Closing 340 Polling Places In Maricopa County Planned - Not Accident

[Yallow]

Done on purpose.

The harder it is to vote the better Republicans do.

"In 2008, there were 400 polling places."

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/03/cutting-back-polling-places-not-key

And the Democratic Party does nothing..... It's like they want Republicans to win every election.

No wonder half of all eligible voters don't even try.

I am beyond pissed off.

[Zynx]

1. What can the Democrats do in Arizona? They have no power at all.

[Yallow]

2. Not Show Up To Do Anything

If people can't vote, government doesn't function.

When government begins to function, then Democrats will come to work.

Imagine what not surrendering for once would do???????

Pretending there is not problem doesn't help.

[Yallow]

3. In Wisconsin They Literally Left The State

Why is it Arizona Democrats not willing to fight for us?

[former9thward]

18. People can vote.

The state mailed out the ballot a MONTH ago. The people standing in line refused to take part in mail in voting even though the state begs people to do it. Why did they refuse?

[FailureToCommunicate]

28. People don't trust it. There is no record or assurance your vote gets counted.

NPR did a long segment on the issues -real or imagined- with various methods.
But having many fewer polling places is a problem.

[litlbilly]

29. Here in Oregon, it is all mail in. it works great

[FailureToCommunicate]

33. Yes, if it's the only method, it works. Just curious, what is the usual 'turnout' rate?

[litlbilly]

37. im not sure but i think its usually over 70%

[litlbilly]

39. and we just passed a new law, all 18 year olds automatically are registered to vote

[FailureToCommunicate]

42. Sounds like an enlightened place to live!

[litlbilly]

44. I think thats why more people are moving here than anywhere else.:)

[fun n serious]

110. 86% nt

[fun n serious]

109. Oregon voter turn out 86%

One of the highest in the nation.

http://www.aflcio.org/content/download/6927/74797/file/res_34.pdf

[tech3149]

60. It works great?

I sort of understand that thinking but do you really consider all the possibilities for manipulation? What is the chain of custody? What verification procedures are in place for authentication? There are probably a dozen other objections I have to VBM or online voting or any form that advances the chances of fraud or manipulation.
Voting is simple tabulation, the more technological or disassociative the process is the greater the chance for manipulation.
In a manner similar to not knowing or being able to verify my vote is tabulated on some electronic machine with operating commands that are not public knowledge, I cannot rely on a VBM system that doesn't provide the chain of custody oversight and a tabulation system that is not cross checked to assure the count is accureate and observable.

[litlbilly]

67. thats always gonna be a problem unless we go to all paper ballots hand counted in person with total

non partisan counting, if that's even possible

[tech3149]

98. Exactly! no more need be said.

[pnwmom]

34. Why do you assume that? Do you live in AZ? Here in WA we have all mail-in ballots

and we can go online and make sure our votes got counted.

That's more than I could do when I was voting at the polling station.

[FailureToCommunicate]

40. I wasn't clear. That opinion was from several experts interviewed about voting methods in U.S.

[pnwmom]

41. Then they are talking in generalities that don't apply anywhere. It is possible to have

a mail-in system where you can check to make sure your vote got received and counted, as we do here.

[CreekDog]

114. In California you can register as a permanent mail-in voter (absentee)

In districts where there are 50% permanent absentee voters, the district becomes all mail-in, though there are still a few polling locations for exceptions.

It works. I get lots of time to fill out and decide each issue and candidate on these long ballots, I don't have to recopy my work to a new ballot at the polling place.

And we also can check to make sure it's received.

As a bonus, I vote on paper, which is a big deal to some here.

[LisaM]

43. Turnout in Seattle was terrible in November.

Worst percentage since 1932. And it's all mail. They also have lots of spoiled ballots. I like voting in person and a I think it's reasonable to expect enough polling spots.

[FailureToCommunicate]

46. One of the voting experts was saying that none of the ballots marked "spoiled" gets counted,

and that it was easy to mark it as such on the OUTSIDE of the envelope (by anyone)

[pnwmom]

58. 2015 was an off-year election. No major elections to get people excited.

Here's an article with some ideas about why ballot return was low -- about 45% in Seattle.

http://www.king5.com/news/record-low-voter-turnout-in-washington-why/48252859

[LisaM]

66. No....we had a brand new city council system

They changed to a ward system, brand new. Turnout should have been enormous.

