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The Voting
Rights Act
By Truman Bashore
The Voting Rights Act was signed by President Lyndon Johnson on August
6, 1965 which “outlawed discriminatory voting practices”. It
astounds me that today those on the right have made it their calling to
make it harder to vote. I am a veteran and when I took my oath to
serve, it was my duty to support the Constitution as it is for senators
and representatives.
I am offended that there are elected officials who want to stifle our
rights. I often hear these folks defending the Constitution unless
there are issues that they don’t agree with. In some states, they have
successfully made it more difficult for American citizens to exercise
their constitutional right to enter the voting booth.
The Voting Rights Act outlawed literacy tests and poll taxes and has
been strengthened in 1970, 1976, and 1982 and still there too many
states have adopted legislation to deny its citizens of that
right. From my point of view these attitudes are un-American!
The Brennen Center for Justice (Voting Laws Roundup 2015) notes that
states are “considering hundreds of laws that could determine voters’
access to the ballot.” However, there have been “at least 464
bills that would enhance access to voting.” Further, for three
years in a row, bills have been introduced to make it easier.
However, there have been “52 restrictive bills introduced…” but only
North Dakota passed a voter ID bill” during its last session.
In short, citizens in each state need to support their voting rights by
turning out to vote and use their numbers to ensure that this right is
not hindered in any way and unseat any elected official who tries to
make it harder for its constituents to vote.
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