Yesterday was election day in six states, including New Jersey. Although I usually vote in the early morning, because of court scheduling, I had to vote in the late afternoon. I asked one of the poll workers about the turnout. Low, she said, maybe about 25 to 27% of the eligible voters in all, with mail-in and early voting.
In some districts, the primary really determines who the elected representative will be. Have we lost so much faith in the democratic process that, if we are eligible, we don’t vote? General elections fare better, but not like in other countries with a much higher turnout. Our ancestors struggled, fought, and died for the right to vote.
Even as gerrymandered as our northern districts are, they don’t compare to the ones down South, of course, with their clear intent to disenfranchise primarily Black and minority citizens. The amazing thing is it is done so openly and the Supreme Court, which is supposed to guarantee justice to all, does more than turn a blind eye. It betrays the promise of America.
Prayer for the Day
Not knowing what to confess, O God, we close our eyes,
For we are caught in the struggles of everyday life;
Wanting your steadfast love when we falter and fail,
But unable to change when we must, we flounder.
Hold us to our commitment to extend justice to all,
For we see so many cut off and disenfranchised.
In the name of the One who is our Model,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
On this record, the District Court’s finding of discriminatory intent, resulting from a comprehensive examination of Alabama’s transparent, intentional attempt to limit Black voting power despite this Court’s earlier decision in Allen, is more than plausible.
Justice Sotomayor, dissenting in Allen v. Caster, et al, 606 U.S.___
When the court gutted the Voting Rights Act (VRA) in Louisiana v. Callais, it found that intentional racial discrimination in voting remains unconstitutional. But the new ruling, to which all six conservative justices signed on, suggests that, in practice, almost no federal protections remain for non-white voters, even in extreme cases.
Brendan Mock, in Democracy Docket
For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins –
You who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
And push aside the needy in the gate.
Amos 5: 12