North Carolina Tea Party Uses Dog Whistle Politics to Challenge Minority Voters

*This story caught my attention because of its “dog whistle” pattern. It comes from Ashville, North Carolina, not too far from the Appalachian Trail. Ashville’s population is almost 69,ooo – a small community, 78% white, almost 4% Latino. Tea Party activists there have challenged a specific number of voters, accusing them potential voter fraud. The vast majority of the voters challenged live in poor or minority communities. The tactic is simple, they sent mailers to voter addresses on the voter rolls, all of the mailers that were returned as “undeliverable” were put on a “suspicious” list. It sounds legitimate, but it disproportionately affects a specific group of voters. Kudos to the local League of Women voters for calling them out. VL

By Margaret Williams, Mountain Xpress

The League of Women Voters of Asheville-Buncombe County has raised serious concerns regarding the legitimacy and intent of the 182 voter challenges brought by the Raleigh-based Voter Integrity Project. Out of 80 Buncombe County precincts, all 182 challenged voters live in one of 11 precincts. These 11 precincts are all located within the City of Asheville and include Hall Fletcher, Shiloh and Burton Street communities and 5 public housing developments including Hillcrest, Livingston, and Aston Park Towers.

“When you look at the list of challenged voters and their precincts, a disturbing pattern emerges where it appears the Voter Integrity Project and the Asheville Tea Party targeted low-income communities and African American communities. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, this has the effect of intimidating voters in these neighborhoods,” stated Sarah Zambon, the League’s Voting Rights Chair.

Click HERE to read the full story.

[Photo by Stephen Melkisethian/Flickr]

Subscribe today!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Must Read