mekka okereke Aug 8, 2024

Quiz is over!

The quiz question was, since the Supreme Court made it easier for the GOP to be extra racist to Black voters in swing states, the number of voters purged from voting rolls increased significantly. "How many voters were de-registered between 2014 and 2016? Was it 17K? 170K? 1.7 million or 17 million?

https://hachyderm.io/@mekkaokereke/112924592284252554

The hint: it's more than in 2006 to 2008 but the same as 2016 to 2018. The answer is... 17 million! AKA approximately the population of the Netherlands!🤡

1/N

mekka okereke :verified: (@[email protected])

@[email protected] @[email protected] The US Supreme Court under Roberts weakened voter rights protections for Black voters. Since these protections were weakened, the number of voters purged from voter rolls has skyrocketed. These purges disproportionately target Black voters, but there's a lot of white voter "by catch" as well. Between 2014 and 2016, how many voters would you guess were de-registered? Hint: the same number were de-registered between 2016 and 2018. [ ] 17,000 voters (seventeen thousand) [ ] 170,000 voters (one hundred and seventy thousand) [ ] 1,700,000 voters (one point seven million) [ ] 17,000,000 voters (seventeen million voters)

Hachyderm.io
Show threadmekka okereke Aug 8, 2024

The number of voters purged between 2014 and 2016, and 2016 and 2018 being about the same is important. Because this is the new "normal amount of election racism." 🤷🏿‍♂️

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/voter-purge-rates-remain-high-analysis-finds

I say "about the same" but you already know that the number of deregistrations is moving up...

The fact that voter purges occur disproportionately in places that Black people vote, and ramped up after laws designed to protect Black voters were intentionally weakened, is important too.

2/N

Voter Purge Rates Remain High, Analysis Finds

New data reveal that counties with a history of voter discrimination have continued purging people from the rolls at elevated rates.

Brennan Center for Justice
Show threadmekka okereke Aug 8, 2024

The next questions on the quiz would be:

2) How many eligible voters were erroneously (illegally) de-registered in these purges, so that they couldn't vote on election day?

3) Did they disproportionately target eligible Black voters for illegal de-registering?

4) Was the number of Black voters illegally de-registered between 2014 and 2016 larger than Trump's margin of victory?

5) Did Black voters ask for help with this in those 2 years prior to Trump winning the election?

But why bother? 🤷🏿‍♂️

Show threadmekka okereke Aug 8, 2024

If you are white, you are 100% safe from being illegally de-registered, in the same way that a dolphin is 100% safe from ever being caught in a fishing trawler's tuna fishing net🐟🐬. In that you are not safe.🙃

If a dolphin looks around and can see tuna? Then it is at risk of becoming "by catch" or "collateral damage."

If you live where Black people live (AKA cities, where most of everyone lives), then you're at risk of getting caught up in this deregistration.

So check.
https://hachyderm.io/@mekkaokereke/112924094411662837

mekka okereke :verified: (@[email protected])

Oops! Yesterday was the 6th of August! Hey US people, please remember to check your voter registration every *5th* between now and November! ✅ July 5th ✅ August 5th ⬜ September 5th ⬜ October 5th ⬜ November 5th Check your voter registration for free online here: https://voteamerica.org You can also request your mail in ballot, so that you don't have to stand in line for hours or miss work on voting day. Why check every month? Because some of y'all have been de-registered.😮 Re-register!

Hachyderm.io
Show threadBrian GrinterAug 8, 2024

@mekkaokereke everything about your election system is bat shit crazy I’m afraid

The idea a party can de-register someone is bonkers. Every time I tell people here about it they say isn’t that illegal?

Show threadesaAug 8, 2024

@bgrinter
@mekkaokereke

The entire idea of voter registration is foreign to me. Here all citizens are eligible to vote in national elections; for local elections you can vote if you've lived here for three years, less for people from neighbouring countries. Nobody registers to vote, instead the government sends people "here's your closest voting station" info.

Tons of early voting also means no queues. The scenes from the US just look incompetent if you don't know about the malice.

Show threadStacey CampbellAug 8, 2024
@syklemil @bgrinter @mekkaokereke The Australian Electoral Commission will track you to the ends of the...well...Australia. They will knock on every door and kick over every rock until they have tracked down all eligible voters who for one reason or another are not already on the voter rolls.
Show threadEmelia 👸🏻
@stacey_campbell @syklemil @bgrinter @mekkaokereke they'll even track you out of the country (from experience)
Aug 9, 2024 at 12:03amWeb