Welcome to Election Week!
- Peace Action Canisius
- Nov 7, 2018
- 1 min read
Margaret Treichler
I’m sure you’ve heard it a million times, but here it is again: please, please, please vote. If you didn’t register in time, register right now in preparation for our next election season. And if you are registered but didn’t vote, please vote in the future.
Aside from being your civil duty, voting is a privilege- one that should not be taken for granted or casted aside.
Voter suppression exists and is real. Nearly ⅓ or Americans (or 123 million people) in our country can’t vote, whether it be due to immigration status, mental disability, criminal record, or age.
“In 2011, ten states introduced bills that would reduce early or absentee voting periods; such bills PASSED in Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia[,]” (ACLU).
On top of laws explicitly dismissing certain citizens from voting, other laws do this less overtly. For example many states have implemented voter ID laws, meanwhile “[a]pproximately 1 in 10 Americans do not have a government-issued photo ID. Approximately 1 in 4 African-Americans do not have a government-issued photo ID.”
The injustices surrounding voter rights don’t end here. To learn more check out the works cited page!
Next time you visit the polls don’t just vote as if your rights depend on it (which they do!), but vote with all those who can’t in mind.
Works Cited:
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