Last month Alabama “conservatives” were forced to retreat on their Jim Crow plans to close down DMV offices in every single county in which AAs made up 75 percent of registered voters. Every one.
This move to close down DMV locations in majority AA counties came directly after republicans passed another in an ongoing series of new restrictive voter laws in Alabama, one of which was to require all citizens to obtain a vehicular drivers license (or DMV issued voter ID).
Surprising no one, Alabama republicans didn’t stop there. After failing to get away with closing down DMV offices, they then decided to flout the 1993 National voter registration Act.
And again their Jim Crow re-dux attempts failed
From Aljazeera today is this very good news report:
Alabama settles with DOJ after investigation into voter registrationNovember 13, 2015 12:40PM ET
Alabama failed to comply with U.S. law over registering eligible voters at state motor vehicle agencies and has agreed to implement changes following a federal investigation, the U.S. Justice Department said Friday.
The department's civil rights division “found widespread noncompliance” by Alabama with the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, which requires states to provide opportunities for voter registration when people get their driver’s licenses or similar documents, the Justice Department said in a statement.
According to the U.S. Justice Department civil rights division, Alabama has agreed that:
"Under the terms of the settlement, Alabama will fully integrate a voter registration opportunity into all applications for driver’s licenses and other identification documents,"
And moving forward:
The state will also contact all eligible voters who may have missed the opportunity to register to vote as a result of the problems, the Justice Department said.
What is that favorite republican Reagan phrase? “trust but verify” — until they remember it’s President Obama, commander in chief of the executive branch — then they forget all over again
So let’s help the "conservatives” save time "trusting & verifying" the next time they forget how to follow the law:
In addition to getting busy restoring the Voting Rights Act by making the Leahy/Lewis Bill: The Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015 into Law, Oregon now has automatic voter registration which could and should also be adopted as the way things are done all over the country - imo