Over the weekend I read a great article published in the Washington Post on May 4th titled "A rare look inside the party machine: Va. Republicans look to create new voters”. It gave some fascinating insight about the state of the party here in Virginia, and showed a potential shift in party tactics.
The GOP in several states across the country have enacted various laws to restrict access to voters, a tactic that usually depresses the vote low enough in minority communities to secure them victory. The Shelby County decision in 2013 handed down by the Supreme Court struck a key provision of the Voting Rights Act which required certain states to seek approval from the Justice Department before altering voter access or laws because of a history of voter suppression. As a result of this, Alabama immediately enacted a strict Voter ID law that required a driver’s license to vote, then promptly closed driver’s license offices in 31 counties, including every county that has a make up of 75% or more of African American voters.
While restricting early voting, limiting the number of polls, enacting stricter ID laws, and removing same day registration is the typical modus operandi of the GOP, the blue wave of progressive energy and grassroots enthusiasm is something they realize won’t be stopped here in Virginia. The article written on May 4th is fascinating because it revealed a memo being circulated by the Republican Party of Virginia that talks about the dire straits they are in. Realizing that they can no longer rely on swing voters living in and expanding outwards from Northern Virginia, they know they must drastically alter the state electorate by registering new voters in the southwestern part of the state, who in theory will vote Republican. Stephen Farnsworth from the University of Mary Washington is quoted in the article saying:
It puts the Republicans in a strange position. On the one hand, Republicans talk about increasing the number of registered voters in rural areas, but the party hasn’t always been that supportive of making it easier for people to register in other parts of the state.
While the GOP may be late to the voter registration game, we more then welcome their help in expanding voter rights and access across the state and nationally. The 90 for 90 project was started in honor of Dr. Fergie Reid’s 90th birthday. A pioneer in voter registration and the precinct-by-precinct strategy I bring up in almost every article, this organization’s sole purpose is to support candidates who will work to expand voter access and rights. Ken Boddye, a candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates district 51, has repeatedly written about voting rights here in the state. Two examples are here and here. To protect and expand Voting Rights nationally, at a Town Hall on April 20th I vowed to introduce legislation that:
- Makes election day a federal holiday
- Allows for early voting, both absentee and in person, up to 30 days in advance
- Automatically registers men and women to vote when they sign up for Selective Service.
Encouraging Americans to participate in the single most important thing they can do in a democracy shouldn’t be a partisan issue. Voter turnout in the last state elections in 2015 was just 29%. The deadline to register new voters for the June 13th primary is May 22. With the GOP realizing that to be viable in Virginia they may need to include rather than exclude, we welcome them to the cause.
Virginia CD 1 - Edwin Santana
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