[pnwmom]

68. Well, I guess on the upside,

your votes got diluted less than in a high turnout election.

[bjo59]

50. Quite a problem. Reducing Maricopa County's 200 polling stations (2012) to 60 (2016) was obviously strategic.

A clear strategy of voter suppression. Lack of an adequate number of polling stations occurred in counties with larger numbers of low income and non-white voters. Oh well, a long history of fear and loathing of the "rabble" voting in "democratic" societies. It's a huge problem for the upper classes. That "one person, one vote" thing is just so unfair!

[Control-Z]

118. I heard that in 2008

they had 400 polling ststions. The drop to 200 in 2012 must have been so successful they decided to go for broke this year.

It's actually hard to wrap my head around. Here, in California, there's polling on practically every corner. Mine is a short walk down the street at a Catholic church. I've never waited more than 10 - 15 minutes. Usually there's no wait at all.

[Fairgo]

126. Voting should be that easy!

[former9thward]

76. So you are opposed to mail in ballots.

Because some tin foil conspiracy nuts don't trust it. I better buy stock in Alcoa.

[Art_from_Ark]

92. With mail-in ballots, you never know if your ballot gets counted

or even if it arrives. I've sent some mail-in ballots by registered mail before, with notification of delivery, but the only notification I received was that my ballot arrived at an international airport, not at its final destination. That was the last information I got.

[fun n serious]

111. It works here in Oregon really well

http://www.aflcio.org/content/download/6927/74797/file/res_34.pdf

[FailureToCommunicate]

95. No I think mail in is fine. I was noting voting experts that discussed all the problems

with them. For instance, sections of the Navaho Nation closed most of their polling places and switched to mail-in. Only problem was, that many voters (or potential voters) needed assistance with English, and the postal system on huge parts of the Nation were problematic to say the least. So voters were effectively disenfranchised. And internet? Forgetaboutit.

[ieoeja]

120. Historically, they only counted absentee ballots if the vote was close.

Since Trump won by a landslide, they probably did not bother counting your ballot.

[former9thward]

122. I voted in the Democratic primaary.

Trump was not on my ballot. AZ has early voting. Most people in the state early vote like me. Are you saying most votes are not counted? How do they come up with the numbers?

[Jim Beard]

132. In Texas the early votes are eventually counted but they know the number of

mail in ballots and if the total mailed in would not make a difference in the actual ballot count, people in the media can say who won with confidence.

[A Simple Game]

36. You seem to forget that the State is supposed to serve the people, not the other way around.

Everyone complains about not enough people voting yet blame the people when the State is the one inhibiting the act of voting. If people feel it's important to vote in person then the State should accommodate them, not the other way around.

[LiberalFighter]

72. The government is not always the problem.

It is who holds an elected position that determines it.

[former9thward]

73. They are inhibiting voting by mailing out ballots a month in advance?

What do you want? A year in advance?

[A Simple Game]

96. And that is probably how Rubio got more votes than Kasich after he had already dropped out.

Voting at the local level has traditionally and necessarily been in person. It appears many still feel it's important to vote in person, so would you rather disenfranchise them or accommodate them?

What would you tell the Rubio voters about their vote being wasted if they complained to you? You know who didn't waste their vote? The ones who waited until election day. As one of our candidates famously said "You never know, someone might die or something."

[former9thward]

104. Maybe they are voting for Rubio despite his droppinjg ut.

Maybe they think he is the best. Maybe they are sending a message they would like him as VP Who knows? I am not going to try and figure out why people vote they way they do. I mark my ballot the day I receive it and send it in. If someone wants to stand in line its on them.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

127. Wow.

You seem to be under the impression that people somehow knew that they would be standing in line for five hours to vote. Obviously if they had, many more of them would have opted for a mail in ballot.

The issue is not with the voters. Not in any way, shape or form. The issue is institutionalized disenfranchisement of voters. To claim otherwise is to promote Republican talking points.

[former9thward]

135. So for the state to send out ballots a month in advance

Is a Republican talking point. Wow...

[Pisces]

99. They also had early voting in a few locations. I messed up and did not sign up for my mail

in ballot. I don't think it is right that they only had 60 polling sites, but I also did not blame the world when I had to stand in line for hours.

