#disfranchisement

[meraki-meraki]

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[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“Would Cut Off Ballot,” Windsor Star. May 15, 1940. Page 03. ---- Disfranchisement Move Gains Support of Ontario Mayors --- By Canadian Press Mayors of several Ontario cities today expressed their approval of the action of Hamilton City Council in passing a resolution asking the Canadian Government to enact legislation providing for disfranchisement of persons convicted of subversive activities.

Wording of Resolution The Hamilton resolution was also addressed to the Ontario Government with a request that persons found guilty of subversive acts be barred from holding any public office. The resolution referred to any persons found to be a member of, or associated with a club, group, society, or orgranization of any kind which had objects or purposes prejudicial to the established form of government of Canada’ and said they should be deprived of the right of ballot.

Raids Ordered Mayor Joseph Meinzinger, of Kitchener, has ordered police to form a special squad to raid the home of all known Communusts and Communist sympathizers in Kitchener. Alleged Communists headquarters in a downtown building in Kitchener will also be raided.

While the Hamilton resolution was directed at subversive elements generally, all Ontario was interested in the decision of Mr. Justice Chevrier, at Ottawa, that the Communist Party of Canada is an illegal organization. Mayor Meinzinger said at Kitchener that Communists ‘should not be allowed to abuse the privilege of free speech in order that they might destroy that privilege.’

Cornwall Mayor Mayor J. A. Phillips, of Cornwall, said he heartily endorsed the Hamilton resolution, adding ‘I am in favor of any legislation which will remove the subversive element from Canada.’

Mayor Charles Daley, of St. Catharines and Mayor George H. Inglis, of Niagara Falls, also expressed complete agreement, Mayor Inglis remarking that ‘strong measures should be taken to discover those holding subversive views which might damage Canada’s war effort through formation of ‘fifth columns.’

Persons convicted of acts against Canada in wartime should not be allowed to retain their citizenship,’ declared Col. W. J. Heaman, acting mayor of London, Ont., and Mayor Arthur Beattie of North Bay, said he agreed with the move in every particular.

Situation Studied At Ottawa last night the assistant director of internment operations, Col. H. Steshem, said that ‘no sweeping internment of enemy aliens in Canada is contemplated at present, but the situation is being watched closely.;

Col. Stethem said that some interned aliens have been released ‘but from now on we may think twice before releasing any more.’ Any manifestation of German sympathy or subversive activity would lead to internment, he promised.

At Galt, Mayor W. B. McKay said: ‘We must not tolerate enemies from within, and any action to curb their activities will have my hearty endorsation.’

‘We in Canada have been too lenient in matters of this kind,’ said Mayor T. Harry Lewis, of Welland, and Mayor W. C. Rubbell, of Chatham, declared ‘people who are in this country attempting to undermine the government should be dealt with severely.’

[museumnelson]

How to Solve the US Voting Issue

First this is going to be a long post but stick with me it if worth a read.

I am going to start this off by saying if you do not vote we are not going to talk I don’t care were you live because I know I have followers and mutuals who live outside the United States but you need to vote there too. I also don’t mean just national elections but EVERY ELECTION. As so many have said all politics is local politics also it is those people who get elected in local elections are the one who then go on to bigger offices.

The reason I say that you most vote is because as my mom always told me if you don’t vote you don’t have any right to complain. I am sure that other countries do things both to make people vote and help them vote but I am still going to say DO IT!!

Now I am going to talk about the title of this post solving the US voting issue and if you did not know it already that “issue” is disfranchisement. This is a large and multi headed problems everything from voter ID laws, to closing of polling places, and making it harder people to register to vote. Though there are other things that have been done to disfranchise people but there is something we can do to permanently fix the three issues I have listed already.

VOTE BY MAIL FOR ALL!!!!

Now I know what many people will say we already have vote by mail in my state. What I am talking about is were every person who is resisted to vote just has their ballot sent to them. No more polling places you would just go as far as your mail box. Right now this is only happening in three states Colorado, Washington, and Oregon. But if it became nation wide this would make things so much better.

