JB: Yikes! That's shocking. So, what can we do about this? Millions of votes, no matter where or whose they are, are nothing to take lightly.
RR: We really do need a national movement to set minimum voting standards around the country. Colorado recently came up with excellent standards, which could be emulated elsewhere. In the meantime, there's no substitute for vigilant and informed citizens. Voters in states that have recently changed their voting laws to make it more difficult for minorities to vote should be making a ruckus.
JB: Yes, that's in principle. I'm all in favor of ruckus-making. But a few individuals here and there making a ruckus do not a ruckus make. What action is Common Cause proposing, for instance? How can individuals jump on a pre-started bandwagon and make a difference that way?
RR: Congress is on recess this week, and many members are holding forums around their state/district and appearing at public events. You should attend these congressional meetings and town hall events, and ask questions about what your member of Congress is doing to update the Voting Rights Act.
JB: What else? Common Cause sent out an action link, I believe. Tell us about that.
RR: The action link in my email encouraged people to email their members of Congress, asking them to cosponsor the Voting Rights Amendment Act if they haven't already done so.
JB: That's easy enough. What else would you like to add before we wrap this up?
RR: Like everything else, it ultimately comes down to people exercising their indignation. We have so many things to be outraged about these days that it's all too easy to fall into a kind of cynical oblivion. But that's a dangerous cop-out. Even if someone is living in the bluest of blue states, they're likely to have friends or relations in a red state -- and those friends or relations need to be mobilized to take on Republicans who won't lift a finger to save the Voting Rights Act, or who might be trying to suppress the votes of minorities. This is our democracy, after all.
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
1
