Despite strict voter ID laws, Alabama is in the process of closing 45 of 49 driver's license offices

[silvershadow]

If you're going to need a driver's license in Alabama, you're most likely going to have to figure out a way to get to one of only four driver's licenses offices in the entire state:

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said budget cuts will result in closing driver's license offices across the state.

The agency said the cut will be in phases, with 33 offices closed during the first wave.

In January 2016, a further 12 offices will close. By March, all but four offices in the entire state will shut their doors.

--------
more at link: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/08/25/1415384/-Despite-strict-voter-ID-laws-Alabama-is-in-the-process-of-closing-45-of-49-driver-s-license-offices?detail=facebook

[Johonny]

1. smaller government comes at a price of huge amounts of your personal time wasted

[silvershadow]

3. Worse than that, they know damn well it will result in fewer registered voters, particularly of

a certain demographic.

[Nay]

19. This is the aim of closing DMVs, of course. nt

[Fred Sanders]

2. Budget cuts...same fucking excuse used in every fascist Red State suppressing the vote....almost like it was a plan.

Voter suppression should be crime of the highest order...instead, like buying politicians and corruption, it is legal.....how can that be?

[silvershadow]

5. It most certainly IS a plan, it is THE plan, and I mean that they have conspired ahead of time

for all of this to fall into place for them.

[leftofcool]

7. Yes !

[randys1]

4. Send in the national guard, open up all of those offices or maybe one of these

days WE will finally have had enough


Jesus FUCKING christ, how do you folks read this shit and not have heart problems like me?

[leftofcool]

6. Some of us do, Randys1, we really do.

[Jamastiene]

13. I do.

Plus, my stress level is through the roof. I live in one of the shitty Teabagger states that is trying its best to place every obstacle it can to voting.

[Rex]

8. So budget cuts are causing the state to slowly drift into ruin.

Not surprised, but that cut should be a warning cry to those in the state that care about it's infrastucture. So what is next?

[lpbk2713]

9. Next they'll close all schools beyond seventh grade.

That should save a shitpot full of money.

Hey, it's Alabama. It's not like they would know what to do with an education.

[villager]

10. So what are the four wealthiest, whitest neighborhoods in the state? One knows that's where....

...the four remaining open offices will be.

[Jamastiene]

11. It sounds like they are gearing up to shut down voting altogether.

I'm suspicious of all of these draconian measures some of these states (including my own here in NC) are taking when it comes to putting up obstacles to voting and civil rights, in general.

[BeeBee]

12. Four offices in the whole state? That's crazy.

We have 2 of them in our county and another 4 within an hour drive.

[progressoid]

14. What the fuck? FOUR?

Probably have to camp in line.

[redwitch]

15. Well whaddya know? Alabama still sucks! nt

[pnwmom]

16. Pretty dumb move when they rejected all that Medicaid money,

knowing they'd still have to reimburse hospitals for "indigent care."

That money could have come in handy plugging in some of the holes in their budget.

And yet their high-earners will still be subject to the surtax to pay for it. Guess they are real generous people who want to share their tax monies with other states.

[Liberal_in_LA]

17. of course they are. can't have people voting

[Stevepol]

18. Must be a coincidence.

[KamaAina]

20. Despite?

Or because of?

[One_Life_To_Give]

21. Online Services instead?

In Mass we have had several RMV's closed as well. At the same time many drivers no longer have to visit an RMV office as the transaction can be done online. And pre-registering into the system has speeded up the processing of applicants for new licenses.

Four offices seems awfully few for a state as large as Alabama. However in general tech can greatly improve service while reducing the number of offices needed.

[TBF]

23. In Texas we have online renewal

but you still have to go in every so many years and present yourself in person. Also any name change (marriage for example) requires you appear in the office with your documentation. People aren't going to like this once they figure out what has happened. Of course by then it will be too late. Story of every fascist regime throughout history ...

[Gothmog]

22. The Texas case gives a road map to sue on the Albama voter id law

Focus on Section 2 disparate impact claims and the 5th Circuit should be okay

[Omaha Steve]

24. We only want "OUR" kind of people to vote

[Dont call me Shirley]

25. Probably privatizing. There are private MVD services in New Mexico.

[Glassunion]

26. A visual...

The offices that are remaining open are in the following locations...
Huntsville, Montgomery, Mobile, and Birmingham.

Here is a county Map for Alabama.
Huntsville is in Madison Co. - Northern Border of the State
Montgomery is in Montgomery Co. - Central East
Mobile is in Mobile Co. - South West
Birmingham is in Jefferson Co. (Mostly) - Central


Can you guess where most of the black and Hispanic folk live?

Can you guess where most of the white folk live?

[Elwood P Dowd]

27. Take a close look at this. The house speaker behind this is fighting a criminal indictment and still

pushing for cuts in the state government to pay for tax breaks to the rich and giant corporations. He was indicted since the stuff in the link was published. No telling what kind of nasty stuff will come out in his trial. The republican party has turned into a giant crime family spreading across the land. When you combine the state crooks with the federal crooks, they make the Mafia look like a local street gang.

http://www.mikehubbardexposed.com/#mike-hubbard-corruption

[gcomeau]

28. Not "despite" strict ID laws...

The two work in concert. First require IDs, then make them harder to get... all to achieve the real goal of voter ID laws, depressed voter participation.

[npk]

30. You can obtain a FREE Voter ID card in Alabama at any local government office building or online

Has nothing to do with obtaining a drivers license.

[NCjack]

29. The Alabama state legislature is months late in producing a General Fund budget.

This apparently is real RW GOP engineered train wreck. The gap to maintain the current services is a revenue shortfall of $250 to $700 million, depending on who is reporting it. Activities not funded by October 1 will cease. The governor has called for a tax hike to close $250 million of the gap; that would still be about 50% short. The legislature is ignoring him and marching to reduction in services. The Budget Cmte is recommending an end to Medicaid, which covers about half of births and about half of health services to children. Major cuts will be made to hospitals, nursing homes, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, State parks, State troopers. Political forecasts have the GOP running the Alabama government as far as can be seen into the future.

[npk]

31. Alabama has been closing DMV offices and State Trooper stations for more than a decade

The GOP have run the state into the ground by lowering property taxes in it's fluent cities for years. People think that has to do with stopping poor people and minorities from voting, it really has to do with Alabama paying the price for giving tax breaks to so many companies to relocate their businesses to the state, and not creating sustainable revenue paths to provide and pay for government services, and now there is little left to do.

[NCjack]

33. Agree. They have fine tuned racism to transition into fascism, with the result

of forcing out Afro-Americans.

[TransitJohn]

32. So glad that our Republikkkon SCOTUS struck down key parts of the Voting Rights Act