First because it would get rid of polling places and replace them with drop boxes but also your mail box so they is no line to wait in to vote. Also because the ballot would be mailed well before the election it would not matter what your work schedule is or how far from home you work you can still vote without worry.

Second because the ballot is mailed to your house and then you either mail it back or drop it in a drop box this then makes voter ID laws moot. Also this means instead of someone who has nothing better to do on a Tuesday then to work a polling place who has had only a few hours of training on a Saturday deciding if you can vote it is a trained and paid and it is their full time job and they will check your official paperwork vs a signature on the envelope.

Yet another thing about vote by mail is that it stops us from using computer based voting systems and go to paper ballots because we can’t mail a computer to everyone. What they do at least is Oregon is use a scantron to vote. As someone who works in a school there are some very old scantron readers that you can use that are so old that you can’t hack them and even if they use newer ones you would have a paper trail of how people voted.

Also if we were to do would the Oregon Senator Ron Wyden and Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer would want done it would also make it even easier to register to vote. If their law were to pass it would mean that if you did anything at the DMV then you would automatically be register to vote. Right now you have to do the paperwork at the DMV the way it would be is the DMV would be required to do the work with only an opt out.

Now I know what many people will say we will never get this passed in the House or Senate let alone get the current President to sign it. This is why I will say again vote not just in national elections but local ones too you can get something like this passed in your state house because that is were most voting laws are passed anyway.

[protoslacker]

From 2011 to 2015, 468 voting restrictions have been introduced in 49 states. Half the states in the country have passed new laws making it harder to vote. None of this would have been possible if it wasn’t for the 2000 election in Florida.

Ari Berman in The Nation. How the 2000 Election in Florida Led to a New Wave of Voter Disenfranchisement A botched voter purge prevented thousands from voting—and empowered a new generation of voting-rights critics.

This history is very relevant to today. Fifteen years is long enough ago so that  the 2000 election is not well known among lots of people. It’s important and Berman’s piece is a clear and easy read.

[profkew]

Pippa Holloway, Felon disfranchisement preserves slavery's legacy .

Nearly six million Americans are prohibited from voting in the United States today due to felony convictions. Six states stand out: Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia. These six states disfranchise seven percent of the total adult population – compared to two and a half percent nationwide. African Americans are particularly affected in these states. In Florida, Kentucky, and Virginia more than one in five African Americans is disfranchised. The other three are not far behind. Not only do individuals lose voting rights when they are incarcerated, on probation, or paroled, a common practice in many states, but some or all ex-felons are barred from voting. All six of these states have non-automatic restoration processes that make it difficult or impossible to have one’s rights restored. Not coincidentally, all of these states maintained a system of racial slavery until the Civil War. - See more at: http://blog.oup.com/2014/04/felon-disfranchisement-preserves-slaverys-legacy/#sthash.wDETYEk0.dpuf

HT History News Network

[blackmanonthemoon]

Of course the Voter ID laws are racist, when you research the the disfranchisement of Blacks after the Reconstruction during the civil war the same tactics of excessive legislation was used to prevent blacks from voting

[brokeandangry-blog]

Be Prepared

Although the election is three months away, and I still have not decided whether I am going to vote or not, I am preparing a voter identification kit. It will take a while for me to secure all of the documentation I may need to prove that I am an American citizen. Here's a few things going in my kit:

1. My driver's license (yes it has the same picture from 20 years ago)

2. My birth certificate (in case The Donald visits my polling site)

3. My passport (good thing I got it before the post office closed)

4. My last jury duty statement (I've served eight times--I must be on speed dial)

5. My second grade report card (I'm trying to establish that I've been here.)

      --No one will understand a report card with words like Excellent, Good,

          Satisfactory, etc. We can only understand a number system: 4, 3, 2, 1

If this sounds ridiculous, then why are we allowing the disfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of American citizens? 

My great-great grandfather was property--he could not vote. My great grandfather faced the grandfather clause--but he still tried to register. My grandfather had to pay a poll tax--he paid to vote. My parents Marched on Washington--and voted in every election. Are we going backwards?