I held up a mirror and blamed myself. This won't happen to me again.

[former9thward]

105. The 60 stations was a clear miscalculation.

They tried to use turn out based on past elections and it backfired on them. I suspect it will be back to the normal number in the future.

[oldandhappy]

26. mail-in ballots --get every Dem on mail-in ballot

Our precinct workers in San Diego county work hard on this. In my precinct, nearly everyone is on mail-in ballot.

[brooklynite]

63. How do the vote counters know you filled out the ballot? How do you know the ballot was counted?

[oldandhappy]

69. I do not know.

The mail-in ballot requires a signature and printed name on the back complete with address which verifies your precinct and verifies that you filled out the ballot. If someone else is completing your ballot for you, they have to sign. I did this once when my mother had broken her wrist.

All mail-in ballots received before the day of the election are run thru the counters the same day as the election so the results are mushed with the ballots from walk-in voters. But the count is kept separate. i.e. 769 votes from walk-in voters plus 273 votes from mail-in voters.

The month before the actual election day we receive sample ballots for all election positions plus all propositions. There is plenty of time to study everything. A few days later those of us on automatic mail-in ballots receive our ballots. If you wish to receive a mail-in ballot for the first time, that is explained on the sample ballot and all you have to do is mail back a page from the sample booklet requesting the mail-in ballot. When I walk my precinct I point all of this out to people.

We do not have copies but I keep my sample ballot so I can follow things the night of the election. If numbers are significantly different from cycle to cycle, I am sure precinct watchers would question it. We have built up the mail-in voters numbers over the years. And the county has gradually turned blue as we did that. No instances voter fraud. I trust this more than I trust those machines other states have to endure!

[SunSeeker]

103. In CA, I can check online to see that my mail-in vote was recorded.

The local County Registrar of Voters lists it all. Pretty transparent. I haven't voted in person in over 10 years--I always do it by mail. It's easy, quick and saves gas.

[pnwmom]

32. They can vote by mail, just like all voters do in WA and OR

and most do in AZ.

Voting by mail is easier in WA than voting at polling stations ever was; and after you mail in your verifiable paper ballot, you can go online and make sure your votes got counted.

[Loki]

35. Exactly, just like in Missouri

we are lucky to have a semi Democrat for Governor, but Arizona is republican from the top down, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general. Yea, try getting something done like stopping the disenfranchisement of voters. Look what happened in Alabama, they closed almost every DMV office where people got their voting id and mostly in AA communities. Democrats didn't do this, Republicans have been doing this systematically for years. How many people in Florida in 2000, in Ohio with Kerry, they cheat to win, that a the only way they can ever win.

[L. Coyote]

75. They do have power and they are doing something.

[pnwmom]

86. Simple. They can have a GOTV operation encouraging all Dems to vote by mail.

Anyone can sign up to automatically receive a paper ballot for every election that they would just mail in.

Everyone should do this and it would solve the problem.

[malaise]

4. CHris Hayes is discussing this now n/t

[pinboy3niner]

5. And he noted that Dem Mayor of Phoenix has asked U.S. Attorney General to investigate. nt

[malaise]

7. They'd better investigate the entire country

Democracy my ass

[SusanCalvin]

15. Yep. nt

[Hortensis]

80. Yes. Although the people who feel their states

are doing pretty well seem to be from blue states.

[malaise]

90. that makes sense

[Hortensis]

91. Fraid so.

[Yallow]

8. I Am Sure The Justice Department Will Give Them A Medal

For breaking the law.

No one ever goes to prison for election fraud.

It has happened over and over and over.

Just look at North Carolina.

[Yallow]

13. The Attorney General Is Way Too Busy

Ignoring Wall Street crimes to be bothered by simple elections fraud.

Do we even have an Attorney General?

God

[elmac]

21. When it comes to voter suppression Federal law enforcement

is about as useless as a pimple on a, well, you know.

[Volaris]

30. Yes we have an atty general.

He's very busy investigating nonexistent VOTER fraud( that apperently only republicans know is happenning FOR SURE, because acorn) to be bothered with actual election tampering, DUH!

[LiberalFighter]

6. They need to change Arizona law

so that one person or party doesn't make decisions about elections in a county.

