Are we a republic?

Recently the state of Georgia enacted sweeping voting restrictions. The legislation criminalizes photographing your own ballet, and giving people food and water while they wait in line to vote. It restricts the number of absentee ballot boxes available and the time in which voters can request an absentee ballot, also making the request process more complicated. Many Democrats including President Biden are concerned Democratic voters will be disproportionately restricted by these new voter laws.

Currently there many other states proposing similar legislation concerning voting restrictions. At the beginning of our republic, only white male citizens over the age of 21 could vote. After our civil war the 15th Amendment was passed ensuring that all males over the age of 21 could vote. In many states, with the passage of Jim Crow laws, black males were not allowed to vote. Women could not vote until the passage of the 19th constitutional amendment in 1920. The requirement to pay a poll tax to vote was repealed by the 24th Amendment. The voting age was lowered to the age of 18 by the 26th Amendment.

Because many states refused to enact the above voting rights, the 1965 Voter Rights Act was enacted to enforce them.

If we want to call ourselves a republic then we need to include all eligible citizens the right to vote.

Mark Johnson

Nine Mile Falls