Georgia’s Excuse For Closing Polling Stations In A Predominantly Black County Begins To Unravel
Civil rights advocates are fighting against the erosion of voting rights.
Posted August 22, 2018
Georgia election officials, who are under scrutiny for trying to shut down 75 percent of poll sites in a majority Black county, may have been caught lying.
See Also: Kristen Clarke Warns Georgia To Stop Suppressing The Black Vote, Or Else
Randolph County, which is 60 percent African American, doesn’t have any documentation to support its reason for closing seven of its nine polling places, the Huffington Post reported Wednesday, after obtaining a response to a public records request.
The county’s election officials had claimed that scores of residents would have to use alternative polling places, miles away, because the seven sites are not wheelchair accessible and thus violate federal disabilities laws.
This admission “proves that their alleged concern about [Americans with Disabilities Act] compliance is a sham,” said Sean Young, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, adding “This is not about ADA compliance, because if it were, they would have produced a study or analysis of what they believe are ADA violations and what can be done about them.”
Here's how to fix Black voter suppression in Georgia and elect Stacey Abrams….https://t.co/EvbVk8ck8B @LawyersComm @KristenClarkeJD pic.twitter.com/ILhLqGfFF8
— NewsOne (@newsone) August 21, 2018
Opponents believe the claim about handicap accessibility is a pretext to veil underlying racism and to keep the governor’s office under Republican control. Georgia’s Black voters have the opportunity to elect Stacey Abrams, who could become the nation’s first female African-American governor.
“We believe these threats to shut down polling sites violate both the Voting Rights Act and the Constitution,” Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, told NewsOne.
In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back a portion of the Voting Rights Act that required several jurisdictions, mainly in the Deep South, to obtain federal permission before changing how residents are allowed to vote. Since then, civil rights groups have been fighting to stem the steady erosion of voting rights.
To that end, Lawyers’ Committee submitted a pre-suit demand letter Monday to the Randolph County Board of Elections, objecting to the proposed closures.
Randolph County has a two-member election board that was expected to vote Friday on whether to shutter the polling stations. If the plan goes through, many of the rural county’s Black voters, who don’t have reliable transportation, would have to travel up to 10 miles to cast a ballot elsewhere.
SEE ALSO:
Schools Keep Denying Education To Black Students Over Hairstyles
Michelle Obama Shares Emotional Video Of Father Voting While Suffering From Multiple Sclerosis

Aretha Franklin Through The Years: 100 Vintage Pictures Of The Queen of Soul
Aretha Franklin Through The Years: 100 Vintage Pictures Of The Queen of Soul
1. Aretha Franklin

2. Aretha Franklin At The Hyatt Hotel

3. Vikings at Lions

4. Aretha Franklin during an appearance on NBC's 'Late Night with Seth Meyers.'

5. Aretha Franklin performs live

6. Aretha Franklin At Park West

7. Pope Francis Visits The Festival Of Families On Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway

8. Aretha Franklin At Park West

9. Late Night with Seth Meyers

10. Portrait Of Aretha Franklin

11. Aretha Franklin Portrait Session

12. Aretha Franklin

13. Aretha Franklin Portrait Session

14. Aretha Franklin & Glynn

15. Inaugural gala of the National Portrait Gallery honors five the American Portrait Prize

16. Aretha Franklin at American Music Awards

17. Aretha Franklin Standing with Her Brother

18. Lesley Ann Warren, Aretha Franklin, and Ali MacGraw

19. Aretha Franklin's 74th Birthday Celebration

20. Christie Brinkley Getting Autograph From Aretha Franklin

21. Aretha Franklin concert in Austin

22. Aretha Franklin Holding Grammy

23. 'Motown: The Musical'

