avatarEP McKnight, MEd

Summarize

Democracy is Voting Rights, Equal Rights, Civil Rights and Human Rights For All

How the United States are becoming the un-United States with voting suppression laws, and giving judges the power to overturn an election

Photo by Ronda Darby on Unsplash

What happened to America, the land of the free, the home of the brave and in God is our trust? America now resembles the land of the few, bravery has been replaced with liars and cheaters and trusting God has been replaced with the few thinking they are above God and the law.

2016 Election was shocking when Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump. While the popular votes and the electoral votes were questionable but like all prior elections, the loser concedes and life goes on even though there was rumor that Russia played a major role in the elections causing Donald Trump to win. Nevertheless, he was installed and the rest was history as America was in for a rude awakening. Four years of division between political parties, even some families and friends were adversely affected.

Fast forward to 2020, the presidential election won by Joe Biden, and Donald Trump not only refused to concede until forced but decided to do everything in his power to thwart the election and the final due process of the electoral voting process with the January 6, 2021 Insurrection of the Capitol. All these activities failed and today America lives with the constant lie that the election was stolen regardless of the numerous recounts around the Country and Donald Trump was heard on the phone demanding votes to overtake the election and like all others, this tactic failed before the public eyes.

The voting turnout around the country was staggering among people of color and suburban women, therefore the democratic won not only the presidency but gained political dominance in the Congress. This success unnerved the GOP and begun their tactics to stop the voting of all people of color with laws throughout various GOP controlled states.

Texas, Arizona, Georgia, Florida, altogether about 14 states have joined the plot to suppressing voting based on the lie that the election was stolen from Donald Trump and has passed nearly 400 bills filed this year nationwide to restrict voting. All these years in this country of voting, this is the first such tactic recorded in history of this magnitude.

With no policy for their constituency, just lots of rhetoric, knowing they cannot win an election legally, the GOP decided to secure the vote by any means necessary as the world looks on at their obvious tactics. For example, if someone is standing in line to vote, it is a crime to give them a drink of water if they need it or no one can accompany another to vote. All has boiled down to desperation for power without any concern for the citizens and an unnerving loyalty to Trump who would throw each under the bus in a heartbeat.

Many people of color died for the right to vote and now the GOP is working day and night to implement laws on every turn to prevent people of color from voting. Voting has always been the medium to install officials, politicians and presidents in office. America has seen a stain in the previous White House administration unlike any prior administration where laws were changed by the GOP at every turn of the way to suit their personal agenda, even doing the Obama administration, the GOP fought tooth and nail to fail him. Even tried to make him a one term president, but God had other plans, karma is real, Trump became a one term president with lots of court cases pending now that he’s a private citizen. The bigger they come, they harder they fall.

Sunday, Texas’ Republicans were shocked as the Texas’ Democrats made a stand against passing the most restrictive voting bills in the United States as each Democrat walked out one by one preventing the passage of this bill that forced the Republicans to convene the session. The stance taking by the Democrats is being labeled as the biggest protests against GOP efforts nationwide against stricter election laws.

All these anti-voting bills around the country can be undone with the “For the People Act” or “S1”, much lies in President Biden’s hand for the passage of this legislation to stop the steal vote from the people of color. People of color pay taxes, own property, own business and deserve equal rights just like anyone else. President Biden needs to act on voting rights.

Texas Republican Governor, Greg Abbott highly disappointed, announced his plans to order a special session to finish the job. Texas has greatly suffered under already strict voting laws in people of color communities, disproportionally affected by the covid pandemic, and major grid power outage where 2 million Texas households were without power, as Ted Cruz, Texas Senator left town for Cancun as many suffered and some died. The governor and this senator actions speak without words about their concern for the masses. Voting matters and they should be shown the door with one less vote.

The Democrats walked out of the House chamber and left the Republicans dead in their track without their much desired and needed 100-member quorum to pass Senate Bill 7, which would have reduced polling hours, empowered poll watchers, scaled back ways to vote in Texas, eliminated drive-through voting and 24-hour polling centers, both of which Harris County, the state’s largest Democratic stronghold, introduced last year.

The Democrats had not planned the walk out but after the Republicans repeatedly refused to entertain their questions not giving them a voice just wanted them to vote and shut up but the Democrats proved their point. Also, the GOP even went so far as to add to the Texas bill prohibiting Sunday voting before 1 p.m, knowing Black people vote on Sunday after church.

Photo by World & Nation

The GOP got the shock of their life, after they thought the bill was a sure in for passing but karma came calling as the Democrats left them to their own vices trying to destroy the voting privileges of people of color.

Photo by Aditya Joshi on Unsplash

The Democrats walkout conveyed a stance that they need the support of the people, Republicans and Democratic politicians and mostly the president of the United States, Joe Biden. In their own words, “Mr. President, we need a national response to federal voting rights,” stated by Democratic state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer. Voting rights limitations may not stop the vote but it could make an already ugly situation uglier with people standing in lands for an inhumane period of time. President Biden got the support of the people of color in becoming president, now the time has come to do right thing by the people of color with his stroke of a pen.

Photo by World & Nation

Georgia, and Florida have already passed legislation to restrict voting rights of people of color and now Texas is the last big battleground in the GOP’s nationwide efforts to tighten voting laws, driven by the big lie that the 2020 election was stolen by President Joe Biden. President Biden compared the Texas’ bill to election changes in these states as “an assault on democracy.” Verbal and physical support counts but signing and passing the S1 Bill is the ultimate count.

Underhandly, the GOP are making every effort to ensure the vote is in their favor and if it doesn’t happen as the people find new ways to make their vote count, the GOP behind closed door negotiations added language to allow a judge to overturn an election.

Corporations, businesses and institutions that possess respect for what America and Democracy truly means should voice their rejection to what Texas GOP and all the other GOP states are doing for their personal agenda. Major corporations along with American Airlines and Dell, Texas-based, have warned the GOP of how their efforts may have a backlash and harm democracy and the economic climate but the GOP dismissed their complaint.

In conclusion, according to Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier, “We may have won the war tonight, but the battle is not over, we will continue to fight and speak out against those measures that attempt to silence our voices.” The people of color are due support as they gave their support during the 2020 election and the day has come for President Biden to step up to the plate and hit a home run knocking out all the voting restrictions for people of color, nationwide. Voting rights, equal rights, civil rights and human rights belong to all in this land of the free, home of the brave and whose trust is suppose to be in God.

For additional reads:

Life
Life Lessons
Education
Recommended from ReadMedium