5 Reasons Voter Suppression Threatens Your Freedom
Breaking the Back of the Republic
Once again, we enter the territory of “the banality of evil.” Voter suppression acts and fighting for voter’s rights is the boring but integral work of defending democracy. Georgia’s asterisk governor Brian Kemp recently signed into law legislation which impedes voting rights by such means as limiting drop boxes, increasing restrictions and requirements for absentee balloting, and illegalizing the distribution of water to people waiting in line to vote. An earlier version of the bill included a ban on Sunday voting. Brian Kemp himself as Georgia Secretary of State enacted voter purges so draconian that he himself nearly could not vote. Technically, he won his gubernatorial race against Stacy Abrams, but the race was so close and he had suppressed so many Georgian’s votes that it is likely he does not have Georgia’s support or blessing.
1. Your Absentee Ballot Might be Disqualified
If you’ve never tried to vote by mail or absentee ballot you’ve probably never experienced the absolute horror show that is the infamous “secrecy envelope.” In fact, I’ve voted by absentee ballot exclusively and managed to avoid it because my state and local election official (LEO) don’t do that. But it, along with several other poorly worded and intentionally confusing measures is an intentional means of suppressing your vote.
A secrecy envelope is ostensibly meant to protect the anonymity of your vote while confirming your identity as a registered voter. On the surface that sounds great. Voter fraud isn’t really a thing in modern American elections, but this makes it impossible and particularly if you live in a smaller community you may not want your LEO to know exactly which measures or Party you support. Seems great. The problem with it is the execution.
Like I said, my state and LEO do not require a secrecy envelope. I make my ballot choices, write in my return address, affix postage because I’m overseas, pop my ballot in, sign the envelope and send it in. That’s it. Simple and straightforward. I then get an email confirming when my ballot has been received and when it has been counted. So I did not encounter the great origami spectacle that is the secrecy envelope until…