24. Aretha Franklin Sings During Memorial Service

25. BET Honors

26. Aretha Franklin

27. Obama Presidential Inauguration

28. Aretha Franklin Live In Concert

29. Oprah's Surprise Spectacular in Chicago

30. American Gospel Singer Aretha Franklin

31. Aretha Franklin at the Democratic Convention

32. Aretha Franklin performs at the Lincoln Memorial

33. Jimmy Carter Presidential Inaugural Gala

34. Aretha Franklin at The Democratic National Convention

35. Soul singer Aretha Franklin.

36. White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

37. Aretha Franklin

38. Aretha Franklin, Annie Lennox, and Dave Stewart

39. Aretha Franklin

40. Inaugural gala

41. Aretha Franklin

42. Inauguration of President Clinton in 1993

43. Aretha Franklin

44. White House Correspondent's Dinner

45. Aretha Franklin

46. Kennedy Center Honors Reception

47. Aretha Franklin Portrait Session

48. Aretha Franklin Live in Concert

49. Aretha Fanklin pictured in the summer of 1970

50. Aretha Franklin

51. Montreal Jazz Festival

52. Patrick McMullan Archives

53. Aretha Franklin In In 1993

54. On the set of The Blues Brothers

55. Aretha Franklin In Boston In 1971

56. Patrick McMullan Archives

57. Aretha Franklin And Oprah Winfrey In New York City

58. Aretha Franklin

59. Patrick McMullan Archives

60. Aretha Franklin Performing at Madison Square Garden

61. Vikings at Lions

62. Aretha Franklin Portrait Session

63. 2017 Bardavon Gala: An Evening With Aretha Franklin

64. 'Clive Davis: The Soundtrack Of Our Lives' Premiere - 2017 Tribeca Film Festival

65. 'Clive Davis: The Soundtrack Of Our Lives' Premiere - 2017 Tribeca Film Festival

66. 2017 Detroit Music Weekend

67. Aretha Franklin Street Naming

68. Aretha Franklin Portrait Session

69. 2017 Detroit Music Weekend

70. Aretha Franklin Portrait Session

71. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno - Season 6

72. Aretha Franklin Portrait Session

73. Sony BMG Grammy Party - LA

74. Aretha Franklin Portrait Session

75. Aretha Franklin performs live

76. Aretha Franklin Portrait Session

77. Aretha Franklin Album Cover

78. BET Honors 2014: Debra Lee Pre-Dinner

79. Aretha Franklin Appears On Christmas At Home With The Stars

80. Arethra Franklin Performs in Philadelphia

81. Smokey Robinson In Concert - Detroit

82. Elton John AIDS Foundation Commemorates Its 25th Year And Honors Founder Sir Elton John During New York Fall Gala - Show

83. Late Show with David Letterman

84. Late Show with David Letterman

85. Elton John AIDS Foundation Commemorates Its 25th Year And Honors Founder Sir Elton John During New York Fall Gala - Show

86. Aretha Franklin performs during World Meeting of Families 2015

87. Aretha Franklin

88. Clive Davis At New York Friars Club

89. New York premiere of 'Selma'

90. Aretha Franklin

91. Aretha Franklin during an appearance on NBC's 'Late Night with Seth Meyers.'

92. 2016 Kennedy Center Honors - Arrivals

93. Aretha Franklin Performs for The National Marfan Foundation Benefit

94. Aretha Franklin performs at the Lincoln Memorial

95. Aretha Franklin Performing Live

96. Aretha Franklin...

97. Aretha Franklin performs at the Lincoln Memorial

98. Aretha Franklin Performing Live

99. 38th Annual Kennedy Center Honors

100. At The Hyatt Hotel

Aretha Franklin Through The Years: 100 Vintage Pictures Of The Queen of Soul
From her humble beginnings in music as an adorable teenage prodigy to all of her musical accomplishments throughout an impressive, lasting career, Aretha Franklin has always commanded positive attention and admiration. If you thought it was hard to ignore the allure of her inimitable voice and its enviable range, it may prove impossible to take your eyes off these stunning pictures of the Queen of Soul doing her thing. READ MORE: Powerhouse Performances From Aretha Franklin That Proves She Will Always Be The Queen Of Soul Amid reports of her failing health, NewsOne wanted to provide the below snapshot (actually, 100 of them) into Aretha's professional and personal lives, which were documented via these perfect photographs. Together, they paint a vivid, collective picture of someone whose clear passion was singing, entertaining and bringing joy into the lives of those she sang for over the course of nearly six decades in the public eye. They include, but definitely aren't limited to, vintage images of: her historic performance at the inauguration of 44th President Barack Obama in 2009; receiving an honorary doctorate from Harvard University; and a number of her hundreds of performances all around the world. Here they are, in no particular order.
Georgia’s Excuse For Closing Polling Stations In A Predominantly Black County Begins To Unravel was originally published on newsone.com