The right to vote is the most essential quality of the American experience, but as the political divide continues to fracture into a colossal chasm, the voting process has evolved into a sociopolitical game controlled by governmental puppeteers.
On Tuesday, June 23, all eyes were on Kentucky as only 200 polling locations were provided statewide when in previous years 3,200 polling locations could be found within the state. Jefferson County holds half of the black population for the state of Kentucky and is home to more than 600,000 registered voters, yet there was only one polling location provided for the entire county. All Eyes on Kentucky became a global tag through which celebrities around the world shared a series of pictures recanting the information to educate the people of America of the voter suppression that still exists in this country.Policies and suppression tactics can be seen in this year’s presidential election and throughout the state of Texas. Governor Greg Abbott’s proclamation of enhancing ballot security is no more for safety than meant for suppression. The proclamation started Oct. 2 and allowed only one drop-off ballot box location for each county in the state of Texas. Houston, Texas, is located in Harris County and hosts a population of more than 4.7 million people. As of 2018, the county holds 2.3 million registered voters, yet only one ballot drop-off box can be found located in a strategically placed area of the county. The so-called protections the government is putting into place as an easy way to secure votes safely is just a move to suppress minority and opposing views, which happen to be very important in the state of Texas this year. The proclamation disguised as protection is only a way for Abbott to suppress votes in Texas, in favor of one specific party – his own. Voter ID laws are also used to suppress the voices of minority communities. These specific IDs are meant to be hard to attain for the minority population. Without specific identification in some areas you will not be allowed to vote. How can our democracy survive when the people in power continue to suppress the voice of our country? When will those who believe the system is fair and uncorrupt enlighten themselves on what is really happening in this country?
Do not let your voice be silenced by the tyrants in power. We must fight for the democracy of our country.