We’ve seen an alarming trend across the country. A wave of so-called voter ID laws have swept state legislatures, and earlier this year, early voting hours were slashed in Georgia, Florida, and Ohio. These actions make it harder to vote—a fundamental American value that we can’t afford to lose.
In an attempt to further an agenda of voter suppression, states are moving beyond limiting city government’s power to putting local election officials on a proverbial leash.
In 2020, major cities/counties across the country had to adapt to the pandemic to promote best practices to protect their citizens’ health by changing the voting process. They had to accommodate individuals who were unable to vote in person either due to the risk to their health or to the health of others due to illness. In order to “curb the spread,” the absentee ballot process was expanded to include all registered voters, increased the number of ballot drop boxes – some with 24-hour accessibility – and other locality-specific efforts. It had been suggested that rural areas follow suit, however, that was a very limited effort overall.
Fast forward to the present day where Republicans everywhere are doing their damnedest to ensure that the turnout that ousted their ‘leader’ doesn’t happen again. The thought of the same outcome during the upcoming mid-term elections is simply too much for them to bear. People they weren’t counting on to vote showed up in record numbers to their chagrin and they, quite frankly, just didn’t like it.
Like the spoiled, whiny brats that they are, they became desperate to protect what they deem as ‘theirs.’ The race to suppress voting rights was on and the gun was fired as soon as the election was called. In part, they are not only looking to make it more difficult for individuals to be able to cast votes but also limit governments’ authority to ease the voting process for their constituents. In some incidents, they are looking to strip them of the authority to run their own elections at all.
Georgia has gained the most attention thus far for its new voting law passed last month. In it is a provision that allows the state election board to not only suspend but replace local election officials. This board has a majority of its members appointed by the legislature – which is controlled by the GOP. In short, the board can remove any local election official who works to expand access to the polls contrary to the desire of the state. This prevents them from taking their specific situations into consideration to make the process more efficient and effective for their voters. Iowa has taken it a step further by making it a felony if local election officials don’t follow the secretary of state’s guidance.
Some states are working to bar absentee ballots from being sent to persons who don’t request one while others are looking to ban the ballot boxes with 24-hour access as well as the drive-through polling sites. Many are looking to complete a purge of their voter rolls.
Among the other states who have passed and are seeking to pass these increasingly restrictive laws are Iowa, Arkansas, Texas, Wisconsin and Missouri. These same states have recently looked to undercut local democracy when it became clear they had pockets that were looking to implement progressive policies. This move seeks to prevent grassroots efforts from becoming permanent fixtures in the areas affected by the proposed changes. The local government seeks to pass something and the state government passes something else to cancel it out.
Metro Atlanta was hit hard with allegations of fraudulent elections prompted by #45 – particularly when Georgia turned blue. To say race isn’t at the heart of this issue is to say that slavery never existed. Other “chocolate” cities including Detroit and Philadelphia were also targeted. Allegations of long-standing fraud began to come out of the woodworks to attempt to discount the integrity of these areas.
In Michigan, the state’s infamous water crisis was born out of its use of the Emergency Manager law. This allowed the state to take over the local government (primarily used in predominantly African-American communities) to have more control over public spending. In the midst of a budget crisis, the city changed its water source.
While many of these lawmakers and alleged public servants have been screaming that the election was stolen, they are setting out to do the same. These laws are simply a mechanism for them to control election outcomes. They are so afraid that the institution that has allowed them to get to this point and gain power will begin to crumble that they will stop it at all costs.
As we seek ways to dismantle what they are trying to build against the people for whom they were elected to serve, we must seek to understand the larger strategy. This strategy also encompasses a negative impact on local reforms, state level preemption as well as gerrymandering. This system can and should be dismantled – and it will take a concentrated and joint effort to be properly executed.
