The right to vote is considered a fundamental aspect of democracy and an essential tool for citizens to express their concerns in a peaceful, controlled, and constitutive way. Despite this, many groups and individuals are fighting for voting rights, a process that has been ongoing for years. In this article, we’ll take a look at the latest developments in this fight for voting rights.
One of the latest developments of this movement is the continuous fight for voting rights in the United States. The United States Constitution gives the individual states the authority to administer elections. However, the federal government has passed certain provisions to protect voters from discrimination under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This Act shattered the patterns of voting discrimination across the country, declared to be barred under the 14th and 15th Amendments of the Constitution. Yet, recently, some states are putting up hurdles that disallow easy voting.
Even today, there are still active efforts to suppress voters. Some states have enforced strict identification laws that limit voters from casting their ballot. Such rules mostly target minorities, low-income earners, and rural voters, who may not have easy access to transportation or enough time from their jobs to go to polling stations. In response to such regulations, voting rights activists are taking the fight to courtrooms. They’re filing lawsuits challenging these laws, arguing that they were deliberately enacted to disparage specific groups of a potential voter.
Another development that has gained traction is early voting. A growing number of states have implemented early voting, whereby citizens can cast their ballots in advance to circumvent long lines and give elderly and disabled voters more time to vote. However, other states refuse to offer early voting, claiming the reservation between Election Day and the time ballots are counted will allow for potential voter fraud.
A new development in this regard is the use of voting machines. Many states have recently bought voting machines that help protect the voters’ rights of their choices. Earlier, states used electronic voting machines not connected to the internet to a central server outside the state, in some cases, the general view is that these machines are unsecure, and the votes for candidates can be altered using malware on the machine. However, some argue that the best way to handle voting machines is implementing additional security measures to protect the ballots and voting data from manipulation.
In conclusion, the fight for voting rights is far from over, as we continue to see new patterns of voter suppression each year. Civil rights activists, concerned citizens, and civil liberty groups remain at the forefront of the fight for voting rights. Their continuous drive to push for more transparent, fair, and secure election processes is essential for realizing and protecting everyone’s right to choose who will lead them.