Alabama to stop issuing driver’s licenses in counties with 75% black registered voters

www.rawstory.com...

The state of Alabama, which requires a photo ID to vote, announced this week that it would stop issuing driver’s licenses in counties where 75 percent of registered voters are black.

Due to budget cuts, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said that 31 satellite DMV offices would no longer have access to driver’s licenses examiners, meaning that residents will need to travel to other counties to apply for licenses. The move comes just one year after the state’s voter photo ID law went into effect.

“Because Alabama just took a giant step backward,” he wrote. “Take a look at the 10 Alabama counties with the highest percentage of non-white registered voters. That’s Macon, Greene, Sumter, Lowndes, Bullock, Perry, Wilcox, Dallas, Hale, and Montgomery, according to the Alabama Secretary of State’s office. Alabama, thanks to its budgetary insanity and inanity, just opted to close driver license bureaus in eight of them.”

This racist BS is going to backfire on Alabama big time. Now more black people will get their DL/voting registration and vote in their own self interest. Black community leaders are going to use this racist ploy to energize black voters like never before.

I wonder why no white county DL offices were closed.

a reply to: olaru12

Are you sure the real reason wasn't because of this:

"The Driver License Division is severely understaffed and has 103 vacant positions as a result of past budget cuts and attrition," read a statement on the ALEA's website. The agency's statement said that the locations that are closing accounted for less than 5 percent of all the transactions it typically performs.

Huffington Post

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying there is no way there isn't a more sinister plot behind this. They are a Republican state and we know how dirty those guys play.

originally posted by: amicktd
a reply to: olaru12

Are you sure the real reason wasn't because of this:

"The Driver License Division is severely understaffed and has 103 vacant positions as a result of past budget cuts and attrition," read a statement on the ALEA's website. The agency's statement said that the locations that are closing accounted for less than 5 percent of all the transactions it typically performs.

Huffington Post

It very well could be....

But in politics, it's perception that matters and this will be perceived as an attempt at a racist exclusion of voters.

This could have been handled very differently.

originally posted by: olaru12

originally posted by: amicktd
a reply to: olaru12

Are you sure the real reason wasn't because of this:

"The Driver License Division is severely understaffed and has 103 vacant positions as a result of past budget cuts and attrition," read a statement on the ALEA's website. The agency's statement said that the locations that are closing accounted for less than 5 percent of all the transactions it typically performs.

Huffington Post

It very well could be....

But in politics, it's perception that matters and this will be perceived as an attempt at a racist exclusion of voters.

This could have been handled very differently.

I completely agree, but wanted to prevent the race baiting before they all jump in the thread. I added a little to my first reply.

but wanted to prevent the race baiting before they all jump in the thread

Too late. The very title is race baiting.




If anybody should be interested in the truth -- the non-racist version. Read this:

State parks and driver license offices were the first casualties announced because of the reduced state budget, which goes into effect Thursday.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency announced today that driver license examiners will no longer work at 31 part-time satellite offices not owned by the state.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced that five state parks will close on Oct. 15.

Also, six National Guard armories will close in addition to 15 that were already expected to be closed and consolidated.

www.al.com...

If you want to know the actual reasons, please read the article. The offices in those counties were NOT closed because of race, but because those are the counties with the lowest populations.

Despite popular belief, racism is dying. TPTB know this and for the past couple of years, have been fanning the flames as best they can. Articles like this are proof.

They're under staffed with 103 vacant positions.

Would YOU want to work for a little more than the minimum wage at the DMV, telling people no all day?

Imagine waiting in line for 2 hours to be told no, you can't get your driver's license today.

Now imagine being the person that has to break that news to you, who deals with angry people like you for 8+ hours a day.

No, I certainly would NOT want to that job, even if it was $15/hour.

Looks like another raw sewage story from the raw story.

All government failures seem to affect many people.

originally posted by: xuenchen
Looks like another raw sewage story from the raw story.

All government failures seem to affect many people.

Well put my republican friend. Well put.

Oh, I almost forgot:

originally posted by: xuenchen
Looks like another raw sewage story from the raw story.

All government failures seem to affect many people.

Be that as it may....

How do you think this will be played locally? Perception in politics is the deciding factor nationally and especially locally. Why do you think both sides employ media teams to spin news into a favorable outcome?



The coming local elections could look very different because of this faux pax. Minorities are becoming more politically sophisticated...not less.

This isn't a "leave it to Beaver" country anymore; there are drastic changes on the horizon.

a reply to: olaru12

I can assure it is being taken locally only for what it is. People are more unhappy about the parks closing, then some folks, black and white, having to drive a little further to get their license renewed. This is being sensationalized and made into something it isn't.

originally posted by: olaru12

But in politics, it's perception that matters and this will be perceived as an attempt at a racist exclusion of voters.

...says the guy trying to alter our perception by posting a raw story article that spun this into a racist exclusion of voters.

Well here we go again. Why is it there is always someone trying to play the racist card. Alabama had been fighting over a budget for months. ALL kind of cuts has been discussed. This has NOTHING to do with race or at least it did not until someone wanted to try to start a race issue. The counties where the DMV 's were closed only accounted for 2000 DL's issued all year. That is collectively. That is out of all DMV's in Alabama. Alabama legislator did not sit down and say let us single out these counties. They got all of us. Closing state parks and the DMV's closing are inconvenient but the gas tax and cigarette tax are draining on already thin wages. If anything, smokers are the ones who are being discriminated against. The gas tax just raised Alabama gas prices while other states are seeing lower prices. Oh and the photo ID to vote, there were counties that had more dead people voting than alive. That wasn't done for any other reason than to try to stop voter fraud.

In my state we don`t have DMV offices in every county and nobody seems to be complaining much about having to drive to another county to take care of their motor vehicle needs.
If you can`t be bothered to drive to another county to get a photo ID then you probably won`t bother to vote anyways.

originally posted by: angeldoll

but wanted to prevent the race baiting before they all jump in the thread

If you want to know the actual reasons, please read the article. The offices in those counties were NOT closed because of race, but because those are the counties with the lowest populations.

This is exactly the sort of lie that the bigots try to perpetuate. Montgomery County is the fourth most populous (229,000) of the 67 counties in Alabama and lost its office. Dallas County is 28th of the 67. Greene County is the least populous (9700) and it keeps its office.

originally posted by: drifter1109
The counties where the DMV 's were closed only accounted for 2000 DL's issued all year. That is collectively.

Source please?

That would be an interesting fact if true.

a reply to: F4guy

WTH? Montgomery county DID NOT lose an office and furthermore Montgomery county has multiple offices and places to renew a driver's license. It's the state capital, and highly populated. Whoever posted "Montgomery County" posted it because it has a high population of black peeps. Green county has one of the highest populations of Black people in the country. It's a small county. It lost a satellite office.

I don't know what the hell you are talking about, and apparently you don't either.

a reply to: F4guy

Dear Hot Shot:

There is a list here of the 'satellite offices' that closed. It's down the page, in chart-form. Also, if you have accused me of propagating racism, then you should apologize.

www.al.com...

Sincerely,
Statesthefacts

Come to think of it, I'm pretty damn happy to hear this. At least someone figured out a way to cut a budget that wasn't cutting funding for the poor. Way to Go Alabama!

originally posted by: angeldoll
a reply to: F4guy

Dear Hot Shot:

There is a list here of the 'satellite offices' that closed. It's down the page, in chart-form. Also, if you have accused me of propagating racism, then you should apologize.

www.al.com...

Sincerely,
Statesthefacts

The truth hurts, doesn't it?