[onecaliberal]

108. They did this because the supreme clowns struck down the VRA. Arizona no longer had to ask

to change laws with regard to voting. Most of these states wasted no time getting back to the 1960's.

[Dont call me Shirley]

9. DWS=DeterringWould-beSanders-voters

[pnwmom]

38. Why would Sanders voters be less likely to use mail-in voting than Clinton voters?

All the elections in WA and OR are mail-in all the time. The only exception are the caucuses.

And everyone here loves the mail-in voting. I don't understand why people are complaining about AZ. It sounds like Bernie's campaign slipped up in GOTV. They should have been encouraging their voters to mail in their ballots and avoid the lines.

[Dont call me Shirley]

48. Absentee voting is more complex. Many people think their vote is more likely to be counted

on voting day. Lots of reasons. Voter suppression occurred in AZ, don't blame the voters.

[Andy823]

49. I live in Washington state

I vote by mail every election, and I don't find it complex at all.

[Dont call me Shirley]

52. Absentee ballots don't just automatically come to your house, you have to go to the county election

bureau and sign for them. Then they mail them to you. Then you fill them out and send them off.

Must you physically go to your election bureau to get your ballots or are they automatically mailed to your house?

[pnwmom]

55. These are NOT absentee ballots. In Arizona a voter can sign up once

to get automatically mailed ballots for EVERY election.

In WA we don't have to physically go anywhere either. Once we are registered, the ballots come to our house for every election, without our having to go anywhere. All we have to do is fill them out, put them in an inner privacy envelope, and put the inner envelope into a larger envelope with our date and signature. And then drop it in the mail or put it in an elections box (if you don't want to use a stamp). There aren't that many elections boxes but they're scattered around the county. Most people just mail them, though.

[HeiressofBickworth]

64. A couple of years ago I was an election worker in WA

Two of us were assigned to be at a drop-box from (early afternoon -- forgot the exact time) until the polls closed. We directed people how to drive up to the box (which side was the slot on) and at closing time, we locked the deposit slot, opened the drop-box, took out all the ballots, drove them to the courthouse and signed in. We then arranged the ballots in boxes with a colored tab showing on top, counted the number of ballots in each box, entered the number on a sheet and signed off on it. We then put the boxes in stacks, signed off on them, and our job was over. The boxes then went somewhere to be actually opened and the contents counted. From the time voters put their ballots in the drop-box until we signed off on them, there was no opportunity to alter or defile the envelopes.

I prefer the vote by mail -- I always get a ballot, I can either mail it or drop it in the drop-box and I can verify my vote was counted. When we had polling stations and electronic machines, one never knew if the machine actually registered your vote the way you intended. With vote by mail, there are paper ballots that can be re-counted and re-counted again, if necessary.

Nothing is perfect, but vote by mail is better than unverifiable electronics. If there was any potential breach in the system, it was the transfer to an outside source that actually counted the votes. But, as someone pointed out in another post, we can go on-line and see if our ballot was counted.

[pnwmom]

65. Thanks for the details, HeiressofBickworth.

People who think this is unsafe don't realize all the way things could go wrong under the old system. At least, as you say, we can verify our ballot was counted now.

[Hortensis]

79. Post worth reading! Thanks for the view

of your process, Heiress.

[pnwmom]

53. It's hard to understand what the fuss is about. It's a paper ballot,

just like all the ballots we used to fill out at the polling station. Except now we just mail them in or drop them in the box.

[Yallow]

61. There Is A Thousand Things That Can Go Wrong

Your ballot can get tossed and you never know.

People like "voting" not mailing.

They feel it is more secure.

When something goes wrong, you shouldn't have to wait 5 hours in line to vote.

[pnwmom]

62. The same things could go wrong under the old system, and have.

Back in the days when we had polling stations, sometimes whole batches of ballots would go missing and turn up later.

What is better now is we can go online and make sure our vote got received and counted.

[pnwmom]

51. It isn't absentee voting. It's what they're trying to make their standard

method of voting. Unlike absentee ballots, you don't have to have a reason -- like being away from the state, or disabled, or whatever. And once you sign up, you can get automatically sent ballots for every election -- unless you notify them that you've moved.

It's easier than voting in person, doesn't require the expense of polling stations, and the paper ballot serves as a verifiable record.

