Recently, the governor of Alabama, Robert Bentley came under severe scrutiny after his budget cuts included closing over 30 government offices — responsible for issuing driver licenses and photo IDs necessary to vote — in predominantly African-American communities.
Bentley, of course, denies the closings as being racially driven:
To suggest the closure of the driver’s license offices is a racial issue is simply not true, and to suggest otherwise should be considered an effort to promote a political agenda
Friday, Bentley decided to not close the offices completely, but instead open once a month, amid pressure from civil rights advocates and Democratic lawmakers.
My local DMV is open 4 days a week and it’s still a mad house! So how is one day a month sufficient?
The reversal of his decision did not stop Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton from letting Alabama law-makers have it. Clinton spoke at the Alabama Democratic Convention on Saturday and voiced her concerns regarding the issue:
Now here in Alabama, without the right kind of ID, it’s nearly impossible to vote. And I followed when Governor Bentley and his administration announced plans this month to close 31 driver’s license offices across the state. They include every single county where African-Americans make up more than 75% of registered voters.
She referred to this type of voter blocking as “a blast from the Jim Crow past” and said:
I’m not picking on Alabama, I just think we got to stop this before it gets out of control. Believe me, they won’t stop with rural counties and driver’s license offices, right.
Hillary Clinton hit the nail right on the head! The attempt to close these offices is another example of government-sanctioned racial oppression. The Republican party has been disenfranchising black voters for years. That’s why they pass Voter ID laws and close DMVs, polling places, and purge voter rolls. It is incredibly disturbing that fifty years after the Civil Rights Movements and more than century after the 13th Amendment was passed, the GOP is continuing their racism. Clearly they need to be reminded that voting is a right, NOT a privilege.
Watch:
Featured image via video screenshot
