After the killing of Reconstruction in the South in 1876 by withdrawing Federal Troops that were enforcing it, the white supremacist South disenfranchised and terrorized blacks and instituted the reality of Jim Crow. One main feature of Jim Crow was keeping blacks from the polls.
Tragically, Jim Crow is rising again. Suppression of black votes seems to be pretty much the only strategy that today's Republican Party has. The most recent and obvious example is the statement by Arizona Republican John Kavanaugh:
"...we don’t mind putting security measures in that won’t let everybody vote — but everybody shouldn’t be voting... “Quantity is important, but we have to look at the quality of votes, as well.””
"Quality" of votes? You mean only white votes? Yup. Hard to be more blatant than that.
The Supreme Court made a tragic mistake (?) when they overturned the Voting Rights Act in the Shelby county v. Holder ruling in 2013. They claimed the racism was gone and the "previously racist" states could be trusted going forward.
Nope.
The restraints were taken off those states and racist voter suppression measures were enacted with gusto - from closing polling places in black and brown communities, to requiring onerous voter ID requirements, to preventing early voting, to restricting mail in voting, etc. Jim Crow all over again.
The pretense is that the Republicans are nobly protecting against voter fraud. But the Reps have been trying and FAILING to prove voter fraud for decades.
Most infamously, Kris Kobach of Kansas pretty much based his whole career on the racist claim that black and brown people were committing massive voter fraud. He failed to prove it over and over again. His most recent most consequential failure was when Trump had him head up a commission to find voter fraud and disbanded it as quietly as possible in 2018 without producing a report. The report, if honest, would have simply said that they could not find meaningful voter fraud.
So, what to do? LIE.
The Former Guy in the White House came up with the Big Lie that he won the election in a landslide and voter fraud stole the election from him. Big Lies end up killing people and this one still could. But, for now, Republicans are content to just do everything they can to suppress black and brown votes.
Jim Crow rides again.
