Independent Voters on the trump presidency

[Angrboda]

People need to understand that voting should be a civic duty.

Is what I've read about the roadblocks to voting in the US true?  I've seen news stories about people turned away at the polls for no good reason, and that some election officials intentionally make it difficult to vote.

FWIW, we had a general election here about this time last year, and the Election Commission were appalled that voter turn-out was only 79.8% (much better than 2014, but they pretty much scolded non-voters for not taking part).

Boru

Last night I heard an allegation concerning a situation in North Dakota. It seems that the Republicans in the state legislature voted in a law that the identification one uses to establish one's right to vote need have a physical address on it, not just a P.O. Box or something similar. Given the large Native American contingent in the state, many of whom for various reasons either don't have an identifiable physical address (say, if they live on a reservation), or otherwise simply choose to use a P.O. Box as their address, this requirement would cause many Native American voters who presumably would oppose Republican candidates to be unable to vote. This type of voter suppression along with gerrymandering is rampant in this country, buoyed by claims of the existence of extensive voter fraud, claims which have time and again been shown to be unsubstantiated. But this is a popular strategy of Republicans, to provoke fears in their base using myths and lies and prescribe a means of addressing those fears whose cost falls disproportionately upon the least able, the poor, the disenfranchised, the elderly, and so on. It's disgusting, but Republicans don't appear to have any reluctance to engage in such tactics. Perhaps Democrats and the left would do likewise, the unfortunate fact is that Republican majorities have had the power to do these things and haven't hesitated in doing so. I would hope the left is not as shameless when or if they come to power again.