How to Recognize Voter Suppression in its Habitat Naturel
Zine, Bronwyn Mauldin, bronwynmauldin.com, $7
It’s safe to say that in 2017, fair and equal representation at the ballot box is a must. Politicians have long used different methods to stop people opposed to their policies from exercising their right to vote, and all of those are well covered here: voter ID laws, purging voter rolls, and cutting funding to election agencies.
Although this is an American zine, many of these details will sound too familiar to anyone who remembers Canada’s Fair Elections Act (also known as Bill C-23, also known as the bill introduced by the Conservative Party of Canada to make it harder for students and individuals without driver’s licences to vote). Remember when the Conservatives stripped Elections Canada of the power to promote voter turnout? These things were not front-page news, but there was an insidious effort on the part of the government of the day to make it harder for folks to exercise their democratic right, justified by dubious claims of voter fraud.
To be honest, I found the US-specific information just as interesting. The infographic on the Electoral College demonstrates how the relative power of one voter from Wyoming is equal to that of 3.7 Florida voters. Wow. Bonus: This short booklet is released on a Creative Commons licence, which allows for redistribution for non-profit purposes. (Chris Landry)