July 01, 2021 - Joe Rodgers

There are two ways to win an election. One is to get a majority of voters to support you. The other is to prevent voters who oppose you from casting their votes. The 15th Amendment states: "The Right of citizens to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."

The national election of 2020 produced a record number of citizens casting their vote despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Courts, time after time, ruled that the election was fair, free, accurate, and one of the most secure elections in American history. Despite this fact, there are those who want to limit citizen's right to cast a ballot.

Voter suppression today is overwhelmingly achieved through regulatory, legislative, and administrative means. The Brennan Center of Justice at New York University Law School has compiled a list of 47 states and more than 360 bills that aim to restrict voting access. Pennsylvania has introduced a dozen of these bills.

It is no secret Pennsylvania was a major battleground state in the 2020 presidential election, and it was Philadelphia that helped delivered a victory for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Now, many state legislators, frightened by the result of the election, are attempting to pass legislation intended to suppress the voting rights of many of our fellow citizens.

Recently, three Pennsylvania lawmakers were in Arizona to check out the state Senate GOP's partisan audit of the 2020 election. All three visiting lawmakers were among the 64 Republican legislators who signed a letter asking the state's congressional delegation to object to Pennsylvania's electoral college vote cast for Biden.

In the upcoming general election on November 8, 2022, Pennsylvanian’s voters will pick a new governor and U.S. Senator, as well as other federal lawmakers. It is critical that you watch carefully what the Pennsylvania House of Representatives is up to. Voter suppression is a political strategy. Do not let them get away with it.

Happy Independence Day!