Teen activist Madison Kimrey takes no prisoners when it come to debating voter suppression with tea party members.
The latest chapter in the ongoing saga of Facebook conservatives interacting on my profile. In this episode we witness a 40-something Tea Partier being educated by a teenage activist – a great friend and Liberals Unite contributor – Madison Kimrey.
So here is how it played out on my Facebook profile when I posted a photo of comedian Lewis Black speaking out against voter suppression. The post also included a link to a video he made for the American Civil Liberties Union. [Madison’s response is the next to the last one for those who want to skip the rest of the comments.]
Samuel Wynn Warde: Lewis Black is fired up over voter suppression, calling out conservative states like North Carolina who are trying everything they can to keep people from voting. #Vote #RockTheVote #ACLU #LewisBlack
Lewis Black Says F#%! Voter Suppression (VIDEO)
ACLU voting rights ambassador Lewis Black gets so f#%!in’ tired of politicians trying to deny people the right to vote.
NAME CHANGED TO PROTECT THE GUILTY: How exactly is North Carolina suppressing voters?
Samuel: NAME CHANGED, last year they passed a voting bill that It includes draconian polling place Photo ID restrictions (despite any evidence of polling place impersonation in the state), shortens the early voting period and eliminates NC’s very successful same-day voter registration program. It’s also a laundry list of ways to make it harder for people to vote, and which cannot plausibly be justified on anti-fraud grounds. Other provisions in the bill include the following:
- Eliminate pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds, who were able, up until last year, to register to vote before they turn 18.
- Outlaw paid voter registration drives.
- Eliminate straight-ticket voting.
- Eliminate provisional voting if someone shows up at the wrong precinct.
- Prohibit counties from extending poll hours by one hour on Election Day in extraordinary circumstances, such as in response to long lines.
- Allow any registered voter of a county to challenge the eligibility of a voter rather than just a voter of the precinct in which the suspect voter is registered.
- Move the presidential primary to the first Tuesday after South Carolina’s primary if that state holds its primary before March 15. That would mean North Carolina would have two primaries during presidential elections.
- Study electronic filing for campaign returns.
- Increase the maximum allowed campaign contribution per election from $4,000 to $5,000.
- Loosen disclosure requirements in campaign ads paid for by independent committees.
- Repeal the publicly funded election program for appellate court judges.
- Repeal the requirement that candidates endorse ads run by their campaigns.
NAME CHANGED TO PROTECT THE GUILTY: Which of these actually suppresses a persons ability to vote?
Samuel Wynn Warde: Don’t be ridiculous, NAME CHANGED.
NAME CHANGED TO PROTECT THE GUILTY: Which of these laws makes it impossible for some one to vote??? Answer the question.
Jack: In Australia people are required to vote. High turnouts. You just go to a polling place and vote. Putting barriers up to sway elections is a very bad idea.
NAME CHANGED TO PROTECT THE GUILTY: What barriers?? Everyone in the state abides by the same sets of rules and everyone can still vote. Where is the suppression?
Jack: Maybe then they could also put in an obstacle course because everyone would face the same nonsense. The people have a right to vote.
NAME CHANGED TO PROTECT THE GUILTY: Sam’s first post and almost the first line says it all, they passed a voting bill…… They voted, it passed… You don’t like it? Change it… I don’t like ACA, but we voted, it passed, Sam doesn’t like guns, we voted……..
NAME CHANGED TO PROTECT THE GUILTY: But I still want to know, what is suppressing about the bill they PASSED????
NAME CHANGED TO PROTECT THE GUILTY: I get it, you don’t like it….
Mitch: I know NAME CHANGED, right? Poll taxes and literacy tests didn’t technically STOP any Black folks from voting, either, but all those do-gooders just HAD to make sure that there weren’t unneeded barriers to voting that disproportionately and purposefully limited the Black vote. I just don’t understand why these people don’t understand what all of the red states with Republicans running them know is true–that there are is this HORRIBLE problem with voter fraud (I mean, the data actually says just the opposite, but I just don’t *feel* like that data is correct, so let’s ignore it) so we NEED the laws (only in Republican-controlled states) to PROTECT our precious right to vote! I mean, I know that actual Republicans legislators have been caught on tape talking about the real purpose of the laws being to limit minority and youth voting because otherwise they don’t have a chance of winning with their 1950s view of the world, but still, don’t they know that the Republican-controlled states that have passed all of these laws are doing it for our own good?
Samuel Wynn Warde: Madison, do you mind schooling this adult on voter suppression efforts in NC?
MADISON: OK so, the voting reform law. I am going to assume here that you are in favor of ID’s for voting. Many people are. Right now, the law doesn’t allow students to use student ID. It also doesn’t allow any provisional voting for people without ID. In many states, people can provisionally vote if they have other forms of ID like utility bills with their current address, or sign an affidavit. Personally, I don’t think voter ID is necessary or a good idea, but if it’s a law people want, let’s do it the right way. Oh and if you vote absentee, you only have to write your DL number or SS number and never have to ever show an ID. Ever. It used to be that only a voter from the same precinct could challenge someone’s vote. Now, we have allowed for increased poll watchers and any voter in the entire county can challenge someone’s vote. We have cut the early voting period and county boards no longer have the decision making power to remain open an hour later in extraordinary circumstances. I hope you don’t want to get money out of politics, because now corporate contributions can be sued for more than just buildings and for stuff like salaries, you can run any ad you want before Sept. 7th and not have to say who sponsored it. Outside groups don’t have to disclose any donors or spending before Sept. 7th. Oh, and I am working to change this law. I’m working to re-instate the pre-registration program that passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and after going into effect in 2010, got over 160,000 teens pre-registered and automatically added to the voter rolls. Most teens chose to register as Independents, with the two main parties very nearly equally split in terms of registrations. In many places, this program was tied to Civics classes required for Juniors and Seniors. The program was virtually cost free and the Board of Elections had no trouble using existing software to process the applications. I’m sorry if you either don’t understand or don’t choose to believe this law makes it harder for people to vote and what the intent of this law is. And it really doesn’t matter. What matters is the people of NC coming together to create voting laws through compromise and with common sense, with the goal of making it easier, not harder to register and vote.
Samuel: Yea, Madison. NAME CHANGED, you just got schooled by a 13-year-old. And with that, there is nothing left except to say: “Class Dismissed.”
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