http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/01/1426654/-Alabama-Gets-Voter-Supression-Right?detail=email
Alabama has followed its voter ID requirement that went into effect last year with closing drivers license offices in eight of 10 counties with majority black voting populations. The voter suppression effect is complemented by raising the fee for driver license renewal from $23.50 to $36.25 earlier this year.
Updated to include more information below the orange squiggle.
According to John Archibald at al.com:
Take a look at the 10 Alabama counties with the highest percentage of non-white registered voters. That's Macon, Greene, Sumter, Lowndes, Bullock, Perry, Wilcox, Dallas, Hale, and Montgomery, according to the Alabama Secretary of State's office. Alabama, thanks to its budgetary insanity and inanity, just opted to close driver license bureaus in eight of them. All but Dallas and Montgomery will be closed.
Closed. In a state in which driver licenses or special photo IDs are a requirement for voting.
Every single county in which blacks make up more than 75 percent of registered voters will see their driver license office closed. Every one.
As explained by al.com's Kyle Whitmire:
On Wednesday, the [Alabama Law Enforcement Agency] announced that it would close 31 offices throughout the state, leaving 29 counties without a place where 16-year-olds can take a driver's test, whether they pass on the first try or not.
That's an inconvenience.
But there's something bigger happening here.
In 2011, Alabama lawmakers approved the state's voter ID law, making it illegal to vote in Alabama without a government-issued photo ID.
For most folks, that's a driver's license.
In those 29 counties you might be able to register at the courthouse, but you won't be able to cast a ballot there unless you have that ID.
Closing these offices comes as part of a larger overall slashing of the state budget but that is hardly the point. Blacks have been disproportionately impacted by the closures and it is highly unlikely that no-one recognized that before pressing "Go" on the decision. Welcome to the new Jim Crow.
giving it back to the states is republican speak for "so we can take it away from voters not like us".
these are clearly things designed to boost the republican vote by chipping away at the Progressive vote win by elimination default. and the scotus saw no reason to keep sect 4 of voters right act in place or have the decency to return the right to those they intentionally disenfranchised. they loaded the system against us buy i still believe if we have solidarity or vote will prevail we proved it can happen twice forget third time charm vote for 4th and 5th and on times.
trampling on constitutional rights is what the try to sweep on our shoes but the wind blows back and shows who really are the violators of American's constitutional rights.
