With the predictable – and predicted – debacles yesterday regarding voting rights/voter suppression at the Wisconsin and U.S. Supreme Courts, both of which are dominated by “partisan Republican hacks in robes,” I was going to write on this topic, but…Del. Mark Levine beat me to the punch and saved me the time and energy. Because, the fact is, any Virginia Democrat and/or progressive who believes that the overwhelmingly Republican, right-wingnut Virginia Supreme Court will behave any better than they just did in Wisconsin and SCOTUS, when it comes to drawing Virginia’s political district lines next year, is either on some sort of highly mind-alterning chemicals or falls into the “terminally naive” category. So why would any Democrat have voted to make the overwhelmingly right-leaning Virginia Supreme Court the “backstop” for redistricting, in the Virginia constitution no less (!), and if only two House or two Senate Republicans on the redistricting commission decide they want to kick it to their GOP friends at the Court? Yeah, got me. With that…here’s Del. Levine’s analysis.
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For naive Virginians who think the Republican Supreme Court of Virginia will play fair when given the unrestricted and absolute right to gerrymander Virginia to oblivion provided to them by the Constitutional Amendment on the ballot this fall, let Wisconsin be your guide.
Both the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the US Supreme Court have ruled they would prefer voters DIE rather than have a fair opportunity to cast ballots for a Democratic challenger to a Republican Wisconsin Supreme Court Judge.
In 2018 in Wisconsin, 54% of voters chose Democrats.
On that vote, Republicans control 64% of the legislature.
Of course, the Constitutional Amendment will allow the Republican Supreme Court of Virginia to gerrymander Virginia way WORSE than Wisconsin.
After all, Wisconsin’s Supreme Court has to be chosen by voters this year who — absent a pandemic — would likely kick them out of office. That’s why they have to work so hard to disenfranchise Democrats.
On the other hand, the Constitutional Amendment on the ballot this fall would allow the Virginia Supreme Court to reappoint Itself for eternity.
If you vote for the constitutional amendment this fall, you will literally be voting to take away your right to vote.
I don’t know whether the Government of Wisconsin can ever be returned to the People of Wisconsin. But I do know that Virginia doesn’t have to go the way of Wisconsin.
We still have a democracy…for now. But the Constitutional Amendment on the ballot this fall is a threat to Virginia’s democracy.
We will become Wisconsin.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
— Cassandra
https://www.vox.com/…/wisconsin-governor-delays-election-to…
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