Why voting rights bill should be a priority

I am a social justice advocate and want to tackle arguments opposing the Freedom to Vote Act that I believe reflect confused priorities.

Some opponents complain that this law would take away the power of states to administer their own elections. However, numerous states passed laws making it harder to vote in 2021. These laws will have a critical and disproportionate impact on minorities in urban areas. In addition, these laws were passed despite studies showing an inconsequential number of voter fraud cases. This calls into question whether numerous states are good-faith actors in running their own elections.

Opponents also cite certain polls showing popular opinion to be against the bill. Yet allowing public opinion to rule the day enabled slavery to exist for centuries after the South was settled while disregarding the human rights of slaves and enabled Jim Crow to persist in the South for a century after the Civil War while disregarding the rights of citizens of color. Moreover, opponents of safeguarding voting rights grumble about making it illegal to harass election officials while these officials get death threats.

The most critically important principle to advance with respect to voting in this country should be the fundamental protection of the right to vote, which was constitutionally enshrined in the 15th and 19th amendments. In turn, reforms made for voting in this country should intend to make voting easier, not harder. The Freedom to Vote Act has the ultimate intention of safeguarding that right by requiring that states offer early voting, mail voting and automatic, same-day and online voter registration, by expanding the range of legitimate IDs that can be accepted and by restricting error-prone voter roll purges. Congress must urgently pass this law to enable the voices of all eligible voters to be heard in time for the 2022 elections.

Rob Davies

Forest Park