Voter rights being suppressed

BY ARIELLE ZOLEZZI

Although the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was supposed to secure every American’s right to vote, voter suppression is still as prominent today as it was in the 1940’s and 1950’s. It may not be people with ropes and dogs waiting outside the polls, but it is alive and well.

NPR host Michel Martin reported that within “the last few years, a number of states have made aggressive efforts to purge voting rolls and to make more demands of people trying to register to vote.”

Martin also mentioned that people may not remember, “but in the 1980s, a consent decree blocked the Republican National Committee from posting armed off-duty law enforcement at polling stations in minority neighborhoods.

Today, voter suppression isn’t as in your face, and that is what makes it so dangerous.

One way that suppression at the polls has been able to continue is moving and closing polling sites.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights reported that states across the American South have closed nearly 1,200 polling places since the Supreme Court weakened a landmark voting-discrimination law in 2013.

Some of the ways the government is facilitating this is by having shorter voting hours and photo-ID requirements. But this has not discouraged voters.

The report found that there are even seven counties in Georgia now that have only one polling place.

CNN reporter Joshua A. Douglas wrote that a number of courts are refusing to protect the right to vote.

“Although some federal district courts have eased certain election laws to make it easier to vote during the pandemic, the Supreme Court and federal appellate courts have mostly reversed these rulings,” Douglas said. “The appellate courts are instead unduly deferring to state legislatures and election officials.”

It is disturbing to see voter suppression so easily navigate throughout our democracy, because it defeats the purpose.

We must band together as a country, to protect the rights that should have never been at jeopardy.

If you are a registered voter make sure you vote early and make your voice heard, either by mail or at a ballot-dropoff center that can be found either at Pierce College or one of the many dropoff centers in your surrounding area.

But don’t stop there. Once we elect who we want in office, we must hold these elected officials accountable and demand protection of our rights and freedoms.

Street Beat

WHY ARE YOU VOTING?

BY ARIELLE ZOLEZZI

“There is a lot at stake this election and it is natural not wanting to get things wrong, but this is a genuine moment in history that people are going to look back on and you don’t want to say that you just stood there quiet.”

Arielle Zolezzi

Don’t get me wrong, it is easy to understand the basis behind feeling that you can’t morally support one candidate or the other, but besides the moral crisis our country is falling under at the moment, there are other things on the ballot that can change our lives.

The Knight Foundation reported that in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, around 43% of eligible voters did not cast ballots.

There is a lot at stake this election and it is natural not wanting to get things wrong, but this is a genuine moment in history that people are going to look back on and you don’t want to say that you just stood there quiet.

Proposition 18 concerns election policy, including campaign finance, election dates, election systems, redistricting, suffrage, and term limits. There are 13 other states with similar measures on the ballot.

According to BallotPedia. org, statewide measures include the first-ever appearance of gigeconomy policies on a statewide ballot, unique psilocybin mushroom use and drugcrime policy measures, wolf reintroduction, a veto referendum on cash bail, and state flag and state name change measures proposed after the killing of George Floyd.

With all of the recent protests and awakenings that have been occurring in the United States, this is one of the most important times to get as many people as possible registered and to the polls because we the people have the power to change what does not serve us.

People want to use the excuse that their vote doesn’t matter, or that their state is already blue or red so there is no point, but that is far from the truth. Not only is it a civic duty, but arguably a moral one as well.

There was a time where people were losing their lives just for the opportunity to cast a ballot, so we shouldn’t take this right for granted.

You can be the change you wish to see in the world, one ballot at a time.

"Iwouldrecommend peoplegoingoutletting theirvoicesbeheard,and exercisetheirimportant rights:freedom,free speechandgovote.That isthemostimportant thingaboutthis election.”

-OlegAgaronov

"There'sreallynoroom tob*tchifyoudon'tvote. Iunderstand,there'sa millionpeopleoutthere voting,what'sonemore votegoingtodo?Itcould doeverything?”

- Nick Lane

"It'sprobablythenumber onemostimportant principleofthiscountry tohavefreeandfair elections.TheConstitution says,'WethePeople.' It'ssoimportantforour determinismtovotein theseelections.”

- Brendan O'Shea

"Tomakeitabetterplace formykids.ThatʼsallI got.”

-TimCassidy

"Itwaseasy."

"Everyvotecounts.It couldalwaysbethatone votethatmaydetermine whathappens.”

- Diane Quintanilla

"Well,Iamvoting becauseIthinkthat leadershipisnecessary forrunninganation, specifically,theUnited States.Thisisbasically themainreasontovote, andeveryonethatcan vote,shouldvote.We needaleader.Wejust can'tleaveitouttherefor peopletotakeadvantage ofit.So,votebecauseit's good."

- Mike Edri

"Myparentshavealways beensuperactivein politics‒MSNBCison rightnow.Andso,Imean, itwasalwaysgoingto beaninevitabilitythat Iwouldvote.But,even personally,Icareabout whatishappeninginour country,so,youknow, votingdoesmatter.So,if Icandoanythingtohelp withwhatʼsgoingonin ourlivesorlessfortunate people,Iʼlldothat,you know?”

- Jaden Weinstein

"IamvotingbecauseI wouldliketoseechange, foreverybody.Weneed somechangealready.Itis goodtovote.Inevermiss tovote,wheneveritis thetime,Igo.Ihavebeen votingsince1966.Iwas livinginNewJerseyin thebeginningandthen wemovedhere.Andwe continuetovote,trying todobetter,muchbetter foreverybody,notonly forus,forall.”

-YolandaDelgado

Quotes and photos gathered by: Cathy Pia and Katya Castillo

WHAT ARE YOUR HALLOWEEN PLANS?