates with Republican demographics.
Major disclaimer: I am not advocating that Democrats or anyone else pursue any ideas raised in this thread. All citizens should exercise their voting rights, and all reasonable options for exercising those rights should be made available to them. My point is to reveal the organized Republican voter suppression activities for what they are.