In the wake of the 2016 elections, Republican voters have repeatedly been referred to as uneducated, unsophisticated hayseeds who marched hypnotically into the voting booth having been immersed in the MAGA gospel and blindly pulled the Trump lever.
Now comes Gov. Tom Wolf vetoing the funding for a new updated election system because Republican legislators wanted to eliminate the straight-party vote possibility. In doing so, Wolf states, “eliminating the one-button voting for all party candidates on the ballot would create confusion and longer lines at the polls” (“Westmoreland delays election machine purchase”).
First, there was an issue with voters producing proof of ID being a challenge because it was just too difficult to get a proper ID, and that would be discriminatory. Now, simply asking the voter to read the ballot and make choices that require some thought is considered too burdensome.
I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that those who make up a significant portion of the Democratic base have accepted without question that the blue ticket will continue to do the wonderful things it has done for them for decades, like superior school systems and better economic conditions, by just having to push that one button. Maybe the day will come when, as a part of the motor voter system, they can just print your driver license in the color that matches your registration, and automatically register your presumed preference every election cycle so you’ll never have to leave the house.
Bill McMaster
Delmont