And they DO check envelope signatures. A friend got a call about his because he'd changed his signature over the years. So if the ballot somehow got mislaid, it would be unlikely that someone who found it would know how to imitate your signature.

[fun n serious]

112. Thats not what happened DEMS have no control of AZ voting nt

[Dont call me Shirley]

116. That's what we are all led to believe.

[fun n serious]

119. Wow.

[Dont call me Shirley]

121. Wow.

[Jim Beard]

129. I have been involved in Texas elections and am curious how much control the Parties do have with

In Texas it is the Parties who at the county level to the state level take applications and fees from the candidates. Votes are counted by each Party precinct and then the record of the count and ballots are turned into the County Clerks office.

The Parties also separately provide Primary polling places with election help. The County Clerk is responsible for financing and administrating of early and mail votes. This is paid by the county.

In the General Election, the Parties do very little after that. Small things like having drawings to decided how the names are ranked on the GE ballot.

All this good stuff for $150 a year pay.

[msongs]

10. congress (and bernie) and the feds have done little about this. oh well ntnt

[Octafish]

11. Destiny.

Like when the Harlem Globetrotters play the New Jersey Generals. A big show and in the end, War Inc always win.

[asiliveandbreathe]

12. During 2012 I volunteered in AZ to make sure people were

registered to vote.. - we set up many many voter registration locations - we also asked if they wanted to be on the Permanent Early Voter List (PEVL)- which I am on as well..- I received my Democratic primary ballot at home...then filled it out - signed, dated the envelope and MAILED IT IN....

As such, we need to get out the vote....I am happy to see Mayor Stanton req. DOJ to get involved...Ducey talks out both sides of his mouth....POS..NO voting site should have been closed to people in line...that is disgusting....

[billhicks76]

16. Democrats Don't Like...Republicrats Do

[mr clean]

23. But some Democrats DO like it.

[billhicks76]

74. I Call Them Republicrats...But Yes.

[WhiteTara]

17. Here's a post you might like to read

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511557180

[pnwmom]

57. Instead of just sounding the alarm for weeks, why weren't they

urging voters to fill out the online form to get permanent mail-in ballots? And telling them to make sure to check the box indicating party affiliation (because without that check the default was independent)?

[Jim Beard]

130. Jeez that will not work in my area

We have to load them up to get them to vote. Go on the internet for something other than facebook, you really have to be kidding.

[pnwmom]

133. Then I guess picking up the phone is too hard, too? Because making a phone call

is another way to get on the list for a mail-in ballot.

What I don't get is why Hillary supporters were so much more capable of doing this than Bernie supporters. I thought they were supposed to be so much younger (and therefore Internet savvy.)

But probably Hillary's voters were affected, too. I don't understand why so many people here decided that this was all a GOP-Hillary conspiracy to hurt Bernie.

[Pauldg47]

19. If this is the case, can Bernie still go independant.....Bernie needs to overcome this fraud....

....the DOJ won't do a thing about this ; will they?

[Jim Beard]

131. It depends on the states rules that you can find at your states

Secretary of State web site.

There are different rules for Independents. Its takes petitions etc to get a name on the ballot. It isn't easy because of time constraints.

People can write in but they have to remember the name and put in the right place.

[Pauldg47]

134. People will know his name...better yet, independants will know his name.....Just saying.

[valerief]

20. This is the "democracy" war veterans lost limbs for. nt

[yardwork]

24. I agree. The Democratic Party must step up. Unfortunately, the states are controlled by Republicans.

Each state gets to decide their own voting laws. The Republicans have steadily taken over most of the country, state by state.

We pay too much attention to the presidency and not nearly enough to our states - the governors, state legislators, and members of Congress who actually determine most of our day-to-day lives with the laws they pass and the policies they enact.

[saturnsring]

25. nationalize elections

[Hoyt]

27. Agree it sucks. Get smart, and vote early or absentee to avoid weather, lines, illness, etc.

[pnwmom]

70. In Arizona the majority of people voted by mail so they thought they could get by

with fewer polling stations. Bad call.

[Hortensis]

81. Agree with everything you've said except this.

I guess that's what the AZ officials claimed? Of course closing polling stations, with most of them happening to be in districts weighted democratic, is a standard right-wing vote suppression technique.

[pnwmom]

82. We have no polling stations in my state. Our voting numbers increased

after we went to all mail-in voting, though I hear they were low in last year's off-year election.

