Rachel Maddow Decries "The New Poll Tax," Long Lines

MSNBC broke with tradition and had live Sunday-night programming last night, including a special edition of Rachel Maddow's show. Maddow has gotten a lot of attention and praise lately (the latest from this week's New York magazine), but this is what I hope gets a lot of attention: Her invocation against what she's identified as "the new poll tax."

Maddow rightly notes the long wait times at early voting stations — and worries not only about what that bodes for election day, but about who is getting disenfranchised because of it:

This is a poll tax. How much do you get paid for an hour of work? Do you have the kind of job that would be delighted to give you an hour, a half-day, a whole day off work because you were waiting in line at your precinct? Even if it won't cost you your job, can you afford to not work those hours? Are you elderly or disabled, do you not have the physical stamina for this kind of exertion? This is a poll tax... Who is not in those lines — because they can't afford to be?

On Friday, she foreshadowed the piece, writing on MSNBC.com's NewsVine: "What does it cost you to wait eight hours? Is this the way our democracy works now? We're a country where only people who can afford to give up 20 percent of a week's pay are allowed to vote?"

Never mind that there are forces at work trying to deliberately disenfranchise voters — "Democrats vote on November 5th" anyone? — but the fact that this is still going on after the horror shows of 2000 and 2004 says a lot about just how far the election-day process in this country hasn't come. Check out here smart — and important — commentary below:

Comments

[TRichards]

It is a disgrace that our "democracy" (it's in question) doesn't ensure equal access for all to voting machines (preferably machines to read paper ballots). The Republican phony fear of voter fraud is used to put up barriers to voting by those who haven't a driver's license -- primarily the poor who have tended to vote Democrat (primarily for past favors since neither party discusses the poor any longer since they are not an organized voting bloc.)

We cannot leave equality of access to the states. This is an area where the federal government must mandate standards and enforce compliance (eg., by dramatically reducing funds to states that refuse to comply).

Also, convicted felons who have served their time should have the right to vote restored unless their felony involved an effort to subvert honest votes or honest counts of the votes. Why? We live in a police state in which 50% of black males are, at some time or another, imprisoned. The nonsense about denying them suffrage is about trying to deny the vote to blacks, nothing much more.

[BethStuart]

NBC reported on election eve that there were many fewer voting machines (per capita) in predominantly black suburbs of Richmond Virginia than there were in predominantly white suburbs. Maddow is right. This is a new form of "poll tax."

[vanchoirgirl]

Wait - am I understanding this to mean that Americans get penalized for taking time off to vote?? Surely not? In Canada employers are obliged to give workers 3 consecutive hours off to cast their ballot, and must pay them what they would have earned during the time allowed off for voting. I realize that wouldn't be enough time at some of those precincts where line-ups are snaking around the block, but that's another issue that needs to be dealt with...

[PuppaX]

There is no requirement to allow employees time off to vote. Many schools are closed, though I know that in New York teachers are still required to go in for training. I'm not really sure why it makes sense for kids (who can't vote) to get off from school while their adult teachers work, but that's what it is.

[Nonamnesiac]

Rachel has been talking about this and she's exactly right, but the powers-that-be obviously don't care, including the Democrats.

Theft of Presidential elections from the Democrats has been going on for 8 years. Obviously neither Congress nor the States really wanted to fix this problem, because both want a controlled outcome. The only thing rank and file Democrats can hope is that those who own the machines and those whom they represent would rather see Obama win than someone as stupid as McCain. It's really possible. Despite the rhetoric, Obama supported the Unconstitutional FISA, voted for the war budgets, intends to continue the Iraq occupation and supported giving nearly $1 trillion to those who caused the financial collapse without reregulating them or even regulating how they spend the money Congress gave them. Maybe he's more their guy than stupid old "crash the plane" McCain (who graduated with a class rank of 894 out of 899 graduates, below the bottom 1% of his class and crashed several planes as a naval aviator) and Crazy Secessionist Sarah, who tried to illegally fire a librarian for not banning books that Sarah doesn't like from the librarian's library and believes that a mom who terminates a pregnancy that resulted from her being raped or even molested by a relative should go to jail. Obama, Biden and McCain are all acceptable to the voting machine owners. Crazy, Secessionist Sarah may not be.

[LiberalBuzz]

I was under the impression that the early voting areas were very limited but hat on election day the number of polling places will be quite a bit more.

Am I misinformed?

And yes even if there are more there needs to be even more or it's time to make election day two days long. NO three day weekends because Americans are so freaking lazy that they will spend 9 hours driving to the desert of some lake to go motoring in the water or four wheelin' that but won't give that up to get in line for a few hours to vote and come Monday evening we'll roll around with the smallest vote count on Earth.

Make it Tuesday and Wednesday for at least 12 to 14 hours.

[Aaror]

Well, what we saw in 2004 was that states with Republican Secretaries of State would put plenty of voting machines in the rural areas, but only a few in cities. This meant that areas where Dems vote had long lines, but Repub strongholds could vote quickly and easily.
That said, I agree with you about having 2 days to vote, but it would mean twice as much nail biting on my part.

[lolcopter]

government efficiency at work

[viflyer]

It's NOT inefficiency dude it's INTENTIONAL. Another guy that just doesn't get it?

And I will take some government inefficiency ANYTIME over the thieves on wall street and the PRIVATE war profiteers that looted our govenment and left us with NOTHING. It's the private sector NOT the Government that has ruined our country. So get off the government! I'll take carreer government burecrats over private sector thieves ANY time.

[lolcopter]

That is an incredibly naive viewpoint. The voting system is intentionally set up to let states set there own rules, but to say it is intentionally set up to cause long lines and voter disenfranchisement is a statement of opinion. Many states and localities have no problems with voting lines. The is a matter of inefficiency in certain states, and not some grand [assumbed-­Republican­] scheme to steal votes.

