Thread by @Lizamezzo, I believe this will be remembered as one of the great speeches [...]

I believe this will be remembered as one of the great speeches of these times.
A couple other thoughts below (but really you shouldn& #39;t be reading me before you read @IjeomaOluo, @jbouie, @BreeNewsome, @BerniceKing, @AngryBlackLady and many other Black American writers) https://twitter.com/mentnelson/status/1266562774118907904">https://twitter.com/mentnelso...

https://twitter.com/mentnelson/status/1266562774118907904

I respect and admire the calls by Killer Mike and others to mobilise, organise and vote in both the upcoming 9 June elections and in November.

The only way to undo the harm that& #39;s been done is to vote in numbers TOO LARGE TO BE F****D WITH

Because those clinging to power WILL f*** with those votes as much as they can.

This is the state where, in 2016, election data servers got mysteriously wiped when they were subpoenaed in a hacking enquiry

https://apnews.com/877ee1015f1c43f1965f63538b035d3f/APNewsBreak:-Georgia-election-server-wiped-after-suit-filed">https://apnews.com/877ee1015... https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/07/18/mueller-indictments-georgia-voting-infrastructure-219018">https://www.politico.com/magazine/...

Was Georgia’s Election System Hacked in 2016?

Robert Mueller’s latest indictments raise new questions about the integrity of Georgia’s voting infrastructure. Why is the state stonewalling?

https://apnews.com/877ee1015f1c43f1965f63538b035d3f/APNewsBreak:-Georgia-election-server-wiped-after-suit-filed

The GA Secretary of State at the time, who knew about the deletion, was Brian Kemp. He now sits in the Governor& #39;s mansion following a campaign during which he, in plain sight, purged an extraordinary number of voters from the rolls. https://www.apmreports.org/story/2018/10/19/georgia-voter-purge">https://www.apmreports.org/story/201...

Georgia purged an estimated 107,000 people largely for not voting, an APM Reports investigation...

A handful of states, most of them led by Republicans, are using someone's decision not to vote as the trigger for removing them from the rolls. No state has been more aggressive with this approach...

https://www.apmreports.org/story/2018/10/19/georgia-voter-purge

Polling place closures also suppressed voter turnout: https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/precinct-closures-harm-voter-turnout-georgia-ajc-analysis-finds/11sVcLyQCHuQRC8qtZ6lYP/">https://www.ajc.com/news/stat...

Precinct closures harm voter turnout in Georgia, AJC analysis finds

Tens of thousands more Georgia voters would have cast ballots if precincts hadn't been closed and relocated, according to an AJC analysis.

https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/precinct-closures-harm-voter-turnout-georgia-ajc-analysis-finds/11sVcLyQCHuQRC8qtZ6lYP/

Screenshot from this paywalled Washington Post article:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/10/30/did-racially-motivated-voter-suppression-thwart-stacey-abrams/">https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/...

But there are reasons for optimism. One organisation fighting vote suppression, in GA and nationwide, is @fairfightaction
https://fairfight.com/

Started">https://fairfight.com/">... by @staceyabrams, who ran against Kemp for Governor and whom I hope will go far in the future

Home | Fair Fight

Our Right to Vote is Under AttackREAD HOWFair Fight is Fighting BackLEARN HOWHelp us advocate for free and fair electionsCHIP IN Previous Next Voting is the bedrock on which our community’s future...

https://fairfight.com/

So, Georgia& #39;s democracy is threatened in all kinds of ways. But the harm can only be undone by those elected to office.

If I have a hope, it& #39;s that Georgians will vote in numbers TOO BIG TO BE F****D WITH

Braving whatever circumstances need to be braved

I hope that for all Americans, because we& #39;ve had 4 years knowing our electoral system is under constant attack, with those in power determined either to aid in the attack or do precisely nothing about it

But VOTING RIGHTS SHOULDN& #39;T BE A PARTISAN ISSUE

I repeat. VOTING RIGHTS SHOULDN& #39;T BE A PARTISAN ISSUE.

The vote is the fundamental right of every American citizen.

(As with any democracy)

But right now, those who are loudest about wrapping themselves in the flag are also those most determined to suppress the vote

Voter ID laws
Polling place closures
Voter roll purges
"Exact-match" name purges

The list goes on.
Just. please register, organise, vote.

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