LETTER TO THE EDITOR / WHAT’S MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR VOTE?

By Roger C. Kostmayer

America is a unique and competitive democracy.  Athletes, businesses, politicians and political parties compete and, generally, play by the rules.  Voters are supposed to pick their politicians; but now, some politicians and one political party want to flip this so it is they who decide who gets to vote and thus avoid fair competition.   Instead of attracting more voters by good governance and better performance, their strategy is to disenfranchise as many voters as possible who aren’t among their dependable followers – the elderly, Hispanics, people of color, low incomes, minorities, handicapped, former convicts who did their time, and others.  And they are using administrative obstacles to discourage voting across the country. In 43 states there are some 253 bills aimed at imposing voting restrictions.

In Florida, Governor DeSantis wants to kill the people’s overwhelming referendum vote in 2018 to give former felons back their right to vote, by imposing a modern day poll tax. He intends to force voters to request a ballot every calendar year if they want to vote by mail, and he wants to restrict who can handle a ballot.  Generally, Florida Republicans want to make it as difficult as possible for citizens to vote – by mail or otherwise – but as easy as possible to challenge their ballots.  Why?  Because they believe it favors them.

These unconstitutional and undemocratic tactics are unacceptable. Voting perversions

are dangerous and more states are playing with fire by attempting to suppress votes with voter ID laws, citizenship checks, limiting to one day voting and other such ploys.

Floridians and all Americans need to wake up – and stand up – to protect their right to a free and fair vote that should be made as simple and easy as possible for all the people, and not the opposite.

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