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

[Konnie]

love ya, but you've got a hitch in your getalong...........

on election day there are many - depending on your county - places to vote. they are called
precincts................they set up voting in schools, firehouses, etc.

early voting takes place at one location, at best two - usually the court house. hence the
single line..............

its wonderful to see. i want equally long lines at the precincts on election day!!!!!

a tsunami - nothing less than a tsunami!

[KeepMeLearning]

I keep hearing about electronic machines that don't accurately log a voter's preference--even Oprah Winfrey had a meltdown when she discovered her presidential choice had not been logged.

I just don't understand how this is possible. ATMs are largley error-free, because banks know they had better work or they'll have a big problem on their hands with their customers. Why can't the election commissions use the same technologies and technology consultants that banks use? The technology exists, and I can't believe they are not spending big bucks on they systems they have put in place.

As Americans I think we have been lazy customers, and we should complaining to the management (the government) about the poor service. It is our right to vote, and they are not doing their jobs.

[baba2nde]

Elections being central pillars of democracy, this happens to be a good forum to ask 2 of my imponderables -- what is the difficult about a) engineering every electronic voting machine to spit out receipts and b) making every election day a public holiday?

[SeeDaddy]

The federal Dept. of Justice publishes a document entitled "ADA Checklst for Polling Places." http://www.ada.gov/votingchecklist.htmm).

The document provides great detail for providing accessible polling places for the physically disabled. Oddly tho', there is no mention about waiting lines! Or what poling places are required to do if there are waiting lines. Obviously, this an omission in the guideliness that the the DOJ and Congress correct.

[xcellentcadaver]

Another aspect of the "poll tax" is that many schools will be off on Election Day, because of gyms being used as a polling station.

Now, if you have teenagers that can take care of themselves that is one thing, but what about you parents that have young children? You have to take off work to watch your child, then try and get down to the polls?

Each Presidential and Mid-term Election Day must be a national holiday for everyone. I'm talking about shutting it down like Christmas Day.

They need to open up polling places in relation to the population of a voting district. The idea of only opening up 1 station for early voting is just ridiculous. I honestly feel, that it was done on purpose just so certain election officials can go and say "See, it doesn't work." But that is the same mentality of standing on your neighbors' fence, p*ssing into his garden, then pointing out he's a bad gardener cause the tomatoes aren't growing.

Its the 21st century! And we still can't get this together......sheesh.

[steverexxx]

Brilliant as usual.

[Shaff]

The whole country should be voting by mail in ballot. All of Oregon and, with the exception of 2 counties, all of Washington State elections are by mail in ballots. People would not be disenfranchised by hours in line, voting machines that don't work and are easy to tamper with, expense of parking, expense of taking off work, etc...only the cost of a stamp! Plus, you have time at home to quietly study the candidates and the issues to make an informed vote.

[wynams]

OR rocks!

We just moved here in May. Get ballots 3 weeks early, turn in at a drop box at your leisure, and no $$$ overhead for staved election facilities.

Why isn't the rest of the nation doing this?

[fabhell]

I love my absentee ballot! WA State has 'em. I've always voted absentee, once I figured out that I could. I takes the heat off, and I feel confident that the vote will be tallied. Yeah, I voted for OBAMA, and assisted suicide. Today, I actually walked past a drop off point and fetched an I VOTED sticker from a poll worker, AFTER I complimented her on her hair do. Just wish I had an Election Party to go to tomorrow..............

[haleypie]

Do you happen to be in or near Spokane? The Spokane Democrats are partying tomorrow night at the Red Lion Inn at the Park starting at 7pm. Aren't we lucky? We get to drop off our ballots in a secure location at our convenience after studying our voter guide and whatever other research materials we need (or just voting D all the way down if you're like me) and then we even get to watch the election results at a decent hour. I'm hoping it's a resounding O victory before I put my babies to bed!

