The Right to Vote ,a New York Times Op-Ed column, is a subject that I guess most of us don’t really think about. We are taught that all U.S. citizens have a right to vote. There are a few exceptions, if you are a convicted felon or declared mentally incompetent by a court you are not allowed to vote. However the past few elections have brought to light that there is still in modern day 21st century voter suppression being committed against American voters.
In the 2000 presidential elections there were many stories of voter irregularities and outright voter disenfranchisement. Long time registered voters suddenly not on the voter roll, poll workers themselves reporting many inadequacies. Polling places closing early or moving without notice, absentee ballots not counted, letters signed by then Governor Jeb Bush encouraging a vote by mail –except that is not allowed in Florida and reports of State Troopers parked in the sight line of polling places or even conducting unauthorized vehicle checkpoint within a few miles of a polling place. Again the Florida Election Code restricts the presence of law enforcement at polling places.
Again in 2004, I was one of those holding my breath, to see if we would have a repeat of the 2000. It seems that we did, however Senator Kerry conceded the race the next day after the general election. In Ohio however, more irregularities were brought to light. Obstacles to voter registration, improper purges of voter lists, practical impediments to voting – such as excessively long lines with hours long waits, and more problems with absentee ballots and provisional ballots. Also a new issue was thrown into the mix, hacking of the new DRE voting machines, optical scan voting systems and punch card voting system (it seems that the 'hanging chads' in the 2000 election headaches in Florida came back for a repeat performance) and good old fashioned not counting the votes properly all came into play.
I believe that in this general election, as we should for all elections, it is imperative that we all exercise our right to vote. Some say they don’t know enough about the issues to vote. It does not take a lot of research or hours to find out basic information about the candidates or the issues especially with all the choices available to get your information from. Most newspapers and their websites have side by side comparisons of the candidates and where they stand on the major issues.
I have included some sites on election protection, sites to check to make sure that you are registered and if not how to register (you have until Oct. 6 to register for this election) and a video with Thea Brodkin with the League of Women Voters who answers basic questions on voting.
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