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.”
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
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2. Aretha Franklin At The Hyatt Hotel
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3. Vikings at Lions
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4. Aretha Franklin during an appearance on NBC's 'Late Night with Seth Meyers.'
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5. Aretha Franklin performs live
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6. Aretha Franklin At Park West
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7. Pope Francis Visits The Festival Of Families On Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway
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8. Aretha Franklin At Park West
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9. Late Night with Seth Meyers
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10. Portrait Of Aretha Franklin
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11. Aretha Franklin Portrait Session
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12. Aretha Franklin
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13. Aretha Franklin Portrait Session
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14. Aretha Franklin & Glynn
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15. Inaugural gala of the National Portrait Gallery honors five the American Portrait Prize
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16. Aretha Franklin at American Music Awards
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17. Aretha Franklin Standing with Her Brother
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18. Lesley Ann Warren, Aretha Franklin, and Ali MacGraw
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19. Aretha Franklin's 74th Birthday Celebration
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20. Christie Brinkley Getting Autograph From Aretha Franklin
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21. Aretha Franklin concert in Austin
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22. Aretha Franklin Holding Grammy
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23. 'Motown: The Musical'
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24. Aretha Franklin Sings During Memorial Service
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25. BET Honors
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26. Aretha Franklin
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27. Obama Presidential Inauguration
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28. Aretha Franklin Live In Concert
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29. Oprah's Surprise Spectacular in Chicago
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30. American Gospel Singer Aretha Franklin
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31. Aretha Franklin at the Democratic Convention
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32. Aretha Franklin performs at the Lincoln Memorial
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33. Jimmy Carter Presidential Inaugural Gala
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34. Aretha Franklin at The Democratic National Convention
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35. Soul singer Aretha Franklin.
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36. White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
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37. Aretha Franklin
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38. Aretha Franklin, Annie Lennox, and Dave Stewart
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39. Aretha Franklin
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40. Inaugural gala
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41. Aretha Franklin
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42. Inauguration of President Clinton in 1993
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43. Aretha Franklin
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44. White House Correspondent's Dinner
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45. Aretha Franklin
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46. Kennedy Center Honors Reception
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47. Aretha Franklin Portrait Session
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48. Aretha Franklin Live in Concert
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49. Aretha Fanklin pictured in the summer of 1970
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50. Aretha Franklin
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51. Montreal Jazz Festival
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52. Patrick McMullan Archives
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53. Aretha Franklin In In 1993
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54. On the set of The Blues Brothers
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55. Aretha Franklin In Boston In 1971
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56. Patrick McMullan Archives
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57. Aretha Franklin And Oprah Winfrey In New York City
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58. Aretha Franklin
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59. Patrick McMullan Archives
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60. Aretha Franklin Performing at Madison Square Garden
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61. Vikings at Lions
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62. Aretha Franklin Portrait Session
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63. 2017 Bardavon Gala: An Evening With Aretha Franklin
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64. 'Clive Davis: The Soundtrack Of Our Lives' Premiere - 2017 Tribeca Film Festival
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65. 'Clive Davis: The Soundtrack Of Our Lives' Premiere - 2017 Tribeca Film Festival
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66. 2017 Detroit Music Weekend
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67. Aretha Franklin Street Naming
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68. Aretha Franklin Portrait Session
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69. 2017 Detroit Music Weekend
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70. Aretha Franklin Portrait Session
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71. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno - Season 6
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72. Aretha Franklin Portrait Session
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73. Sony BMG Grammy Party - LA
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74. Aretha Franklin Portrait Session
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75. Aretha Franklin performs live
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76. Aretha Franklin Portrait Session
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77. Aretha Franklin Album Cover
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78. BET Honors 2014: Debra Lee Pre-Dinner
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79. Aretha Franklin Appears On Christmas At Home With The Stars
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80. Arethra Franklin Performs in Philadelphia
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81. Smokey Robinson In Concert - Detroit
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82. Elton John AIDS Foundation Commemorates Its 25th Year And Honors Founder Sir Elton John During New York Fall Gala - Show
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83. Late Show with David Letterman
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84. Late Show with David Letterman
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85. Elton John AIDS Foundation Commemorates Its 25th Year And Honors Founder Sir Elton John During New York Fall Gala - Show
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86. Aretha Franklin performs during World Meeting of Families 2015
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87. Aretha Franklin
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88. Clive Davis At New York Friars Club
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89. New York premiere of 'Selma'
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90. Aretha Franklin
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91. Aretha Franklin during an appearance on NBC's 'Late Night with Seth Meyers.'
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92. 2016 Kennedy Center Honors - Arrivals
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93. Aretha Franklin Performs for The National Marfan Foundation Benefit
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94. Aretha Franklin performs at the Lincoln Memorial
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95. Aretha Franklin Performing Live
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97. Aretha Franklin performs at the Lincoln Memorial
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98. Aretha Franklin Performing Live
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99. 38th Annual Kennedy Center Honors
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100. At The Hyatt Hotel
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Continue reading 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
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
