*MUST READ* Why North Carolina leads the way in Voter Suppression, Gerrymandering, and racial discrimination.
There are only a few months left until the 2020 Presidential election, and this might just be the most important election of our lifetimes. We as a country are dealing with two storms, the Anti-Racist protest and COVID-19. The pandemic has disproportionately affected the African-American population, and it has helped shed light on the systematic racism when it comes to healthcare in this country. As we countdown to the election, the idea of widespread mail-in voting has been suggested to help provide a safe way for the people to vote, and although it seems logical it has received a lot of push back from the President. He has suggested delaying the election due to the pandemic, but that idea was rejected on both sides of the aisle, so he has proceeded to find other ways to undermine the process. He has recently said they he will defund the Postal Service, while holding up government assistance that provide funds to expand the US Postal Service so that they can handle mail-in voting, but what else would you expect. There has always been a history of voter suppression in this country, but as of today North Carolina is at the center of the most controversial voter suppression tactics in the country.
After the record African-American turn out in the 2008 & 2012 elections of President Obama, the supreme court took steps to make sure that they could prevent as many minorities from voting . The 2016 election say one of the lowest African-american turn -out since the voting rights act. Why is that you ask? There were two reasons, neither candidate really resonated with the people, and the political landscape had changed drastically. North Carolina had become the prototype for a new political tactic used to redraw the districts on the state map so that it benefited one party over the other; this would become known as GERRYMANDERING !
A lot of the states actions to undo Voter Right Laws, are rooted in the history of White Supremacy, and the fight for equality for all people is still alive. Ever since the presidential election of 2016, President Trump has been talking about voter and election fraud and how big of a problem and how big of a problem it is, and I must say he is right. For example, take a look at what happened in Bladen County during the primary in 2018.
Again, like I said before The President is right because it’s going on right here in our backyard by his own people. Now I must say that I am an Independent, and we must acknowledge the fact that this type of shady stuff might be happening on both sides of the American political spectrum , but in North Carolina it seems like its the GOP trying to undermine the election process. Even right here in Fayetteville, tactics are been used to suppress our right to vote.
I hope that this post as been informative to you guys, and I hope that everyone exercises their right to vote this November. We must never forget those who marched, fought, and died for our rights , and we must continue to honor their legacy and sacrifice by keeping the fight alive.
SOURCES:
“Inside North Carolina’s Battle Over Voter ID Laws.” YouTube, uploaded by PBS NewsHour, 3 Oct. 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwjoegaQIYg.
“The Man Who Rigged Americas Election Maps.” YouTube, uploaded by Vox, 17 Oct. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpamjJtXqFI.
“Election Fraud Scandal Brings New Election In North Carolina”. YouTube, uploaded by ABC News, 21 Feb. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE0fZftT6aQ.
“Inside The Decades Long-Republican Campaign To Suppress The Vote.” YouTube, uploaded by The Nation, 11 Mar. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AMz4iRFZCk.
