Voter Suppression: The Confederacy Rises Again | The Nation

[geefloyd46]

Charlotte—On Sunday I attended a fascinating panel of Southern politics experts convened by UNC–Chapel Hill. One of the major takeaways from the session was how diverse the South has become. For instance, Charlotte, the host city of the DNC, is now 45 percent white, 35 percent African-American and 13 percent Hispanic.

Among baby boomers aged 55–64, the South is 72 percent white. Among kids 15 or under, the South is 51 percent white, 22 percent Hispanic, 21 percent African-American and 6 percent other (which includes Asian-Americans and Native-Americans). In North Carolina, people of color accounted for 61 percent of the 1.5 million new residents the state gained over the past decade. Since 2008, the black and Hispanic share of eligible voters in North Carolina has grown by 2.5 percent, while the percentage of the white vote has decreased by a similar margin. This increasing diversity allowed Obama to win the Southern states of Florida, North Carolina and Virginia in 2008—all of which are competitive again in 2012.

The region’s changing demographics are a “ticking time bomb for Republicans,” said Scott Keeter, director of survey research at the Pew Research Center. The Southern GOP is 88 percent white. The Southern Democratic Party is 50 percent white, 36 percent African-American, 9 percent Hispanic and 5 percent other. The GOP’s dominance among white voters—who favor Romney over Obama by 26 points in the region—has allowed Republicans to control most of the region politically. But that will only be the case for so long if demographic trends continue to accelerate. Yet instead of courting the growing minority vote, Republicans across the South are actively limiting political representation for minority voters and making it harder for them to vote.

Eight of eleven states in the former Confederacy have passed restrictive voting laws since the 2010 election, as part of a broader war on voting undertaken by the GOP. Some of these changes have been mitigated by recent federal and state court rulings against the GOP, yet it’s still breathtaking to consider the different ways Republicans have sought to suppress the minority vote in the region.

Full Story: http://www.thenation.com/blog/169709/voter-suppression-confederacy-rises-again?rel=emailNation%22#

[CheapShotArtist]

1. This was a good article, but I just have several questions.

I want to know how Republicans have been allowed to enact these laws in various states. Isn't everyone's right to vote guaranteed in the Constitution and also the Voting Rights Act?

My 2nd question is slightly off-topic. In these demographic studies, why do they group both race and ethnicity together? Like when they said that the Southern Democratic Party is 36% AA and 9% Hispanic. Isn't it true that a person from any race (including blacks and whites) can be Hispanic?

[mojowork_n]

2. Call it the "One Drop" rule

Of course perceptions about race are skewed and ridiculous.

But in certain places -- offices where I've worked, in the Midwest -- there are
only two categories. "Minorities" and everyone else. The 'normal' people, those who
are clearly NOT minorities, form the main herd and those who aren't part of the herd
are outsiders.

[Zoeisright]

3. Because those states have repuke majorities.

The illegal laws they pass are being challenged in court, but that takes time and money. Which repukes are counting on true Americans not having.