Time to Modernize America’s Voting System

“It is my principle that the will of the majority should always prevail.”  
― Thomas Jefferson

“Every election is determined by the people who show up.”
― Larry J. Sabato

“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.”
― Winston S. Churchill

Democracy – “the will of the majority” – works best when more people vote.  A majority of Americans across the political spectrum want free and fair elections, a popular, non-partisan issue.  Today, only the most cynical of political partisans would claim that just a portion of eligible voters should be able to vote – a relic of previous, disturbing eras.  We must protect the voting rights of every American, Democratic and Republican alike.  It is our birthright.  The For the People Act 2021, when passed, will make it easier for all eligible voters, no matter which political party they support, to vote.  

“One Person, One Vote” is a core principle of American democracy, Electoral College aside.  And while the definition of “person” has changed over the years, as laws adjust to society’s norms, today, people of all races and genders can vote.  Yay, America!  

In 2020, Democratic and Republican legislators updated voting laws to make it easier for eligible voters to safely vote during the Coronavirus pandemic.  The most common changes made were to increase eligibility for absentee/mail-in voting, extend voter registration deadlines, and expand early voting dates and times.  These changes resulted in the highest voter participation in 120 years and with no pervasive election fraud.  If you remember, Republican claims of fraud were rejected by election officials of both parties in state after state, by courts up to the U.S. Supreme Court, and even by then-Attorney General William Barr – the top law enforcement officer in the country – who announced there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud.  So, to recap, the election law changes resulted in record-high turnout and low fraud; again – yay, America!  

However, high voter turnout and minimal fraud did not make everyone happy.  Because the shrinking  Republican base makes getting elected more difficult – that and the fact their policies are ridiculous –Republicans have decided that preventing Democrats from voting is the only way to win future elections.  To achieve this, Republican legislators will use every tool at their disposal, from partisan gerrymandering to voter suppression, from purging voter-rolls to expanding dark money spending, all aimed at limiting the number of votes for Democrats.  So, instead of trying to win elections with better policies and ideas, Republicans are focused on finding ways to prevent Democrats from voting.  Boo, Republicans!  

Not wasting time, Republicans in 47 states have already introduced 361 bills aimed at restricting voting access.  According to the Brennan Center for Justice, these bills will: limit mail voting access; impose stricter voter ID requirements; slash voter registration opportunities; and enable more aggressive voter roll purges.  In other words, these Republican bills will reverse the very practices put in place for the 2020 election – possibly the safest American election with the highest voter turnout.  Republicans are so afraid of fair elections they are willing to make it harder for their own voters to show up at the polls if they can be sure to exclude even more Democratic voters.  Again – boo, Republicans!  

Why should Republican lawmakers in 47 states get to choose whose vote counts?  Democracy works the other way around; the voters choose their representatives.  We should demand a standard, a baseline, every state must meet.  Perhaps an update – a modernization – of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, including terms addressing automatic voter registration, expanding voting options, codifying non-partisan gerrymandering, and an end to dark money.  That update, setting a new standard, is the For the People Act 2021.

For ALL the People

The Congressional Research Service says the For the People Act 2021 addresses “voter access, election integrity and security, campaign finance, and ethics for the three branches of government.”  You can and should read what the bill says here.  (For articles that break down the bill’s contents, start here, here, here, and here.)  There is no doubt this legislation will modernize the voting system and protect the rights for all eligible American voters – Republican, Democratic, or other – to vote.  And that is exactly why Republican lawmakers are so against it.

We have seen laws changed to better match society’s norms and to meet challenges presented by modernization and technology.  The For the People Act 2021 is a long-overdue update of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  A lot has changed in the past 50 years, our laws should reflect those changes.

Sitting here in deep-red Anderson County, we can testify to the accuracy of Larry J. Sabato’s words above.  We may be outnumbered right now, but our ideas will soon carry the day – just like the much-maligned American Rescue Plan that Republican lawmakers refused to vote for but are now, belatedly, praising and taking credit for.  But we, Democrats of Anderson County, must “show up.” We must show up not just for elections, but to meet our candidates, to knock on our neighbors' doors, to call and write emails to all our representatives, to write letters to newspaper editors, and to make posters for rallies at parks and marches in the street.  We need to organize and be seen.

So, come join us at the Anderson County Democratic Party.  We are all volunteers giving what free time we can to fight for the people of Anderson County.  We need you and your ideas.  Help us organize phone banks and letter-writing campaigns or participate in a different capacity – perhaps run for office.   If you are committed to Democratic principles, you should consider getting involved.  As the management guru Stephen Covey advised: “Without involvement, there is no commitment.” Show your commitment by getting involved.  CLICK HERE and join us now.  

Links:

Nine Election Fraud Claims, None Credible, factcheck.org, 12/11/2020

Inside the Koch-Backed Effort to Block the Largest Election-Reform Bill in Half a Century, New Yorker, 3/29/21

253 bills in 43 states: How Republicans are using Trump's 'big lie' to enact a 'tidal wave of voter suppression', AlterNet, 2/28/2021 

Share of Republicans saying ‘everything possible’ should be done to make voting easy declines sharply, Pew Research Center 4/1/2021

More than half of Americans support open access to early and absentee voting, but nearly a third disagree, Associated Press (via MarketWatch.com) 4/2/2021 – (“When you ask questions that are focused specifically on voting, you can’t help but step into what is a supercharged debate that is still resonating coming off the 2020 election,” said U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes, one of the lead sponsors of the Democrats’ bill. “There continues to be a lot of misinformation around what it means to have accurate and fair elections and voting in this country.”)