According to the Department of Justice's Office of Public Affairs, it will dispatch nearly 800 federal observers to 51 jurisdictions in 23 states on Election Day.
Since the enactment of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the DOJ has consistently sent observers to the polls to protect voters' civil rights.
The states to be monitored include: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.
Find out more here.
When we were in high school, no one was jailed for dress code violations or for going to the bathroom without permission.
However, in east Mississippi authorities arrest students who commit relatively minor infractions.
According to a federal lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice against Meridian and Lauderdale County, students of color and disabled children are disproportionately targeted. The lawsuit claims that these students were regularly jailed. The Department is suing the city of Meridian, Lauderdale County, the Mississippi Department of Human Services, the Department of Human Services Division of Youth Services, and two Lauderdale County Youth Court judges.
Where do these students go?
Perhaps to the local juvenile hall?
No.
The county's policies allow police to ship students 80 miles to a juvenile detention center sans legal representation or probable cause. And after that, they were placed on probation without proper legal representation.
ALLOWABLE reasons for incarceration included:
- Dress code infractions such as wearing the wrong color socks or undershirt, or for having shirts untucked
- Tardies
- Flatulence in class
- Using vulgar language
- Yelling at teachers
- Going to the bathroom or leaving the classroom without permission
In the school district, 86% of its 6,000 students are Black and 12% are white. From 2006-2009, all students handed over to the legal system or expelled were Black. 96% of all students who were suspended were Black.
Shame, shame, East Mississippi.
You can read more here.
The U.S. Justice Department believes Texas' new voter identification laws may be discriminatory. Because Texas is a state with a history of voter discrimination, section 5 of the Voting Rights Act requires the state to get advance approval of changes to its voting laws. Either the Justice Department or the U.S. District Court in Washington, DC must approve changes before they become law in the Lone Star State.
There is reason to believe that this Texas ID law will create a discriminatory barrier for Hispanic citizens who lack highly specific forms of ID. SBW cautioned its reader about voting barriers previously.
Read more about the Texas case here.
All federal IDs are not created equally. In Texas, a student ID issued by a state university is not sufficient to allow American citizens to vote. And in New York, no one is required to present an ID prior to voting.
Texas is not the only state trying to pass a Modern Day Poll Tax. A total of 23 states have increased voter registration restrictions and many believe these new laws will lead to voter suppression, poll watcher fraud, minority disenfranchisement, and most importantly, the silencing of eligible voters.
Click here to watch a video to watch a discussion about voter ID laws.
