In a story that has garnered national attention, the Georgia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is protesting the decision by the Randolph County elections board to shut down seven of its nine polling locations across the county, saying that it is “discriminatory, unjustifiable, and violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”
Last night Sean Young, the group’s legal director, spoke at the Randolph County Board of Elections & Registration public hearing concerning the proposal, giving this speech on why they are considering legal action to ensure that all of the county’s precincts remain open.
Democrats across the country have pointed to the closings as evidence of Republican election interference. Randolph County is, after all, 61% black and voted 55% in favor of Hillary Clinton in 2016. It also is lacking in public transportation, and a much higher than average percentage of the county lacks any personal vehicle, making traveling to vote even more difficult. The ACLU claims that individuals who currently vote at the polling places that would close under the proposal would have to travel an additional 10 miles on election day.
With that being said though, there is reason to believe that this ‘scheme’ by state Republicans in Randolph is being blown out of proportion by those with a higher agenda at play.
First of all Randolph County has a population of just 7,703 according to the 2015 census. Of its 4,235 registered voters, just 1,200 or so actually voted in the May general primary elections held earlier this year, when all nine precincts were open. If the GOP is attempting to steal votes in this poor, Democrat-leaning county, it is doing so neither quietly nor with any great effect.
With a median age of 44.4 and median household income of just $30,190, Randolph is undoubtedly one of the many rural counties in desperate need of aid from state officials. Rural healthcare, internet, and education have all been key issues under the Gold Dome in recent years and figure to feature heavily in the November elections. Perhaps more than an instance of some Republican boogeyman (namely one Secretary of State Brian Kemp) hatching an insidious plot to suppress 1,000 votes, this is an example of a struggling rural county being forced to make difficult financial decisions with a shrinking budget.
