NAACP Sues Virginia Governor

[T2T III]

This simply amazes me. If a group suspects that there's an issue with the length of times the polls are open, then why not form a coalition with other groups to request longer hours. What good will a lawsuit do in the 11th hour?

WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) --- Virginia's chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has sued Governor Kaine and the Virginia State Board of Elections saying the state is "inadequately prepared" to conduct the November Fourth election and claiming "The allocation of polling place resources is plainly irrational, non-uniform, and likely discriminatory."

The lawsuit claims some minority precincts do not have enough voting machines to avoid long lines. It says votes will be lost because voters will tire of waiting and leave without having cast a vote.

"We have found in Richmond and some Virginia Beach precincts that there are fewer machines per voter if you are in a predominantly African-American precinct," said Judith Browne-Dianis, a lawyer for the Advancement project who helped draft the complaint, which was filed in federal court.

"We are concerned that the state is not prepared. They don't have enough machines. They don't have enough poll workers. This is Virginia's first time being a battleground state and we want to make sure that the burden isn't on voters on election day," she told 9NEWS NOW.

The lawsuit seeks remedies that include the re-allocation of voting machines, rental of additional machines, the use of paper ballots when lines are so long voters would have to wait for more than 45 minutes, and the extension of voting hours.

The State Board of Elections issued a statement saying it will respond to the lawsuit after consulting with the Attorney General. It also said the state is in compliance with regulations dictating a machine to voter ratio. And it says the state has purchased nearly five thousand additional voting machines since the 2004 election.

Source

 

[TheSlamma]

There should be more machines. Here in Colorado at the city of Centennial (well to do white people) they have 8-10 machines per site, at the one in my Denver neighborhood (Montclair rec center) they had 4.

 

[Fern]

So the NAACP is suing Kaine, a Democrat, an Obama confidant and one-time possible Obama VP choice, for being discriminatory?

Fern

 

[jackschmittusa]

T2T III

There may be hope that since a lawsuit may have repercussions, it may spur action, while a complaint may just be blown off. A lawsuit is basically a challenge to someone to correct a perceived wrong or defend their position. A request can be ignored with little consequence.

Does the suit have merit? I am not in a position to tell. I doubt the OP is either.

 

[T2T III]

Originally posted by: Fern
So the NAACP is suing Kaine, a Democrat, an Obama confidant and one-time possible Obama VP choice, for being discriminatory?

Fern

Yes, you've basically summarized it.