[Hortensis]

83. Lucky you. I'm PNW at heart, even though

I'll never live there again. Family's all far away.

We have mail-in voting plus in Georgia. It's significant that all mail-in tends to increase participation. If Arizona Republicans, and Georgia, want to save money on voting, they undoubtedly have good information how to do it right. But of course they do not.

[pnwmom]

84. Yeah, they have this hybrid system out there so they don't know how many

voters to prepare for. They'd be better off if they went full mail-in, sending ballots to all registered voters. It works here.

[Hortensis]

87. I didn't even think of that. Obvious. :)

Georgia's very red these days, though, and anxious to remain that way...

[pnwmom]

89. Georgia might be changing to purple soon.

As of 2010 it was only 56% white -- and it's the white voters who tend to vote Rethug.

So you might be pleasantly surprised.

[Jim Beard]

31. I was a Democratic Party Chairman until this year in a small Texas county.

Primaries are functions of the political Parties and candidates get on the ballot in two ways. They have to pay a fee of $850 for the lower position of County Commissioner and up. Or they can submit a petition based on previous voting records.

It is strictly a function of the the County Democratic Party but they must abide by state election laws. (Both sides)

I would have to submit a budget to the State Secretary of state for the Primary budget and a runoff later on if needed. This budget included, rent on the building, worker salaries and trust me, this is the hardest part to train someone to work for the minimum wage once every 2 years, and the largest expense is paying for programming the scanner vote counter. Its $5,000 for 4 precedents !!! In my case, the county owned the scanners and there was no fee to rent a scanner.

The smallest expense is printing ballots but still costs something like $60 / 100. The ballots have to be a certain dimension so they will count right.


To be honest, if Hillary was not contested I was planning on having about 200 ballots printed for the Democratic Party of the whole county.

Finding a place at the last moment is not too bad but getting the information to the voter is the real problem.

[Loki]

47. Thank you for being part of our country's most important right, the right to vote.

Having been involved in Democratic politics in Texas during the 2000 election and for some years after, working at precincts during elections, I understand the behind the scenes work that needs to take place to make this happen. Just the fact that most states now don't require a Civics course for graduating seniors is just another reason we see so many people who don't understand the process. Elections are hard work and the people who put in the time and the effort to make this possible deserve a medal. When you live in a state like Texas that is run by the Republican Party, getting things done for Democrats who run and the funding for their campaigns and beyond, can sometimes be a bridge too far. It needs to change, but we all need to work on it.

[Jim Beard]

128. You're welcome. Lousy pay too!

[zalinda]

45. Many have suggested mail in ballots

but, how do you know they are counted correctly? We have to trust our government employees to do the honorable thing, but when money is involved, will they?

Our country is in a sad state, there is no trust. There are very few politicians that you can trust, that is why Bernie is doing so well. We can trust him.

Z

[SoapBox]

54. DNC and Little Debbie, do nothing.

Oh...silly me...Little Debbie got the end result she would want anyway! Why the hell would she lift a finger to help voting Democrats?

[Yallow]

56. The Poor, The Mobile, Students, The List Goes On And On

Of people "mail in voting" doesn't work well.

If you want to walk up and cast your vote on election day, or caucus day, you should be able to without waiting in line for more than 10 minutes.

If you don't agree, you belong in Castro's Cuba.

[thelordofhell]

59. The Arizona Democratic Party DID point this out......Months, Weeks, and Days ago!!

But nobody fucking listened!!!!

http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/elviadiaz/2016/03/22/maricopa-county-election-officials-writing-off-voters-you-bet/82145554/

[Jim Beard]

71. One of the biggest mistakes I have read about was to let people vote

in the polling place of their choice. Sounds great and accommodating for the voters but their calculations were wrong. In all the reading and my experience, I don't see anything was done with evil intent, just trying to move to more early voting and giving voter the convince of maybe voting just after work at the closest precinct rather drive a great distance.

[Tarheel_Dem]

77. NBC: Supreme Court strikes down part of Voting Rights Act

By Pete Williams and Erin McClam, NBC News

The Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the nation's most important civil rights laws, requires states with a history of discrimination to get federal approval before changing how they conduct elections. That part of the law is still intact, but on Tuesday the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 the coverage map is based on outdated data. NBC's Pete Williams reports.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a key part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — the map that determines which states must get federal permission before they change their voting laws.