[ausoleil]

Partially, I agree with Rachel on this poll tax idea, but on the other hand, some civic duties cannot have a value placed upon them. It is the right and I think a duty of our citizens to vote, and doing so intelligently is something that is required to maintain the American Experiment.

That said, I would like to see our elections either moved to a Saturday or to have the Tuesday of our national elections be a paid national holiday.

[8IZENUF]

We are a nation of technology and working smarter. We should be able to find a way to make this easier and verifiable. I agree with Shaff, we need to have everyone voting by ballot, which can be mailed or dropped off at lock box locations throughout the counties you live in. To add to that I think the rules need to be national, not by state.

[KATLRS]

Obviously HAVA has not done a thing to make the process of voting easier anywhere. This is an issue that needs to be taken on head-to-head by everyone who wants their vote to count. Let's DO something about this (rather than just whining about it).

Rachel, you're a godsend (you remind me of me - only younger, smarter, and nicer!). If you're ever in my neighborhood, drop by - we'll mix up some very dry martinis (shaken, of course, not stirred.)

[BowlingForRevenge]

While I am quite familiar with poll taxes having been raised in the Civil Rights South of the 60's. In fact my grandfather a first generation Italian American (born 1902 MEMPHIS TN) was known to pay poll taxes for all his employees. Discrimination at that time wasn't relegated to just the blacks but to many Italians and Greeks in Memphis because of their dark skin.

That said i believe calling "long lines" a poll tax belittles the populations that were disenfranchised in eras long gone.Folks today in MOST states have several weeks to vote and if that is a problem they can surely vote by mail.

Please don't compare this inconvenience to the disenfranchisement of a race.

Love ya Rachel but you are being overly dramatic with this one.

[gwhizz]

Rachel,
Don't forget the parking tickets that voters found when they returned to their cars in St. Petersburg FL. The parking in the area surrounding the courthouse (one of only THREE early polling stations set up by our republican supervisor of elections is 2 hr max) After being told parking limits were not being enforced due to the wait time, voters indeed were ticketed for leaving their cars more than 2 hrs.

[gwhizz]

http://blogs.tampabay.com/baybuzz/2008/10/voters-complain.html

[damnadamson]

Why it isn't illegal to vote ... as it is in some countries .... i will never know. imagine if everyone had to vote. you would see the dems get in 100% of the time.

[SeeDaddy]

Rachel should have suggested that if you are physically disabled and prevente from voting because you can't stand or waiting in line for a long time, you should file a law suit against your county or state for illegal discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The people who organize and manage the polling places are required to make accommodations for people with disabilities. The long lines a prime facie evidence that they have not made accommodations.

People in Georgia, Florida, Ohio and elsewhere, get an attourney and start legal proceedings against the people who make decisons about funding, the number of voting locations and voting booths at them.

[BowlingForRevenge]

Disabled people can vote by mail or early vote.
We need to quit beating our heads against a wall by making better choices.
We can choose an easier method rather than taking the wall down just because we think it proves a point. Common sense is in short supply in these instances.

I am speaking from 15 years of personal experience.

[TMAN]

Once again Rachel hits a home run. Nobody else is even questioning why this is taking place, like a bunch of bumpkins we just stand around and make jokes about the situation.
This needs to cease as of this election year. Get the control of the "rules regulations" and logistics out of county, municiple and local hands. What can be so difficult about this being resolved positively? There's no excuse for this except corrupt political agendas as usual. Establish through legislation, federal national set of standards, federally enforced. When did we become Zimbabwe?

[ProgressiveInAZ]

I love Rachel...
This is unconscionable in what is "supposedly" the greatest democracy on earth (news flash: it's not... more like a high tech glitzy banana republic)
This stuff makes me sick. In Brazil, voting is compulsory. Election day is a national holiday. No one there has to wait that long. I lived there for ten years. More and more I find myself wanting to go back.
But then again, maybe I need to stay here and help fix the mess and wake people up.