I'll agree that at times government needs to act as a counter-balance to the market, but to place the financial crisis and the bailout solely on the non-existent "free-market" is incredibly short-sighted. It was the government who pushed banks to give mortgages to people they otherwise normally would not. It was government who allowed those mortgages to be bundled up into complex derivatives and to be leveraged and traded on wall street. It was government who manipulated the housing prices and real estate market, assuming that the bubble would never burst.

We can hold government accountable, dude. We cannot do the same to the market.

[stayinsouth1981]

I think requiring an "Official" Identification is a poll tax as well. They are requiring people to purchase the ID. Believe it or not, some people do not have picture ID's. They don't drive and they don't need one.

[obamadeus]

Very true. I take public transportation and don't have a car, so I don't have a driver's license. If I have to show ID, I usually show either my school ID or the driver's license from my old state, where I did drive. I don't see the point in getting a license in a state where I don't actually drive.

[Ramirez]

An ID is handy if you ever want to fly on an airplane, cash a check, rent a car, stuff like that. I think everyone should have one. It allows you to join society and not just live in the shadows.

[kevinem2]

I have worked as a Canadian deputy returning officer (In charge of a poll and ballot box) in every federal and provincial election since 1982. In all but one instance, we managed to close the voting a few minutes after the cutoff time and count and report the results within an hour. What is the matter with your officials that you can't get your act together?

[MCTSilverlakeCA]

AH... but in Canada you see your Officials actually want to count the Popular Vote... here they only care about the Electoral College. .

[lolcopter]

Actually it's because Canada has a standard voting system across the entire country whereas the U.S. voting system varies greatly on the states and local levels. The electoral college has nothing to do with voting lines.

[arizonabay]

Election day should be moved to Monday and made a national holiday. Give people a nice long weekend along with a mandate that with polls being open on Sat. and Sun. untill 10pm.

[MCTSilverlakeCA]

This would be a very good idea - we need another Federal Holiday anyway, in the past 40 years all the Fed's have done is get rid of one's we already had... and make only 1 (Martin Luther King's Birthday in January) which half of Big Business completely ignores, just like Veterans Day (Nov 11).

It would also be VERY NICE if the Polls that anticipate a large (or landslide turnout) could put benches in the waiting area's and along the line's leading into the voting ballot area's. Some heaters if it's outside would be nice also. It's not that the State Government's couldn't afford to help their citizen's actually vote in some reasonable comfort! I mean... we COULD in retaliation, take away all those cushie chairs our Elected Officials in the State Houses and Senates get to sit on... STANDING IN LINE FOR OVER 4 HOURS IS THE PITS, and speaking of that ... enough restroom facilities without having to lose your place in line would be nice also! A lot more people would vote I think if these basic comforts were given. It's almost like the States don't want you to actually cast your ballot ...

[obamadeus]

I think Tuesday's a better day for the holiday. If you make it a long weekend, people will go out of town.

[SpeakFreely]

This crap is INTOLERABLE! I thought we were a bastion of democracy not a walking disaster of democracy.

The only reason Republicans don't want a level playing field is that we will then have a level playing field.

[moonie1]

As an Oregon resident and voter I can only wonder why we as a country don't adopt something similar to what we Oregonians have been enjoying for some time now. A two-week window to mull over our ballot and cast our votes as we see fit without the need for suspicious and expensive Debold electronic voting machines or these horrendous lines at precinct voting sites. It is ludicrous to think that we hold ourselves as the beacon of democracy and we can't even run our national elections well enough to allow people to vote "free" and easily. We have no right to complain about other countries and their voting troubles until we get our own act together. Let's move into the 21st century people!

G-Obama/Biden '08!

[AnalyzeIT]

Thank you well said.

OBAMA-BIDEN

[njhamdan]

That sounds heavenly..­...and fair....ho­w i envy u.......bu­t no matter what, i am voting tommorow, don't care how long....i can give up whatever hrs for my country...­and i will be happy about it.

[DavidBlackburn]

You can vote in California permanently by mail. It's impressive to see the states that make voting as difficult as possible for their citizens.

[ComeOnAmerica]

You all know how we send 'observers' to places throughout the world, (African nations, Iraq anyone?), to monitor those elections and ensure that they're free and fair?? Seems like we need people from OTHER countries to come here and monitor OUR Election Day. Or, as I heard it put a different way, tomorrow is National IQ Day!

[mjrovito]

Here's a link explaining from a military perspective why the US lost Bin Laden...

http://rovitoreview.blogspot.com

[Ramirez]

Blogpimp spam.

Every comment, every thread.

[sportsjefe]

I'm in Texas, so this really didn't affect me because the last time this was a battleground state was 1865. (Civil War humor, folks)

Even so, I took no chances and got to the early voting station 10 min early and was able to vote by 7:15.

Good luck to all those voting tomorrow, no matter who it's for. I had my say, and you should too.

[MajorKong]

Imagine the howls from the Right if they had to stand in line for eight hours to buy a gun.

[BillMelater]

Perish the thought!

http://billmel8er.wordpress.com

[LMurphy418]

It would be like the sky was falling. Thanks for the laugh.

[Ramirez]

Eight hours? In my state you have to wait three days to pick it up. A hassle, but it is what it is.

[ThinkForYourself2]

In the 2004 presidential election, 57,000 voting irregularities, such as problems with voting machines and voter suppression, where filed with the Government Accountability Office mostly favoring Bush and hurting Kerry. Yes 57,000! If you're a journalist who has courage to speak up, look at the information presented and let it be known to the public.

http://www.electionfraud2004.org/presentation/index.html