“Nobody would fight this hard to take something from us that wasn’t powerful.”
— Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II, Repairers of the Breach — Poor People’s Campaign
Voter disenfranchisement is a persistent issue across the U.S., especially for nonwhite communities. One major party wants Americans to have their voices heard through their votes and works to lower barriers to voting. The other major party takes a more selective, more elite view of the franchise.
Counting beans in jars and literacy tests are too gauche these days for opponents of voting access. But not insisting that voters demonstrate their willingness to exert a defined amount of effort before voting and possess a GOP-approved, minimum level of civics knowledge. Those requirements would prohibit even many of their own party members from voting. Even reinstating a property-ownership requirement for voting is not beyond the pale for some Republicans. But that’s how a class more interested in ruling than governing thinks.
Here in North Carolina, we are working to ensure everyone eligible to vote is able to vote. This film trailer from 2018 came over the transom early this morning for a documentary looking at that fight in 2016.
The Rev. Barber quote jumped out at me: “Nobody would fight this hard to take something from us that wasn’t powerful.” Please remind people you encounter this fall just how powerful opponents think their vote is.
“We think that voting actually is not just a private vote for the person who gets the vote, but a public good, and that the more people who vote, the more legitimate the elected officials are, and that they represent the actual values of the electorate.”
– Former Colorado Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon (D-Denver)
(h/t AV)
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For The Win, 3rd Edition is ready for download. Request a copy of my free countywide GOTV mechanics guide at ForTheWin.us. This is what winning looks like.