Defending our right to vote

To the Editor,

The right to vote is absolutely fundamental to the effective functioning of a democracy. It is the most cherished right of every American citizen. 

In recent years, many state legislatures with Republican majorities have made reducing the number of voters eligible to vote their mission. Their motivation is obvious: to artificially and unfairly sustain their political survival and not be voted out of office. Their attempts to restrict eligibility are, by design, directed against black, Hispanic, and disadvantaged segments of our society who are generally more likely to support Democratic candidates.

These are efforts to roll back, or at least delay, our country’s inexorable movement toward a more diverse and less white population. Republicans fear this demographic change will doom them to be a permanent minority party. Their attempts to restrict voting rights must be condemned. 

Now, even the President of the United States has joined this not-so-subtle attempt to disenfranchise some citizens. President Trump wants to restrict the use of mail-in ballots in the November election, a move that, in the era of the coronavirus, makes even more sense than ever. He fears that the unrestricted availability of mail-in ballots would work against his bid for re-election.

With his recent proclamation that mail-in voting “is corrupt,” he has reminded us once again that he cares nothing about anything except staying in power. Well, Mr. President, come this November, we the American people will prove to you exactly how much we do care, when we come out in massive record numbers, in person or by mail, to vote for the candidate of our choice.

Ken Derow
Swarthmore