Voter Suppression and Turnover

The All In: The Fight for Democracy film focuses on voter suppression. The female activist who discovered the election irregularities, Stacey Abrams, firmly believes that those irregularities influenced the voting outcomes. According to Ms. Abrams, the voting systems that are supposed to protect voters' democracy failed the voters by not allowing everyone in America to vote. From my point of view, there will always be some voting discrepancies within our voting systems. Voters encountered issues from long lines at the voting stations to incorrect registration rolls. Concurrently, some of these people failed to vote.

Regrettably, I'm afraid I have to disagree with Ms. Abram’s statement made in the film.  Ms. Abram’s belief that “the right to vote should be made available to everyone in America” (Garbus & Cortes, 2020) is misplaced and therefore misleading. Only United States citizens should be allowed to vote in local, state, or federal elections (USAGov, 2020). This is in accordance with various federal, state, and local regulations that must be adhered to. Relative to Stacey Abram's concerns regarding voting regulations being unjust and unfair, I firmly believe that voters are solely responsible for voting with proper documentation. Therefore, it is essential and primal that voters acquire the appropriate prerequisite voting documents long before they line up to vote.

In response to voting suppression issues, I think persuading potential voters through encouragement programs for specific groups such as the young, poor, disabled, and uneducated would result in the desired voter turnover. I also think that voter education is necessary to keep eligible voters informed regarding the various voting regulations prevalent in their respective voting regions. In so doing, voters will be equipped with the right tools to impact their democratic voting rights on the voting process, thus appropriately influencing election outcomes. With sufficient information in their hands, voters can be empowered to act or demand action before election time.

References

Garbus, L., & Cortes, l (Directors), (2020). All In: The Fight for Democracy [Streamed]. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FRSNBLL

‌ USAGov. (2020, May 7). Who Can and Can’t Vote in U.S. Elections. Retrieved October 10, 2020, from USAGov website: https://www.usa.gov/who-can-vote

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