If people read the local or national newspapers or online cable news networks the last few days, one trend should be apparent with regards to voting rights and promoting Democracy.
Most Anti-American members of the former Party of Lincoln are against it.
Whether it is in states like Georgia or Iowa or Florida or Arizona, Reactionary lawmakers, who are losing the battle for ideas and policy, are falling over themselves to enact legislation that is hoped would suppress the vote of Democratic-leaning groups.
In an Orwellian twist, these Anti-American Republicans are maintaining these voter suppression legislative measures are essential to ensure “election integrity.”
Bull Fecal Matter.
Ensuring election integrity when there are no major instances of voter fraud.
Readers do not have to believe me.
Ask Donald Trump’s Attorney General, F.B.I. Director, or Director of Cybersecurity (before he was fired.)
Ask the Georgia Secretary of State and Governor.
Ask all the County Recorders in Arizona and their Boards of Supervisors.
In fact, the only potential instance of voter fraud in the Grand Canyon State may concern the reelection of Republican Party Leader Kelli Ward.
What is sad is that these Anti-American members of the former Party of Lincoln know both that they are lying and most of the people know it and they do not care.
It is all about preserving power for them even if it undoes the laws they themselves passed.
It is definitely not about serving the people.
Take Arizona for example.
Yesterday, the Arizona State Senate, in a party-line vote, passed another J.D. Mesnard (the one who just sponsored a bill that would siphon revenues going toward Invest in Ed) sponsored measure (SB1713) that would require voters to submit proof of id when mailing in their ballots.
Commenting on this bill, Legislative District (LD) 18 State Senator Sean Bowie wrote:
“…My main concern with SB 1713 was another piece of paper being included in the early voting packet, and voters forgetting the piece of paper or misplacing it. They could have every intention of voting correctly, but if they accidentally throw that piece of paper away or misplace it, their vote would not count.
Again, we have a system in Maricopa County now that requires a signature, and there is a process where questions can be raised with voters if the signature does not match the signature the county has on file.
I worry this bill will have unintended consequences, and lead to hundreds or thousands of votes not being counted from voters who are trying to follow the instructions. That’s a big problem for me…”
Democratic State Senate Leaders Rebecca Rios and Martin Quezada released a video last week, chastising their colleagues on the right for leading the country with the submittal of 19 voter suppression proposals and resorting to cheating to try to achieve electoral victory.
The Senators also took issue with Senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita’s SB1485 bill that, if it passes the State House, could purge up to 100,000 voters from the Permanent Early Voter List (PEVL) if they do not update their records after not having voted in the last two election cycles.
SB1593 is another voter suppression proposal that is giving Democrats agita.
This measure, sponsored by State Senator David Gowan, would reduce the early voting window by five days and require mail-in ballots to be postmarked by the Thursday before Election Day.
Rios and Quezada also want the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to reconsider not appealing a judges ruling ordering them to furnish all 2020 election material to the State Senate (whose leaders still have not figured out what to do with the items the Board sent to them last week.)
Former Democratic leader and current head of the Arizona Center for Economic Progress David Lujan commented:
“The politicians at the State Capitol who are pushing for tax breaks for the rich, cutting funding for schools that voters already approved, and giving public tax dollars to private schools either clearly do not care what the majority of their constituents think or they are just planning to make it more difficult for Arizonans to exercise their right to vote. We have seen numerous bills this session which demonstrate that it is the latter.”
Moving Forward
These Anti-American Republicans in the Arizona State Legislature may think they are gaining the electoral upper hand on the majority of the American People that do not support them.
They should not bet on themselves.
With their voting rights in peril, the people will do whatever necessary, either suing the reactionaries in state and federal court or overcoming the hardships imposed by the Anti-American members of the State Legislature.
To all those Anti-Americans masquerading as public servants in the Arizona State Legislature and across the country:
You can not keep us down.
We will still turn out and vote in record numbers no matter what obstacles you throw in our way and we will remember the names of the people that voted to suppress our American rights.
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