Civil rights activists called the decision devastating, and a dissenting justice said it amounted to the “demolition” of the law, widely considered the most important piece of civil rights legislation in American history.

http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/25/19132385-supreme-court-strikes-down-part-of-voting-rights-act?lite

Where have you been? The highest court in the land ruled that AZ, and many other states no longer have to get pre-approval from the Fed. So, AZ is just the beginning. They can do what they want, and it's ALL legal. Civil Rights Activists have been screaming from the rooftops to anyone who would listen, and now you know why.

[giftedgirl77]

101. Please don't try & inject logic into this madness.

It takes all the fun out of guessing what the next conspiracy filled hyperbolic allegation will be.

[Tarheel_Dem]

106. Cuss, cuss "DNC". Cuss, Cuss "Debbie Wasserman-Schultz". Cuss, cuss "Hillary Clinton". Lather,

rinse, repeat. We certainly aren't dealing with rocket scientists when it comes to finger pointing.

[giftedgirl77]

113. Lol, rocket scientist psshhaaa.

These don't amount to adults much less ppl with a lick of sense.

[pansypoo53219]

78. don't give snotty walker ideas.

[octoberlib]

85. The General election is going to be a

clusterfuck. That being said , Democrats had no control over the Supreme Court striking down the VRA.

[UCmeNdc]

88. Why does it seem the Democratic Party never seems to notice these things?

Are they afraid of the Republican Party?

[B Calm]

93. After Obama won Indiana, state Republicans done the same thing here

[Odin2005]

94. The Third Way want the Republicans to win because...

They are just Republicans pretending to be Democrats.

[lonestarnot]

97. If you got in line it was your own fault according to Purcell.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

100. Recorder Helen Purcell, Republican

Voters at certain locations were forced to wait over five hours in order to vote, particularly in Maricopa County where Recorder Helen Purcell, a Republican, was responsible for the reduction in the number of polls from 200 in 2012 to just 60 for Tuesday’s election.

[ladjf]

102. Variations of these irregularities have been going on for years all over America.

How do you think the Tea Baggers gained control of the House and Senate?

[Initech]

107. Truly disgusting.

[libodem]

115. Kick for Democracy

[DallasNE]

117. Maricopa County Has A Long History Of Voter Suppression Efforts

And on a grand scale at that. In the election that sent Jeff Flake to the Senate 180,000 voters in Maricopa County were forced to vote a provisional ballot and most provisional ballots never get counted. What happens every election in Arizona is disgusting and wrong.

[Art_from_Ark]

125. In the 1960s, William Rehnquist

"started his career in politics by being a poll-watcher in Arizona, intimidating minority voters and doing some rudimentary caging before we had a term for it."

http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a13276/william-rehnquist-segregation-7504953/

That must have gotten the attention of Richard "Southern Strategy" Nixon, who would appoint Rehnquist to the Supreme Court a few years later, and Ronald "I Have No Recollection Of That" Reagan, who nominated him for Chief Justice in 1986.

[felix_numinous]

123. By hook or by crook

or pocketbook. Pirates, thieves and cartels are thick in these parts, it's the good ol boys stronghold.

[mrmpa]

124. Do what we do here in Pennsylvania..........

at least in Allegheny County, there is never more than 400-600 people registered to a polling place. I've been judge of elections for years. Every polling place is in a neighborhood. The poll workers are from the neighborhood. The poll workers and judges know the rules. I've never seen a wait time of more than 20-25 minutes (2008 and 2012 Presidential election).

Also with the number of voters, it allows the judge to handle any problems that occur. I've had people who think they are registered at my polling place, but I make the phone calls to the Voter Registration office & find out if they are indeed registered and if so where they are to vote.

No one has ever left my polling place without either voting or being directed to exactly where they need to go. Due to my helping out the voter(s), I've never had to do a provisional ballot. Which I take pride in, because the provisional ballot puts the onus on the voter to travel and provide documentation to the registration office.

I've also had to tell people they were not registered at all and hand them a registration form to mail in. We don't have same day registration. I told one woman in 2012 that she wasn't registered. She said she had voted before, when I asked her when that was, she told me she had last voted for Jimmy Carter, duh.