Thoughts From The Middle Of Nowhere
I am a Republican, Christian, cisgender male. My
pronouns are he, him, his. But be kind enough to ask and aware enough to ask others.
If it ain't broke don't
fix it!
Election security,
election security, election reform These are all catch phrases for voter suppression.
It is indicative of state legislatures that see as a threat increased voter participation.
This is in reaction to the lie told by former President Trump that there was widespread
fraud in the 2020 Presidential election. I make the distinction because there was
no such complaints about down ballot elections.
But you say, “why
are these “reforms” voter suppression. Well simply because anything that makes casting
ballot harder will inevitably exclude some eligible voters.
Let's look at a couple
of these propose reforms: Shorter voting hours/days will make it harder for working
voters to get to the polls/cast a ballot because there will be less opportunities
for them to find time away from work to vote.
More restrictions on mail-in/absentee ballots:
we live in a very mobile society. We often don’t know where we will be from one
day to the next so we don’t often know where we will be on election day. One example;
National Guard troops deployed in an emergency response to a disaster. And a third
example; photo ID there are countless people that for various reasons do not have
photo ids. I'll give you a couple of examples.
I once had a supervisor
who worked for a time in Colorado. He told of workers who were moved by their companies
from metropolitan areas to Colorado and their lack of driving skills. He attributed
this to the fact that they used public transportation and had never even gotten
a driver’s license. And under these reforms they would be disqualified. Then there is my 80 year old mother-in-law who
voluntarily decided to give up her driver's license. She would be disqualified.
But you say “What about
the fraud?” Numerous investigations and
court decisions found little fraud in any voting area. These investigations and
judge's decisions came from parties from both political persuasions.
Now a solution: universal
mail-in ballots. Mail a ballot to EVERY eligible voter. AND provide multiple means
for their return. From the voter's mail box to election officials, locked drop off
boxes in numerous locations i.e. Wal-Marts, grocery stores, banks, etc., hand delivered
by friends, family, or volunteers, returned by the voter to their normal polling
place; either filled out or filled out in a provided voting booth. There can be
appropriate security provisions as long as they do not make it unnecessarily difficult
for the voter.
Oh, and the racism inherent
in all these “reforms.” A disportionate percentage
of people of color would be disenfranchised by ALL these proposed “reforms"
Peace and Love from
John Akins an old hippie from the Middle of Nowhere
