Republicans Argue Voting Restrictions Help the GOP in SCOTUS

[Edge-]

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/ele...-help-n1259305

A Republican attorney defending Arizona's voting restrictions in front of the Supreme Court told justices Tuesday that the GOP was defending the measures because they disadvantage Democrats.

The Supreme Court is hearing arguments over Arizona voting restrictions in a pair of consolidated cases challenging a state law banning ballot collection and a policy that tosses ballots cast in the wrong precinct. Democrats have sued, saying the rules discriminate against minorities and violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

The case could have big implications outside of Arizona if the justices create a test for how to evaluate such voting rights cases under the voting rights legislation.

“What’s the interest of the Arizona RNC in keeping, say, the out-of-precinct ballot disqualification rules on the books?" Judge Amy Coney Barrett asked, referencing legal standing.

“Because it puts us at a competitive disadvantage relative to Democrats,” said Michael Carvin, the lawyer defending the state's restrictions. “Politics is a zero-sum game. And every extra vote they get through unlawful interpretation of Section 2 hurts us, it’s the difference between winning an election 50-49 and losing an election 51 to 50.”

The response was a remarkable moment amid a pivotal time for voting rights: state Republicans have advanced a spate of restrictive voting bills in the wake of former President Donald Trump's loss and months-long attack on mail voting. Advocates have warned that fighting discriminatory election laws is increasingly difficult, too, since the Supreme Court gutted Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in 2013.

Arizona was a key battleground in the 2020 election, too, with President Joe Biden winning by approximately 10,000 votes.

The Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel argued that the suit was a part of their party's election integrity efforts.

"It is critical that all voters have confidence in the integrity and legitimacy of our elections. The Supreme Court should reject Democrats’ attempts to weaponize the Voting Rights Act in the name of partisan politics," she said in a statement.

Voting rights advocates responded immediately, zeroing in on the partisan goal.

"Wow," tweeted Wendy Weiser, a leading voting rights expert and vice president of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law. "This year, there is no longer a quiet part."

The past four years have been wild, and I guess Republicans are just openly admitting they can't compete in a fair election...in front of the SCOTUS.

What "unlawful interpretation"? That people who make a mistake with their legal vote and leave it at the wrong precinct shouldn't have their votes counted, despite that they can easily have their vote correctly counted and associated with the appropriate presinct.

Mind you - https://www.azcentral.com/story/news...ly/4550644001/

Multiple audits of the AZ election all confirming the numbers were accurate and there was no fraud.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/pol...ts/6884982002/

Michigan too.

Though the PA audit continues, with an identical result expected.

TLDR: Republicans seem to hate it when voters are allowed to vote without tight restrictions they decide.

[Endus]

This is real fuckin' simple.

Was the vote cast by someone eligible to vote?

Then that vote should be counted. What can legitimately be debated is whether it should just get counted where it was cast, or if it should be tallied in the proper district for residency; that's a valid discussion to have. But that it gets counted at all? Not a question. The answer is "yes, obviously".

The GOP here is literally arguing that they need to disenfranchise legitimate voters and annul legitimate votes based on technicalities, targeting Democratic voters specifically, because they have no capacity to fairly win elections any more, and must cheat to have a shot at victory.

That kind of thing should be criminal conduct (the elimination of legitimate votes, not the rhetoric). It isn't a valid tactic, you fascist shitmongers. Hopefully SCOTUS chucks this in the bin where it belongs and your party can get fucked forever, if this is how little you think of democratic processes.

[GreenGoldSharpie]

Ever wanted to know how to make people truly, and completely legitimately, hate you?

It's the shit Edge quoted. I mean, if you remove the vote you leave a whole lot of people nothing.

Where's that dude who is ranting about civil wars? I ask because this is how you actually end up with one, and not because twitter banned your stupid, bigoted ass for acting like a spoiled little bitch.

[Draco-Onis]

Ever wanted to know how to make people truly, and completely legitimately, hate you?

It's the shit Edge quoted. I mean, if you remove the vote you leave a whole lot of people nothing.

Where's that dude who is ranting about civil wars? I ask because this is how you actually end up with one, and not because twitter banned your stupid, bigoted ass for acting like a spoiled little bitch.

Republicans are openly trying to bring back Jim Crow laws, they've given up on trying to appeal to new voters.

