Counting of Electoral College votes at a joint session of Congress. Credit: Frank Scherschel/The LIFE Picture Collection/ Getty
Is a color-blind political system possible under our Constitution? If it is, the Supreme Court’s evisceration of the Voting Rights Act in 2013 did little to help matters. While black people in America today are not experiencing 1950s levels of voter suppression, efforts to keep them and other citizens from participating in elections began within 24 hours of the Shelby County v. Holder ruling and have only increased since then.
In Shelby County’s oral argument, Justice Antonin Scalia cautioned, “Whenever a society adopts racial entitlements, it is very difficult to get them out through the normal political processes.” Ironically enough, there is some truth to an otherwise frighteningly numb claim. American elections have an acute history of racial entitlements—only they don’t privilege black Americans.
For centuries, white votes have gotten undue weight, as a result of innovations such as poll taxes and voter-ID laws and outright violence to discourage racial minorities from voting. (The point was obvious to anyone paying […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
Yes, Let us just call ourselves The United Cities. Forget those rural people, and the states they inhabit. They don’t know nothin’ anyway. But enough facetiousness. The Electoral college had a function: Game Show Host Insurance. or protection from demagogues; but that function was cancelled by the two party lock on it. Thus… true, it is not functioning. But what is our billionaire insurance today… as an electorate?
This article wowed me enough to make me finally subscribe to The Nation. My deepest thanks to Mr. Codrington and to everyone who put a ton of work into this effort.