This week, two significant things happened to me — my early voting ballot arrived in the mail, and I went to see Stacy Abrams (founder of “Fair Fight,” an organization that supports voter rights) speak in Phoenix.
Ms. Abrams spoke forcefully about how voter suppression efforts (purging voter registration rolls, problems with poll locations and times, etc.) in Georgia were critical in denying her election to the governorship of that State. In her speech, she noted that of the rights granted to all U.S. citizens under the constitution, the right to vote is the only one that can be taken away from you if you don’t use it. (For example, your right to bear arms cannot be denied you if you prefer not to use a gun. Why is that same standard not applied to your right to vote?)
I came away from her talk with the understanding that the most important thing we can do as citizens of this great country is to work to make sure that everybody who is eligible to vote has the opportunity to do so, whether that be by participating in voter registration drives, canvassing neighborhoods or supporting organizations that work to educate the populace about their voting rights. This year, more than ever, every vote counts. Let’s work together to make sure every vote gets counted!
SARAH KING
Flagstaff
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