[GreenGoldSharpie]

Republicans are openly trying to bring back Jim Crow laws, they've given up on trying to appeal to new voters.

Believe me, I know. Lately, all I have to do is pop on Fox news to hear how much they absolutely hate my guts.

It does make one wonder what they're going to do when a bunch of minority rights movements don't settle for peaceful protest, though. That's not shaping out that well, at this point.

[Draco-Onis]

Believe me, I know. Lately, all I have to do is pop on Fox news to hear how much they absolutely hate my guts.

It does make one wonder what they're going to do when a bunch of minority rights movements don't settle for peaceful protest, though. That's not shaping out that well, at this point.

I think CPAC has made it pretty clear they want to bring back the third reich, they openly state they want what happened in Myanmmar to happen here.

[GreenGoldSharpie]

I think CPAC has made it pretty clear they want to bring back the third reich, they openly state they want what happened in Myanmmar to happen here.

Hon, I figured that out when I went to the ER last September bleeding from a popped switch I'd gotten from a bowel resection (thanks Crohn's Disease!). Far from a "good" experience. Downright discriminatory, in fact.

Trump made conservatives a helluva lot meaner, tbh.

[beanman12345]

disgusting. just disgusting. even more so that i don't have much faith there will be 5 judges that disagree.

[DarkTZeratul]

I also read that some state (I think Georgia ) is also trying to make it so voters (in line) can’t receive food and/or drinks. Pretty damn crazy.

Yep. And Arizona wants to give their legislature the ability to ignore the results of the election and appoint their own electors.

[Xyonai]

I also read that some state (I think Georgia ) is also trying to make it so voters (in line) can’t receive food and/or drinks. Pretty damn crazy.

How the hell would you even enforce that? I mean legitimately, because we both know that people will just see folks with their own water bottles - or nothing at all - and accuse them of some meaningless wrongdoing.

[TigTone]

WTF... how is that even legal?

Legality does not matter to the upper class.

They have always seen themselves above the law.

In upper class culture throughout history has shown they believe the law only applies the poor and those they view are below them.

- - - Updated - - -

How the hell would you even enforce that? I mean legitimately, because we both know that people will just see folks with their own water bottles - or nothing at all - and accuse them of some meaningless wrongdoing.

Their own followers would enforce and at the same time ignore it when applied to themselves I imagine.

[DarkTZeratul]

WTF... how is that even legal?

The Constitution grants each state the right to determine its own electors as it sees fit. It would be perfectly legal for Arizona to change their own laws to do that. It would be awful, but legal.

[masterhorus8]

The Constitution grants each state the right to determine its own electors as it sees fit. It would be perfectly legal for Arizona to change their own laws to do that. It would be awful, but legal.

I mean, that's what SCOTUS is ruling on. Whether it's legal or not. So it's a bit early to say that.

[Draco-Onis]

The Constitution grants each state the right to determine its own electors as it sees fit. It would be perfectly legal for Arizona to change their own laws to do that. It would be awful, but legal.

The legality of it depends on the interpretation of what is left of the voting rights act that the supreme court has gutted which is why a new federal voting rights act needs to be passed.

- - - Updated - - -

Hon, I figured that out when I went to the ER last September bleeding from a popped switch I'd gotten from a bowel resection (thanks Crohn's Disease!). Far from a "good" experience. Downright discriminatory, in fact.

Trump made conservatives a helluva lot meaner, tbh.

Conservatives were always mean Trump just made it so they think their behavior is acceptable so they no longer have to hide it. That's why they are shocked when they have to pay a price for being assholes, they live in a bubble where that's the norm now.

[Fugus]

Funny all the people talking about Civil War if Trump lost legitimately by will of the people but something THIS would be one of the straws that ACTUALLY can lead to such a Civil War when the people are collectively told to get fucked and those same doomsayers aren't around.

[Xeones]

Funny all the people talking about Civil War if Trump lost legitimately by will of the people but something THIS would be one of the straws that ACTUALLY can lead to such a Civil War when the people are collectively told to get fucked and those same doomsayers aren't around.

That is actually what happened last time. Lincoln won despite not even being on the ballot in every state so they revolted because they knew the writing was on the wall for slavery. Now we have them trying to revolt again but I'm really not sure what about Trump it is that is firing them up.

