US peeps, VOTE.
No, I'm not going to ask you to vote for a certain person, I'm just asking... pleading actually... for you to vote.
Here's why.
There is a genuinely frightening trend sweeping state to state in the US that's limiting voting access nationwide in the name of voter fraud prevention.
Innocuous sounding, abruptly inacted changes like suddenly requiring a state-issued photo ID in order to vote, inforce sweeping limitations in who can legally vote. It can essentially prevent entire populations of people from voting like those...
...who can't afford a car
...who live in urban areas using public transport
...who are too old to drive/keep a driver's license
...who are differently abled in ways that inhibit their ability to drive
...who have English language skills too limited to pass a driver's test written in English
I just saw on the news tonight that an adjacent state has just passed a law that requires voters to complete their ballot within three minutes for it to be valid and allowed to be counted.
Our ballots, even in this little state, are 8 to 10 pages long with sometimes barely-publicized state constitution amendment proposals written in fine print legalese.
My husband dug around online and found a sample ballot for tomorrow's election posted on a local radio station's website. Yes, a radio station.
We got to read the proposed amendments and understand them because we have internet access.
People in our neighboring state who don't have internet access will have literally seconds to comprehend issues like the ones we've been mulling over for the last hour.
This new "timed voting" is just one more stupid instance of legislation limiting the voting rights of those who have physical or developmental disabilities that might slow their voting process, the elderly, English second language voters, etc...
This is bullshit.
It's racist, classist, ableist, and it's spreading.
Don't let it work.
Don't let bullshit legislation silence your voice and your vote.
Please vote the hell out of tomorrow.
Thanks very much :)
Here's why.
There is a genuinely frightening trend sweeping state to state in the US that's limiting voting access nationwide in the name of voter fraud prevention.
Innocuous sounding, abruptly inacted changes like suddenly requiring a state-issued photo ID in order to vote, inforce sweeping limitations in who can legally vote. It can essentially prevent entire populations of people from voting like those...
...who can't afford a car
...who live in urban areas using public transport
...who are too old to drive/keep a driver's license
...who are differently abled in ways that inhibit their ability to drive
...who have English language skills too limited to pass a driver's test written in English
I just saw on the news tonight that an adjacent state has just passed a law that requires voters to complete their ballot within three minutes for it to be valid and allowed to be counted.
Our ballots, even in this little state, are 8 to 10 pages long with sometimes barely-publicized state constitution amendment proposals written in fine print legalese.
My husband dug around online and found a sample ballot for tomorrow's election posted on a local radio station's website. Yes, a radio station.
We got to read the proposed amendments and understand them because we have internet access.
People in our neighboring state who don't have internet access will have literally seconds to comprehend issues like the ones we've been mulling over for the last hour.
This new "timed voting" is just one more stupid instance of legislation limiting the voting rights of those who have physical or developmental disabilities that might slow their voting process, the elderly, English second language voters, etc...
This is bullshit.
It's racist, classist, ableist, and it's spreading.
Don't let it work.
Don't let bullshit legislation silence your voice and your vote.
Please vote the hell out of tomorrow.
Thanks very much :)