Elections

EXPLAIN? Graham says during forum ‘African Americans & immigrants’ can go anywhere in SC, as long as they’re conservative

Published

1 year ago

October 10, 2020

Staff Writer

Republican Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Lindsey Graham is one of the funniest lawmakers I’ve met and very politically savvy. But his statements during a candidates forum Friday night were downright weird and just the opposite of being politically savvy.

Graham should explain. Was he just being funny? Maybe, but it didn’t come across that way and is trending pretty seriously across social media all Saturday.

He said during the Friday forum after being asked about what he would do to quell the civil unrest that African-Americans and immigrants “can go anywhere in this state” as long as they are “conservative, not liberal.”

Friday nights forum was in lieu of the debate that was supposed to take place that night against his opponent for the South Carolina Senate seat Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison, who is black.

I seriously didn’t believe the clip at first because I’ve never heard the Senator say such a thing. An email was sent to see if there is a response to this statement. I will update the story with any response given from the Senator or his team.

What in the fuck? Note that the question asked was, “How will you address civil unrest in South Carolina?” https://t.co/AY6LZuyiHZ
— Meena Harris (@meena) October 10, 2020

You can follow Sara A Carter on Twitter @SaraCarterDC.

Elections

New York City Dems Push Law to Allow 800,000 Non-Citizens to Vote in Municipal Elections

The New York City Council will vote on December 9 on a law to allow green-card holders and residents with work permits to vote in municipal elections

Published

22 hours ago

November 28, 2021

Staff Writer

New York’s Democratic party is battling over the constitutionality of voter laws. On December 9, the New York City Council will vote on a law to allow green-card holders and residents with work permits to vote in municipal elections.

“Around 808,000 New York City residents who have work permits or are lawful permanent residents would be eligible to vote under the legislation, which has the support of 34 of 51 council members, a veto-proof majority” reports Fox News.

“It’s important for the Democratic Party to look at New York City and see that when voting rights are being attacked, we are expanding voter participation,” Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, a sponsor of the bill and Democrat who represents the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, told the New York Times. Rodriguez immigrated from the Dominican Republic and became a U.S. citizen in 2000.

Fox News reports:

Laura Wood, Chief Democracy Officer for the mayor’s office, said at a hearing on the bill in September that the law could violate the New York State Constitution, which states that voters must be U.S. citizens age 18 or older.

Mayor Bill de Blasio indicated he could veto the bill following the September hearing.
“We’ve done everything that we could possibly get our hands on to help immigrant New Yorkers—including undocumented folks—but…I don’t believe it is legal,” de Blasio told WNYC radio at the time.

Mayor-elect Eric Adams, however, submitted testimony to the September hearing in favor of the bill. “In a democracy, nothing is more fundamental than the right to vote and to say who represents you and your community in elected office…Currently, almost one million New Yorkers are denied this foundational right.”

The legislation was first introduced two years ago, but had not yet gained traction due to the legal concerns.