‘This is live voter suppression’: Black Voters Matter blocked from taking Georgia seniors to vote

Authored by thinkprogress.org and submitted by BEARlovesCOOKIE
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LOUISVILLE, GEORGIA — Seniors in rural Georgia were dancing in the street, preparing to board Black Voters Matter‘s bus to cast their ballots on the first day of Georgia’s early voting period. But the 40 or so elderly African Americans were told by their senior center to get off the bus — an act organizers described as “live voter suppression.”

Black Voters Matter was driving across Georgia Monday in their bus, plastered with photos of African Americans and raised fists, conducting voter outreach and engagement. After speaking with seniors at the Leisure Center in Jefferson County about the importance of voting, they invited them to board the bus to go to the polling place.

But once the elderly people were aboard the bus, Black Voters Matter co-founder Cliff Albright announced that they’d have to get off. Leisure Center’s staff said someone had called the county commissioner and complained that the bus should not be taking voters to the polls, he said.

LaTosha Brown, Black Voters Matter’s other co-founder, said there was nothing illegal about the group’s activity. The organization is non-partisan and the bus doesn’t endorse any particular candidate. She called it a clear-cut case of “voter intimidation.”

“This is voter suppression, Southern style.”

“This is voter suppression, Southern style,” said Brown. “I’m very upset. I’m angry. I’m frustrated. I’ve got a lot of emotions right now.”

Bonnie Wells, the clerk for the Jefferson County Commission, denied the allegations of voter suppression, telling ThinkProgress her office didn’t receive any calls complaining about Black Voters Matter’s activity. She said they made no attempt to interfere with the senior citizens riding the bus to the polls. Representatives from the senior center did not respond to requests for comment.

There are no laws in Jefferson County or in the state of Georgia prohibiting groups from transporting voters to the polls, according to Brown, who said the elderly citizens “actually requested to ride with us.” Jefferson County is roughly 53 percent black, according to Census data.

Black Voters Matter, an advocacy group that helped Doug Jones win his Senate seat in Alabama late last year, is currently on a bus tour it has called “The South is Rising.” The group is traveling across seven southern states, undertaking voter outreach and engagement, as well as providing disaster relief in parts of Georgia affected by Hurricane Michael.

Black Voters Matter organizers said they did not know who called the commissioner, but said they presume it was someone who was scared by the sight of black people celebrating and preparing to vote.

“Even in the absence of law, they will use tactics like intimidation and voter suppression,” Brown said. “Somebody called the county commission, but there was nothing illegal or inappropriate.”

These senior citizens just got on the @BlackVotersMtr bus to go vote, but someone in Jefferson County called the commissioner and said the bus didn’t have the proper license to drive people to the polls. The seniors, who were fired up to vote, won’t be casting ballots today. pic.twitter.com/vI93pU85Ln — Kira Lerner (@kira_lerner) October 15, 2018

The senior center has its own bus that it can use to bring the elderly voters to the polls in the future, Brown said.

“At the end of the day, every senior that got off that bus, not only are they going to vote, but they’re going to get five to ten people to vote with them,” she said.

Once the seniors were back inside the building, Black Voters Matter organizers walked down the street to a historical plaque marking where a slave market once stood. While they planned their next steps, Louisville, Georgia resident Margaret Walker drove by and rolled down her window to offer some words of encouragement. “I just want you to know, y’all are on the right path,” she said. “We have a lot of people here who don’t have transportation and can’t get to the polls.”

Albright said that being confronted by this tactic only fires up the organizers even more.

“They made us even more energized,” he said, to cheers from the seniors. “Can’t stop, won’t stop.”

This story has been updated with ongoing developments.

GODGK on October 15th, 2018 at 17:40 UTC »

“At the end of the day, every senior that got off that bus, not only are they going to vote, but they’re going to get five to ten people to vote with them,” Brown said.

Good attitude.

ThrowAway_Phone on October 15th, 2018 at 17:23 UTC »

This is Bull Shit!

There is nothing illegal in offering someone a ride to the polls who doesn't have a ride.

Georgia can go wipe their ass with 'special registrations'...

I_geriatric on October 15th, 2018 at 17:05 UTC »

2018 - and this sort of shit is STILL happening. Stay classy GOP.

As roughly 40 seniors boarded the group’s bus — plastered with photos of black people and black fists — the Louisville, Georgia senior center was notified that someone had called the county commissioner and complained that the bus didn’t have the proper registration to take voters to the polls.

Edit: they all eventually got back on the bus because there is no registration necessary to take people to the polls, but its still amazing that this shit happens in 2018.

Edit #2: I misread the article. Apparently they DIDN'T GET TO VOTE that day.

“At the end of the day, every senior that got off that bus, not only are they going to vote, but they’re going to get five to ten people to vote with them,” Brown said.