Tag: voting rights

Posted on

News Round-Up: April 8, 2021

Hunky guy snaps a gym selfie

Hunky guy snaps a gym selfie
(image via kenneth-in-the-212)
Some news items you might have missed: • Kenneth-in-the-212: Kenneth’s weekly ‘Mask4Masc’ feature is a winner with all kinds of inspiration this week (plus more at the link). • TVLine: NBC’s streaming platform Peacock has ordered a reboot of the landmark queer TV series Queer As Folk.  Described as a “vibrant reimagining,” the new Queer as Folk will center on a diverse group of friends in New Orleans whose lives are transformed in the aftermath of a tragedy. The original QAF debuted on Britain’s Channel 4 in 1999 and ran for 10 episodes. The American version was created for Showtime and lasted five seasons (from 2000 to 2005). • Axios: A new Gallup poll shows more Americans identify as Democrats by the largest margin since 2012. Per the recent survey, 49% say they support Democrats, 40% support the Republican Party and 11% say they are Independents with no partisan leaning.
(graphic via Gallup)
• Instinct Magazine: Grammy-nominated singer Kehlani shared this past weekend during an Instagram Live chat that she identifies as a lesbian. “You want to know? You want to know what’s new about me? I finally know I’m a lesbian,” said the singer. • Herald Leader: A southern state is actually making it easier to vote? Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) signed into law Wednesday a significant election reform bill that will make it easier for Kentuckians to vote early, bucking a national trend of more restrictive election laws in the aftermath of the 2020 election. • The Gaily Grind: The office of embattled Rep. Matt Gaetz released a statement purportedly written by female staffers defending the pro-Trump lawmaker amid his ongoing sex trafficking scandal. Despite being signed by “The Women of the Office of U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz,” not a single woman is named in the statement. • Instagram: Just a quick reminder that baseball is back – and I ain’t mad 🙂 https://www.instagram.com/p/CNSknbvHINT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Posted on

MLB Announces All-Star Game Moved To Colorado

Logo for Major League Baseball

Logo for Major League Baseball Major League Baseball has announced it will hold its annual All-Star Game in Denver, Colorado, after Georgia changed its voting laws in March which could potentially restrict voting access for people of color. Of course, MLB has the right to hold its game anywhere it wants in an environment that it deems appropriate.

But Republicans are still mad at MLB for pulling its game from the Peach State, so they are now trying to compare Georgia’s new voting laws to those in Colorado. One issue Repubs tried to press today was that Georgia now allows for 17 early voting days while Colorado has 15 early voting days. They also point to the idea that Colorado has a voter ID requirement as does Georgia.

But… it’s not that simple. Colorado’s voter ID law for in-person voting (sometimes referred to as “non-strict”) allows for a variety of IDs including ones without photos. If voters don’t have ID on them at the time of voting, they can cast a provisional ballot and elections officials are charged with verifying their eligibility. But Georgia’s in-person ID requirement is a “strict” law, requiring photo ID. And if a voter doesn’t have one with them at the polls, they can cast a provisional ballot, but the voter has to show a photo ID at a county registrar’s office within three days. More importantly, though, Colorado votes almost universally via mail-in ballot. All registered voters there receive an absentee ballot and almost 99% of voters there cast their votes via mail. So, the in-person ID requirement – and the number of early in-person voting days – is practically moot since the vast majority of ballots are cast by mail. Also, as White House press secretary Jen Psaki noted today when asked about the “comparisons” by Fox News’s Peter Doocy, Colorado allows citizens to register to vote on election days which Georgia does not.

Posted on

Survey: 71% Of Republicans Oppose Making Voting Easy

According to a new survey by Pew Research Center, the number of Republicans who say “everything possible” should be done to make voting easy has dropped precipitously since 2018. Of course, this comes after their candidate lost the 2020 presidential election thanks to record-breaking voter participation. As a response, state legislatures have introduced over 360 voter restriction bills this year. Many election experts say the new laws will disproportionately affect voters of color, as well as those with disabilities. Georgia, whose close elections for president and U.S. Senate drew national attention, has already passed a bill that effectively suppresses the vote in the Peach State. Some aspects of the Georgia law include reducing the time period voters have to request absentee ballots, limiting the use of ballot drop boxes, and making it illegal to hand out water to voters standing in line for hours. Crunching the Pew Center’s data:

• 59% of U.S. adults overall say everything possible should be done to make it easy for every citizen to vote, while 39% say citizens should have to prove they want to vote by registering ahead of time.

• 85% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning Independents say everything possible should be done to make it easy for every citizen to vote, while 14% say citizens should have to prove they really want to vote by registering ahead of time.

• 28% of Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents say everything possible should be done to make it easy for all citizens to vote, while 71% say American citizens should prove they really want to vote by registering ahead of time.

It’s worth noting that prior to the 2018 mid-term elections, 48% of Republicans said everything possible should be done to make it easy to vote, while 51% said citizens should have to prove they really want to vote by registering ahead of time. That shows a clear 20 point shift in Republican attitudes on voting in less than 3 years. Broken down by race, 84% of Black adults and 69% of Hispanic adults say everything possible should be done to make it easy to vote, only 51% of white respondents said the same. On the issue of election security:

• 61% of U.S. adults overall say it would not make elections less secure if election rules were changed to make it easier to register and vote.

• 82% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning Independents say the same.

• 37% of Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents say the same.

Read the full report from Pew Research here.

Posted on

MLB Pulls All-Star Game From Georgia Over Voting Law

Major League Baseball has pulled its All-Star game from Georgia over the state's recent voter suppression law Major League Baseball is making it known the organization is NOT having Georgia’s new voter suppression law. From the New York Times:

In a firm rebuke of Georgia’s new elections law, Major League Baseball said Friday that it had abandoned its plan to play this summer’s All-Star Game in Atlanta.

The decision by the baseball commissioner, Rob Manfred, came after days of pressure from civil rights groups and the Major League Baseball Players Association.

In a statement, Manfred said that after conversations with teams, players, former stars and players union officials he had concluded that “the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is by relocating this year’s All-Star Game and MLB Draft.”

Earlier this week, President Biden voiced his support for MLB moving the midsummer showcase in light of the new voting law’s disproportionate impact on people of color.

Posted on

Virginia Gov Restores Voting Rights For Those Who Serve Their Prison Sentences

Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia

Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia
Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia
From the office of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam:

Governor Ralph Northam today restored the civil rights of more than 69,000 Virginians using new eligibility criteria that mirror a proposed change to the Constitution of Virginia that would automatically restore voting rights to individuals upon completion of their sentence of incarceration.

With today’s announcement, Governor Northam has restored civil rights to more than 111,000 people since he took office.

Under current law, anyone convicted of a felony in Virginia loses their civil rights, including the right to vote, serve on a jury, run for office, become a public notary, and carry a firearm. Virginia remains one of the three states in the nation whose constitution permanently disenfranchises citizens with past felony convictions, but gives the governor the sole discretion to restore civil rights, excluding firearm rights.

I personally believe if you are found guilty of a crime, go to prison and serve your sentence, by definition you have paid your debt to society as determined by the justice system. And so, yes – you should have your right to vote restored. Read the full public statement here.