KENDALL KARSON
August 25, 2020, 4:32 PM CDTNBA superstar LeBron James is wading further into the fight over voter suppression, with his voting rights organization, More Than A Vote, launching a multimillion-dollar campaign to fortify the number of poll workers in vulnerable Black communities.
The group, which bands together James, other star athletes, state election officials and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, is partnering to draft young activists to work at polling locations for November's general election across the southern and battleground states of Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas.
"There are a lot of people who grew up in the inner city who are afraid to vote," James, the star of the Los Angeles Lakers, told reporters last week while wearing a "More Than a Vote" T-shirt inside the NBA's quarantined campus in Orlando, Florida. "We're giving everyone the tools, outlets."
Some of the states at the center of the effort were some of the sites of this year's most chaotic primaries. Georgia was one of the largest states to struggle with running an election during the COVID-19 pandemic -- but it is not alone. In early April, Wisconsin wrestled with similar challenges -- and saw similar scenes of long lines and voter confusion -- in what could be an unnerving preview of November if the virus persists.
PHOTO: eBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during a preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets as part of 2019 NBA Global Games China at Mercedes-Benz Arena on Oct. 10, 2019 in Shanghai, China. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images, File)
In Georgia, hours-long lines were compounded by problems with voting equipment and poll worker shortages, particularly in Atlanta's populous Fulton County.
In Wisconsin, the delays were due in part to nearly 60% of Wisconsin municipalities reporting a shortage of poll workers, and 111 jurisdictions reporting they could not staff even one polling place. Milwaukee, the state's largest city, only had five polling locations, a fraction of the 180 that typically operate on election day.
The new initiative seeks to confront the shortage of election volunteers, particularly in communities of color. Atlanta is majority Black, according to U.S. Census data, and Milwaukee County is home to 69.4% of Wisconsin's African American population, according to the most recent data cited by state's Department of Health Services.
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More than a Vote, which emerged in June amid demonstrations against the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, will focus on recruiting younger poll workers in order to shield older poll workers from the threat of the virus, organizers said. The effort will utilize corporate partnerships and paid advertising on digital, radio and TV to cast a wide net for volunteers.
The campaign, which was first reported by the New York Times and confirmed to ABC News, seeks to elevate the battle over voter suppression using the cultural influence of dozens of athletes and artists, along with the NAACP's resources, a spokesperson for the group said.
More than a Vote is also working to transform sports arenas left vacant by the pandemic into massive polling locations -- a model that was used in Kentucky's primary elections in June with relative success. So far they've joined forces with sports teams in Atlanta, Cleveland, Charlotte, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Sacramento.
PHOTO: Residents wait in long line to vote in a presidential primary election outside the Riverside High School in Milwaukee, April 7, 2020. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)
The nonprofit also committed in July to help pay outstanding fines and fees for former felons in Florida seeking to vote in November.
James' political involvement previously included endorsing Hillary Clinton in 2016 and appearing at a campaign rally. But his decision to launch More Than a Vote is perhaps his most consequential foray into the political arena.
"We know how important November is, but more importantly even past November because it doesn't stop," James said last week. "We don't want it to stop. We want to continue to put our foot on the gas and continue to learn and continue to educate ourselves, because when we don't it trickles down to the next generation -- because knowledge is power and when you don't have knowledge the kids that come after us, they don't have it and it trickles down from generation to generation to generation. So I want create mental wealth for generations to come."
LeBron James launching multimillion-dollar effort to recruit poll workers for November originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
is BronBron gonna do anything about these guys?
BronBron talks big shit. he's full of shit.
Obama Political Appointees Reportedly Overruled Career Justice Officials In Dropping Charges Against New Black Panther Party for Voter Intimidation
https://jonathanturley.org/2009/07/3...omment-page-5/
Associate Attorney General Thomas J. Perrelli overruled career lawyers at the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division to drop a complaint against three members of the New Black Panther Party of intimidating voters in Philadelphia during November’s election — including one member Samir Shabazz who brandished a nightstick.
Career lawyers wanted sanctions against the Black Panthers who showed and had already won a default judgment against the men.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Loretta King reportedly recommended dropping the case to Mr. Perrelli who is third in command at the DOJ.
This has become a major story for conservative commentators — some of whom have taken it to an absurd degree to suggest that the Obama Administration is in league with the New Black Panthers. There may indeed to legitimate legal reasons for the decision, but on its face it is hard to discern why career staff would be overruled on this point. It is perfectly appropriate for political appointees to make decisions based on the policy priorities of the Administration. However, this is a straight-forward question under a federal statute. I do not know of any specific Obama policy that would undermine enforcement. This was a limited occurrence. However, the Justice Department seems to suggest this is not actionable conduct. At a minimum, there should be a fuller explanation of why this is not a violation and what are the limits for paramilitary groups parading in front of polling places.
Under the circumstances, the complaint seemed reasonable when it was brought in January, here. Under Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits intimidation, coercion or threats against “any person for voting or attempting to vote.” The Department simply sought an injunction preventing any future deployment of, or display of weapons by, New Black Panther Party members at the entrance to polling locations. By dropping the complaint, the Obama Administration suggests that other groups could show up at polling places with such weapons and military-style uniforms. What if this were the Aryan Nation or Soldiers of God? Doesn’t brandishing a weapon have an intimidating effect on voters? I understand that the case was weakened by the fact that a police officer allowed at least one man to remain. However, it seems that the section was seeking a modest sanction to keep this group (or other groups) from showing up in paramilitary outfits and weapons.'
