Enough of the Hurt Feelings, Pay Attention to Voter Suppression

New voting restrictions try to ensure President Obama is a one termer

Forget about whether President Obama deserves a second term.  Forget about the pony that was promised to you during the campaign of “Hope” and “Change.”  Your support of or disappointment in the Obama administration’s progress over the past three years doesn’t matter.

That’s because the GOP by way of Republican lead state legislatures have put in place new voting laws that will make it much more difficult for traditionally Democratic voters to cast their ballots next year.  The GOP’s all out assault on voting will affect nearly 5 million people and almost all of them are Democratic voters.

According to a new report released by the Brennan Center for Justice, the impact of new voting restrictions on 2012 could be significant.  The groups that will be affected by these new voting restrictions are minority and poor voters.

“This is the most significant cutback in voting rights in decades. More voters may be affected than the margin of victory in two out of the past three presidential elections,” said Michael Waldman, the Center’s executive director. “In 2012 we should make it easier for every eligible citizen to vote. Instead, we have made it far harder for too many. Partisans should not try to tilt the electoral playing field in this way.”

According to the Brennan report, the states affected total 171 electoral votes.  In order to win the White House, President Obama or his challenger will need to win 270 electoral votes.  Five of the twelve battleground states have already put some of these restrictions on voting in place.