When exercising his right to vote, Rudy Ravindra of Wilmington, North Carolina felt discriminated against by a poll worker. Raw Story reports that when Ravindra tried to exercise his civic duty, things got bad. The incident prompted Ravindra to write an op-ed for the Raleigh News & Observer detailing his humiliating experience. Poll workers should be diligent in getting people inside booths to cast their votes.
Poll Workers Are Allowed To Ask For ID, That’s It
Poll workers ask for identification but are out of bounds when asking people do things like spelling their name. That is what happened a spelling test of sorts was issued to Ravindra who happens to brown skinned with a doctoral degree. He shares that although his legal name is Rudravajhala, he goes by Rudy. That seemed to present an issue for the poll worker who was checking him in. Reportedly he asked Ravindra in an angry voice to spell his name. He did so. One letter at a time. When the poll worker transcribed the letter “D” as “B” Ravindra, corrected him, “It’s “D like dog” and not “B” Well, that didn’t sit well either.
The Power of The Mighty Pen
Ravindra believed that if he made a scene he would risk being escorted out by the police. Later Ravindra wrote the op-ed detailing his experience. He detailed his outlandish and unpatriotic experience at the polls.
Ravindra’s Wife Was Also Quizzed At The Polls
His wife had been out of town. After she returned, Ravindra took her to cast her ballot on election day. She was also put through an unnecessary spelling test. Different polling site, same practice. The couple noted that in both instances that they were the only brown people present and white voters were not subjected to the same treatment. In fact, they breezed through the line while Ravindra and his wife were held up and interrogated with a spelling challenges.
Regarding Jim Crow: Let Him Die!
The treatment is reminiscent of literacy poll tests that were mandatory for black voters following the Civil war through Jim Crow years. Voters of color have been asked to recite the U.S. constitution, correctly guess the number of beans in a jar, and made to jump through hoops white voters were never subjected to.
Poll workers: Let’s keep Things Legal
Ravindra and his wife have lodged a complaint with the state Board of Elections. The director confirmed that while poll workers need to see ID, there is no need for voters to spell out their names. He also apologized for the treatment the Ravindra family experienced.
Featured Image Cali4Beach via Flickr, available under Creative Commons License 2.0
