2. Closing polling places. | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics

The GOP Is Cheating The System In These 6 Ways

You deserve the right to vote, and they deserve to lose.

114
https://pixabay.com/en/elephant-donkey-ass-logo-2798628/
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Camp-David.jpg

In This Article:

Yes, Trump is the President, and yes, he did actually win. HOWEVER, all the steps that involve voting have been manipulated by the GOP for years to get him to win. Let's take a cursory look at how the Republican Party is cheating Democracy so they can stay in power...

1. Removing early voting

Friendly reminder folks

Giphy

Obama was able to win because people were able to vote early. Early voting lets people vote at their convenience and not force them to take off work in the middle of the week to go vote. Early voting also greatly reduces the number of people at the polls in one day. Early voting is primarily used by non-Whites who usually vote Democrat, which is why the GOP has been trying to reduce early voting for about a decade.

2. Closing polling places. 

Taken from a speaker at the RNC

Giphy

Brian Kemp, the Republican candidate for Georgia, attempted to close 7 out of 9 polling places in Black-majority areas. He claimed it was because they didn’t meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act but he was almost immediately shot down. Had he closed these places, tens of thousands would have, most likely, been unable to vote.

3. Stopping voter registrations

Giphy

Brian Kemp has also stopped the processing of 53,000 voter registrations, most of which were sent in by non-White people. It could be a coincidence that they were mostly Black, but considering that he's running against a Black woman, it's unlikely. Honestly, I could write a whole article on how he’s been just a tad racist but I refuse to be sidetracked! Other than this sidetrack... anyways, moving on.

4. Keeping felons from voting.

Giphy

If someone serves their time and pays their debt to society, why can't they vote afterwards? They count towards population and pay taxes but they can't vote. They're the current embodiment of taxation without representation. To be fair, this isn’t a Left or Right issue, just an “everybody gets a vote” issue. The GOP is the Party of family values, though, so they’re the most committed to keeping felons from voting.

5. Gerrymandering

Seen here, Conservatives stealing the whole cake when they only represent a slice.

Giphy

Gerrymandering is where districts are redrawn to unfairly help one side over the other. Thanks to gerrymandering, a State with 80% of the populace voting Democrat could still end up with more Republicans representing them. In fact, the State Supreme Court of Pennsylvania actually had to redraw its districts to combat gerrymandering, which has garnered widespread scorn from Pennsylvanian Republicans. Sure, they probably shouldn’t have redrawn the districts in an election year, but the Republicans also shouldn’t have tilted every possible scale in their favor, as well.

6. Voter ID Laws

Giphy

Decades ago, in order to keep Black people from being able to vote, the people in charge came up with voter tests. In order to vote you would have to be able to read and write as well as bring ID. At the time, the percentage of literate Black people was very small, so they couldn't really vote someone into office. In some states nowadays, everyone is still required to bring ID to prove that they are who they say they are. Republicans claim that this is to eliminate as much voter fraud as possible, but it disproportionately affects people of color. People of color are less likely to have drivers licenses or multiple forms of identification and so many can’t vote.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
piano
Digital Trends

I am very serious about the Christmas season. It's one of my favorite things, and I love it all from gift-giving to baking to the decorations, but I especially love Christmas music. Here are 11 songs you should consider adding to your Christmas playlists.

Keep Reading...Show less
campus
CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

2073
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

1290
black marker on notebook

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 20 Thoughts College Students Have During Finals

The ultimate list and gif guide to a college student's brain during finals.

415
winter

Thanksgiving break is over and Christmas is just around the corner and that means, for most college students, one hellish thing — finals week. It's the one time of year in which the library becomes over populated and mental breakdowns are most frequent. There is no way to avoid it or a cure for the pain that it brings. All we can do is hunker down with our books, order some Dominos, and pray that it will all be over soon. Luckily, we are not alone in this suffering. To prove it, here are just a few of the many deranged thoughts that go through a college student's mind during finals week.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments