Fighting Voter Suppression: 2012 Progressive Democrats of America "Progressive Southern Strategy"

8/2/2019 Fighting Voter Suppression: 2012 Progressive Democrats of America "Progressive Southern Strategy"

1/17

The Southernization of America

How Right to Work, Personhood

and Voter Suppression are the New

ALEC Crow


2/17

The Southernization of America

Right to Work

School to Prison Pipeline

Prison Industrial ComplexAnti-immigration Legislation

War on Women

Privatization of Public Education

Voter Suppression

Child Labor


3/17

Treating the New Majority as the Old Minority

Seniors

Women

LatinosAfrican-Americans

The Poor


4/17

Role of Prisons

Census re-apportionment

Prisons in rural communities are

households and transfer censusnumbers from urban to rural

communities


5/17

Immigration and Personhood

Reduces labor competition from

immigrants

Reduces labor competition from women


6/17

Forms of Voter Suppression

Felon Disenfranchisement

Photo ID/Proof of Citizenship

Impediments to Registration/AbsenteeVoting

Disinformation

Voting Patterns (straight ticket voting) Purging voter rolls/Caging


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Voter Suppression Targets

Seniors

Students/Young People

Poor People People of Color

Immigrants

Ex-Offenders


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Felon Disenfranchisement History

Although Congress passed theVoting Rights Act in 1965 toreinforce the 15th Amendment,

felony disfranchisement lawsremained legal and began tomultiply.

1850: 35% of states had felonydisfranchisement laws.

2008: 95% of states have felonydisfranchisement laws.


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Where States Stand


11/17

5 Million Affected by Voter

Suppression


12/17

Voter Suppression Breakdown

3.2 million Photo Id

240,000 Proof of citizenship

202,000 Restrictive voter registrationprocedures

60,000 Repeal of Election Dayregistration

1-2 million Restrictions on early voting 100,000 Former felony convictions


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How This Affects the 2012 Election

The states that have already cut back on

voting rights will provide 171 electoral

votes in 2012 63 percent of the 270

needed to win the presidency.

Of the 12 battleground states, 5 have

restricted voting and 2 additional states

have pending legislation


14/17

Virginia Fights Back and Wins!

26 voter suppression bills introduced in

2012 General Assembly

3 are still alive Photo ID was defeated


15/17

Virginia Strategy

Rapid coalition building

Constant presence at General Assembly

Virginia won over the press Legislative Black Caucus joined the

coalition

Fought legislation on cost rather thanmorality


16/17

Where We Need to Go

Move from States rights legislation to

Peoples rights legislation

Elect progressive legislators andprogressive judges

The individual struggles are part of a

larger single struggle we must unite in

our efforts

The 99% against the 1%


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The New 21st Century Civil Rights Agenda

Create Jobs for Everyone who wants to work

Protect Medicare, Social Security andMedicaid

Constitutional Equal Rights for Women Universal Healthcare for All

Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Protect and Expand Voting Rights

Restoration of Voting Rights for Ex-Felons Restore Roe v. Wade as law of the land

Protect Public Education

Fighting Voter Suppression: 2012 Progressive Democrats of America "Progressive Southern Strategy"

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