The U.S. courts are full of lawsuits challenging slick techniques by elected officials, like gerrymandering and state laws, designed to dilute the voting power of people of color. Current voter disenfranchisement tactics are part of a concerted effort by white elected officials to diminish the voting power of an increasing Brown America. A good example is Donald J. Trump’s Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. Trump created the entity by an Executive Order in May 2017, claimed that thousands voted illegally during the 2016 presidential election, without providing any factual evidence. “The chair of President Trump’s Election Integrity Commission has penned a letter to all 50 states requesting their full voter-roll data, including the name, address, date of birth, party affiliation, last four Social Security number digits and voting history back to 2006 of potentially every voter in the state,” according to The Washington Post.
“The Commission on Election Integrity will study vulnerabilities in voting systems used for federal elections that could lead to improper voter registrations, improper voting, fraudulent voter registrations, and fraudulent voting…The Commission will utilize all available data, including state and federal databases,” according to a press statement.
Louisiana refused to comply with the Election Commission’s request.
Carl Galmon, a local civil rights activist and member of the National Voting Rights Museum & Institute, has sounded the alarm about voting obstacles in the U.S. and Louisiana for decades. From voting roll purges, voter ID laws, gerrymandering to a lack of polling places, Galmon continues to point out tactics to keep African-American and other people of color from voting.
Full Article: Advocates believe Louisiana’s voting rights have been under attack | New Orleans’ Multicultural News Source | The Louisiana Weekly.