Wrongs Against Voting Rights

The best hedge against the loss of your vote is vigilance.

By Leslie Watson Wilson

here are some who were and are willing to restrict the ability of other Americans to participate in the most fundamental right as a US citizen. Those persons celebrated the successful use of the antiquated filibuster to mark what they believe to be the end of the legislative road for the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in this Congress.

But I believe there is “a divine purpose behind the wrongdoings and schemes of men.” I believe Genesis 50:20 (paraphrasing), “what man meant for harm, God intends for good,” and certainly Romans 8:28, “all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called for His purpose.”

This is the time for a clarion call! Attacks on democracy are real and must be answered at all levels! According to the Brennan Center for Justice, in 2021, there were at least 19 states that passed laws restricting voting access with at least 152 restrictive voting bills carried over into the 2022 legislative sessions.

Federally, the failure to overcome a filibuster on voting rights bills was a major disappointment. But we will not be discouraged! There are always setbacks. As is said, “a setback is just a set up for a comeback”!

The fight—through advocacy, legislation, the judiciary—for free and fair elections must continue. What obstructionists, and extremists “intend for harm, God intends for good!”

So where do we go from here? On January 19, 2022, Senator Cory Booker said, “We will win this fight. I don’t know how long it will take, but that will be determined by how dedicated we are to the principles of this democracy.”

How dedicated are you? Voting rights advocates must not “grow weary in doing good” but:

• work with members of Congress to advance specific popular provisions of the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Act, such as expanding early voting and making Election Day a federal holiday;
• continue to call upon the U.S. Senate to take leadership and pass legislation that will protect and ensure free and fair elections;
• help voters understand and overcome new barriers that have been put in place in their states;
• register, educate, mobilize and get out the vote for those who will defeat voter suppression and defend democracy;
• be vocal through all means available to speak out against racial gerrymandering and those who seek to undermine the integrity of our elections; and,
• be an active member in and recruiter of the pro-democracy movement to demand the passage of new voter protections both in the states and federally.

Over the past year, millions of people called Congress and the White House; thousands participated in marches and protests and vigils; hundreds were arrested demanding that our elected leaders demonstrate the same level of courage and commitment to their constituents. “The work goes on, and the cause endures!”

African, Black and Latinx Americans, and other marginalized communities, are forced to have fewer drop boxes available and to wait in long lines for hours to cast their ballot. They are the targets when states criminalize giving out water, when election workers are threatened, and when weekend voting hours are lessened or taken away. But “all things work together for good ….”

This is a clarion call and you must answer it! Through prayer, faith and action we can defeat voter suppression and protect the right to vote for all!

Leslie Watson Wilson is the director of African American Religious Affairs (AARA) at People For the American Way and People For the American Way Foundation.