By Albert Gibosse | Blue Label Weekly Magazine | Website |
It is quite obvious that divisive forces continue to seek to tear at the fabric of democracy
everywhere, they also continue to utilize any and every means to suppress the fundamental right to vote of millions of Americans mainly in the minority communities.
Staying silent and not speaking out against this apparent abuse is analogous to turning our backs on millions of Americans who are being shoved out of our democracy. Allowing those in positions of power to abuse the aspirations that are enshrined in our founding documents is no longer acceptable.
As the Republican candidate for governor in Georgia continues to use his position as Secretary of State to suppress the registration of tens of thousands of voters, most of them African Americans, this represents a distrustful abuse of his position of power to gain an advantage over his Democratic opponent.
Likewise, voter suppression is quite apparent in North Dakota, where a lower court, with the blessing of the Supreme Court, actually ruled the state can demand voters produce proof of residence before voting, a ruling that effectively disenfranchises thousands of Native Americans living on reservations. North Dakota happens to be the state where the Senate election six years ago was decided by less than 3,000 votes, this restrictive voter ID law will likely be a deciding factor in this year’s close race.
Although most states, including Florida and Georgia, have restored voting rights to people convicted of felonies after they’ve completed their sentences, in those two states officials are currently tempering with individual voting rights trying to prevent those individuals from ever voting, even after they have served their time and paid their debt to society.
Regrettably, this voter suppression effort disproportionately impacts African Americans and other minorities. According to the “ Sentencing Project” report, for a research conducted in four states( Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia,) in 2016, more than one in five African Americans and other minorities were disenfranchised.
Speak Up Now For Voting Rights!
