A. Barton Hinkle on (Non)Voter-Shaming

Steve Serrao got a report card in
June. It listed him as a non-voter. His wife, Renee, who teaches
government, strenuously disputes that. “We’re contacting you and
your neighbors today to let folks know who does and who doesn’t
vote,” the report card says. “As you can see below, your neighbors
who have voted are concerned about the community’s well-being. Are
you?” Nancy Meacham of Roanoke got a similarly ominous audit from
the group in November—as did others around the state. Many of them
felt, quite rightly, that the mailings amounted to rank voter
intimidation. As A. Barton Hinkle writes, public shaming of this
sort is nothing new; it has been used often throughout
history—usually by exceedingly undemocratic and illiberal regimes,
such as ancient Rome, Puritan America, contemporary Iran and 20th
century communism.

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