Redistricting, Disenfranchisement and Other Dirty Tricks

Today's Washington Post has the story on the Supreme Court's decision to review Texas's ridiculous redistricting, and they, perhaps understandably, focus on the fact that the review could be one more blow to Tom Delay.

But perhaps the most interesting part of the article comes slightly farther in, when we catch a glimpse of life and politics inside the current Department of Justice:

Justice Department lawyers initially recommended rejecting Texas's plan, saying it would harm black and Hispanic voters, but were overruled by senior Justice officials.

That sentence is where you find the meat of this story. As an isolated incident, political appointees choosing their party's success over the law and the people is shameful, but sadly not surprising.

Travel east to Georgia, though, and the pattern becomes clear. This year, the Georgia Legislature passed a modern poll tax of sorts, required state-issued photo identification for voters. This would require the poor and homeless without driver's licenses to pay for ID, assuming they could get time off from work to go get it. Of course, the loss of those voters disproportionately affects one party. Once again, career lawyers in the Justice Department who said the move was unconstitutional were overruled by senior political appointees.

Southern progressives have to be on the front lines of these fights, for numerous reasons. First and foremost, we should opposed to disenfranchisement of anyone for any reason. More than that, however, the logic behind these moves is self-fulfilling. By disenfranchising voters who oppose them, the current administration cements their hold and their ability to further manipulate the system. It creates an uphill battle for progressives for years to come, and it is a battle we can ill-afford.