NAACP stands down over Virginia election prep
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/10/30/art.palinnv1030.ap.jpg caption="Gov. Sarah Palin campaigned in Fredericksburg, Virginia on Monday."]
(CNN) – The Virginia NAACP’s lawsuit alleging lack of sufficient preparation for Tuesday’s election is on hold, CNN has learned.
The civil rights group has withdrawn its request for a preliminary injunction that would have required the federal government to step in and take over administration of next week’s election - including extending voting hours and reallocating voting machines.
The request for federal intervention was withdrawn after Virginia state officials provided new information about its preparations for what is expected to be record turnout across the state next Tuesday.
In a press release issued Thursday, the Virginia State Board of Elections detailed significant increases in resources since the last presidential election.
“Since 2004, nearly 300 additional polling places have been added or changed” to help alleviate long lines, the statement said. The state is also set to deploy 30,000 people to act as poll workers or alternates and, since 2004, Virginia has increased the number of voting machines by 77 percent – from 5,989 to 10,600.
Virginia has already received more than 310,000 absentee ballots for next week’s election, a figure that represents more than the total number of absentee ballots cast in 2004, according to the state board’s release.
The Virginia NAACP has not formally dismissed its lawsuit but the group tells CNN it has no plans to pursue the case. The group filed the lawsuit earlier this week out of concern that areas in the state with significant African-American populations had not been allocated sufficient resources to have a smooth voting process next Tuesday.
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So what new low is the GOP ticket going to sink using Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity talking points. This isn't kitchen sink stuff. This is under the house in wormy earth stuff.
I really am appalled that folks have the nerve to question the NAACP for being concerned about whether or not AA votes are being disenfranchised or suppressed...AA voters have 1.) Not always had the right to vote in this country 2) When they did finally get the right to vote (15th Amendment – rat. 1870) there were still widespread tactics to keep AAs from voting anyway (poll taxes, guessing games, literacy tests, property ownership requirements, flat out violence & physical threats, etc.) up until the Civil Rights Movement 3). Then with the civil rights movement in 1968, finally we began to see some change. 4). Yet in the years 2000 and 2004 we still see problems with electronic voting machines, long lines, hanging chads, recounts, etc. in predominantly African-American communities. ACORN could register fake registrants for the next 10 voting cycles and it wouldn't even come close to the level of disenfranchisement that has been waged against African-Americans in this country as it pertains to voting.
Now I'm not saying that everything is the Republicans fault, or that there aren't problems that occur in other communities, but I am saying I don't think its a stretch or arrogance or radical or an entitlement mentality for African-Americans to be concerned and cautious in this particularly historical election...by any measure, their concerns are warranted.
BARACK THE VOTE! Obama/Biden '08