Getting a traffic ticket makes you less likely to vote, research finds

[WhiskeyGrinder]

Getting a traffic ticket makes you less likely to vote, research finds
That’s especially true for Black Americans ticketed within six months of going to the polls.

Washington Post story, accessible here: https://archive.ph/8tX3Z#selection-1030.0-1030.11

The Black Lives Matter movement has pointed out that some U.S. cities repeatedly ticket those least able to pay, using fines and fees to fund government services.

These regressive taxes hit Black Americans hardest. Research finds that cities with more Black residents are likely to rely more on ticketing, and that traffic stops often target Black drivers. In some states, unpaid tickets lead to jail time.

Now, new research finds another consequence of ticketing: After motorists are stopped by the police, they’re less likely to vote in the next election. This could affect this year’s midterm elections, particularly as some officials direct law enforcement officers to arrest voters, in part to discourage voters with criminal records.

(snip)

Scholars have found that more disruptive forms of criminal legal contact, like arrests and incarceration, consistently reduce voter turnout. These “routine interactions” with local officials teach Americans about government and their relationship to it. If voters think that police are exploiting them to raise revenue, this can prompt a self-preserving withdrawal that political scientists call “strategic retreat”: When people are afraid that government will harm them, they disengage.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

1. Lunchtime kick.

[Emile]

2. If you had unpaid traffic tickets wouldn't they suspend your license?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

3. In my state, you don't have to show ID to vote if you're already registered.

[Emile]

4. Use to be that way here too, then Indiana republicans changed it

and 4 or 5 nuns at Notre Dame were not allowed to vote because they didn't have driver licenses. Now they can go to the BMV and get a state issue photo ID. Just another supid hurdle to make it harder to vote.