[Xyonai]

That is actually what happened last time. Lincoln won despite not even being on the ballot in every state so they revolted because they knew the writing was on the wall for slavery. Now we have them trying to revolt again but I'm really not sure what about Trump it is that is firing them up.

Trump's loud and his followers mistake his boorish mannerisms for a strong personality, his 'outsider business experience' as intelligence, and he was real keen on tapping the White Anxiety vote by putting Decades of Republican dogwhistling on loudspeaker to make those degenerates' shitty worldview feel validated, rather than simply pandered to. And the more he failed at doing, well, anything; the more he loudly played up his victim card and declared his failures were the result of another entity. Which made every failure to hold him accountable for his shitty actions (Two impeachments, a federal investigation, and innumerable scandals that all made news headlines and no I'm not talking about the ice-cream thing you morons don't bring that up) just made him seem that much more powerful to these people and validated their delusions that the Devilish Democrats and the Evil MSM were out to get him because they were afraid of him.

Though to put it more simply: Trump's victimhood complex made him incredibly adept at tapping into the GOP Voter base's collective victimhood complex and validated their delusions about the world being against them for being poor, marginalized conservatives.

[Fugus]

That is actually what happened last time. Lincoln won despite not even being on the ballot in every state so they revolted because they knew the writing was on the wall for slavery. Now we have them trying to revolt again but I'm really not sure what about Trump it is that is firing them up.

Given the people I have talked to personally in real life who support him and the excuses they use and their overall personality. I would have to say the fact that he acts like they wish they could and actually speaks to their fears and insecurities in a way that didn't make them feel ashamed for having them.

He spoke to their racism in a way that made it sound like they were justified, he spoke to their cowardice of the outside in a way that made them feel justified, he claimed he would do all this stuff using philosophies they claimed to support.

Didn't matter if he actually was going to go through with it because they didn't know how crap worked and weren't going to pay attention to any of it anyways beyond what Fox told them and the main thing they liked about Fox was it told them what they wanted to hear while pretending to be legitimate news and making them feel smart for listening to it.

Remember, these are people who cling to lies and fantasies while pretending that everyone else are the idiots and too many of them lash out when you can factually prove them wrong and break that delusion of theirs in a way they can't discount.

These are people who aren't educated or knowledgeable about a subject they want to pretend they know about by watching sources that tell them what they want to hear and Trump fed into all of that. They are also the masters of projecting their flaws onto others. They are uniformed while pretending everyone else is and fighting to keep themselves from getting in formed, they are the proverbial snowflakes they accuse others of and are willing to rage and fight to protect those feelings.

These are people whom may have the proverbial balls to fight anyone in the room but who's balls shrivel and invert when forced to question what they know and believe and think critically for themselves. With Trump there was no introspection, their was no critical thinking skills involved, it was just "You are right, you are justified, fight the others who tell you otherwise, even if you have to do bad things, the ends will justify the means".

[GreenGoldSharpie]

That is actually what happened last time. Lincoln won despite not even being on the ballot in every state so they revolted because they knew the writing was on the wall for slavery. Now we have them trying to revolt again but I'm really not sure what about Trump it is that is firing them up.

I mean, there was more to it. The endgame was this, but the South had made the situation intolerable for the North through the Dred Scott case and the Fugitive Slave Act. Suddenly, free states and territories had to participate in an act many felt was morally reprehensible. It rapidly escalated into the final showdown over Lincoln from there.

Same thing is happening now. If Republicans think the actual productive areas of this country will sit by while they're gerrymandered and legislated out of their votes then they're probably in for a surprise. As others are saying, this is precisely how you create a real civil war.

[Draco-Onis]

I mean, there was more to it. The endgame was this, but the South had made the situation intolerable for the North through the Dred Scott case and the Fugitive Slave Act. Suddenly, free states and territories had to participate in an act many felt was morally reprehensible. It rapidly escalated into the final showdown over Lincoln from there.

Same thing is happening now. If Republicans think the actual productive areas of this country will sit by while they're gerrymandered and legislated out of their votes then they're probably in for a surprise. As others are saying, this is precisely how you create a real civil war.

Let's also not forget they are also pushing hundreds of bills against LGBTQ, abortion and women in general, they really want to go back to the 1800s.