Close down the polling locations, that’ll fix ’em

Filthy pigs.

Civil rights advocates are objecting to a proposal to close about 75 percent of polling locations in a predominantly black south Georgia county.

The Randolph County elections board is scheduled to meet Thursday to discuss a proposal that would eliminate seven of nine polling locations in the county, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia. Included in the proposed closures is Cuthbert Middle School where nearly 97 percent of voters are black.

What does that do? It makes polling places farther away for a lot of people, and it makes the lines longer. Much longer. In short, it suppresses the vote. It does what the Voting Rights Act was meant to prevent, and did prevent, until the Shelby ruling.

According to the latest census figures, Randolph County’s population is more than 61 percent of black, double the statewide percentage.

The median household income for the county was $30,358 in 2016, compared to $51,037 in the rest of the state. Nearly one-third of the county’s residents live below the poverty line, compared to about 16 percent statewide, according to U.S. Census figures.

Just the kind of people who can least afford to take extra time and travel extra long distances to vote.

In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back Voting Rights Act requirements that required many jurisdictions to receive permission before changing ways people are allowed to vote. They used to have to prove the voting changes weren’t discriminatory, but that’s no longer the case.

“This is an example of what localities are doing without the pre-clearance requirement,” Andrea Young said.

In addition to statewide offices, Randolph County voters will also vote for state legislative seats in November. All nine polling locations were used during this year’s primary and Republican run-off, so it is unclear why the locations would be closed down, Andrea Young said.

Oh it’s clear all right.

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