This Game Captures How Voter ID Laws Disenfranchise Minorities

When one thinks of learning games, one thinks of The Oregon Trail. The ancient icon followed a wagon train across the United States as the weary settlers sought fortune at America's other shining sea. It's a game about optimism, hope, and about acquiring knowledge about how our country was formed. A new game from the New York Times, "The Voter Suppression Trail," shows how the deck is stacked against people trying to cast their ballots. The game presents the user with three options of character: a white programmer from California, a Latina nurse from Texas, and a Black salesman from Wisconsin. While your goal is always to vote, the process is very very different. This game is especially prescient given the rise of Jim Crow-style voter suppression tactics like Republican purging huge swaths of Black voters from the registered rolls in North Carolina by using a process that breaks federal law. That would be the same GOP that Democrats tripped over themselves to give money to when an insured campaign office burned down in an apparent firebombing. While we may understand the unfairness intellectually, the game really helps drive the point home. It's an often-frustrating experience, especially if your vote doesn't count. Play it here.