The War to Disenfranchise Women Voters

by 11/27/2013

The signs are prevalent in Republican controlled states all over the country; there is a war to disenfranchise women voters.  However, in our ongoing series on voter suppression, this week we’ll look at the Texas and North Carolina republican’s war on women.  You should recall and understand that successful voter suppression tactics in one republican controlled state will be copied an enacted into law in other republican controlled states. In a recent article entitled “Texas Republicans find a way to disenfranchise women voters”, Jean Ann Esselink wrote that along with targeting Blacks, Latinos and college students,

Texas came up with a voter ID law that will disproportionately affect women.  They are the group Republicans most fear will support gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis.

Shoshannah Sayers, Esq., the Deputy Director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, recently noted that 318,644 registered voters in North Carolina from 2012 elections didn’t have a valid DMV issued photo ID that matched the name on their voter registration card.  They found that of all registered voters, NC women voters are disproportionately affected by virtually every part of the state’s new “Election Integrity” law.

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The Brennan Center for Justice, of the New York University School of Law is the recognized authority on voter rights.  They published a survey on proof of citizenship and photo identification that revealed that millions of American citizens do not have readily available documentary proof of citizenship and that many more, primarily women, don’t have proof of citizenship with their current name.  Although, marriage and divorce are the leading causes of women changing their names, unlike men; for reasons, other than voter ID, various other parts of the new North Carolina voter law disproportionately imposes other voting restrictions on women.
With the above outlined scenario in mind, the campaign to defeat voter suppression (www.defeatvotersuppression.com & www.facebook.com/votersuppression) has been trying to identify responses, if any, which women leadership organizations, individuals and others are making to, address their access to the ballot.  We’re aware of individual women and organizations (i.e. Deltas, Links & the League of Women Voters) that have responded to the overall threat of voter suppression, but to be effective, they are going to need a lot more help.
Last week’s article addressed Black voters and voter suppression.  This week’s article addresses the impact of the voter suppression war on women, another strategic part of the “Obama Coalition”.  In our ongoing coverage, next week we’ll address a third component of the “Obama Coalition”, college students.
To join the opposition to voter suppression please visit our above referenced web sites, comment on this article or write us at [email protected]. •
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