Dear Editor: Voting is a right, not a privilege.
The Trump supporters in our Alaskan government – Dunleavy and others – secretly sent all Alaskan voter names and details to the feds. The Republican party seems to have lost their way. Some years ago, Republicans were adamantly opposed to anyone injecting conspiracy theories, voter suppression tactics and wild gerrymandering to modify voter rolls.
Now, big changes by the new Trump Republican Party! The “SAVE Act” (passed by the Republican-led U.S. House but waylaid by the U.S. Senate) creates a poll tax structure to make voter registration a financial, practical and incredible challenge – reminiscent of 19th century Jim Crow voter suppression tactics.
Haven’t these folks read the Constitution? Article I, C1.2 “The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives shall be prescribed in each state by the Legislature thereof.” The Supreme Court has interpreted the Elections Clause expansively enabling states “to provide a complete code for congressional elections.” Now Trump wants to nationalize the elections. This is preposterous. Unconstitutional! Or perhaps station ICE officials or military troops near polling places to intimidate voters.
The Trumpies have sued 62 times (that is sixty-two times!) and lost each lawsuit in their efforts to find judicial support for their lies about the 2020 election. President Trump bullied Georgia election officials to “just give me a few more votes.” And was rebuffed by honest Republican election officials. Biden defeated Trump in 2020 and yet we hear this noisy Trump lie stated over and over and over. That’s what it is. An outrageous lie. Biden won! Period! It’s a provable fact!
Picture the sweet, smart, sophisticated and honest voting officials (mostly women)volunteering their time in Massachusetts or Alaska or Texas – can anyone imagine them as corrupt officials? That in itself is so bizarre it is beyond imagination. And yet Trump and his followers insist the 2020 election was crooked. They lost. That what creates their lying version of the results.
Let’s all stand up and protect our inherent, Constitutional Right to Vote. Please join me in protesting against this assault upon our most precious foundation to freedom – the right to vote.
I am a deeply concerned American citizen who votes in every election. I simply walk in, provide identity, and vote. I don’t need passport, birth certificate or new national voting certificate. I simply walk in, sign my name and vote. It’s very American. It’s our right, not a privilege.
Harvey Brandt, Sitka
