Among many quotes about voting, one made by Dwight Eisenhower in 1949 seems appropriate now: “Our American heritage is threatened as much by our own indifference as it is by the most unscrupulous office or by the most powerful foreign threat. The future of this republic is in the hands of the American voter.” Or is it in the hands of our legislators?
Pennsylvania Republicans have introduced 14 or more bills to affect your vote in one way or another. These bills, if enacted, would limit a voter’s access to voting by mail, make voter ID stricter, limit successful pro-voter registration policies and make it easier to purge voter rolls.
As a senior citizen, I appreciate getting my ballot by mail, returning it and getting an email from the board of elections when it’s received. I carry a card with me that says I am a registered voter, and I sign for a ballot when I vote in person or sign the outer envelope when I vote by mail. That should be sufficient. People should be encouraged, not discouraged, from registering to vote (www.votespa.com/Register- to-Vote). Voting rolls are purged monthly when deaths are reported to the boards of elections.
Voting is the responsibility of all of us in our democracy. Making the process easier, not harder, is the responsibility of our legislators, so it’s time to make some “good trouble.” Contact your legislators ASAP about making it easier, not harder, to vote. And while you are at it, tell your U.S. representative to support House Resolution 1 – it’s For the People.
Carole A. Briggs
Brookville