"unalienable rights" The Vote

Some time ago I came to see that the ideals on which the American Revolution was begun (The Declaration of Independence) are yet to be realized. Somewhere between the 4th of July’s statement that “all men are created equal” and the formation of the U.S. Constitution, that powerful belief in “unalienable rights” was shelved.

When the United States came into existence only white men with property could vote (although free African Americans could vote in four states even then). White working men, almost all women, and all other people of color were denied franchise.
Even after the Civil War, when most white men were allowed to vote, literacy tests were in used in various places, most white women, people of color, and native Americans still could not vote.
The Constitution left the determination of voting qualifications to the states. Since then the 14th, 15th, 19th, 23rd, 24th, and 26th amendments to the constitution have opened the door for people of color, women, and those over 18 years of age. They also addressed such injustice as a poll tax and other fees.

Today we have a new wave of attacks on the right of every citizen to vote. These attacks are coming from groups claiming to promote the “original intent” of the framers of the constitution and of “states rights”. Every concerned citizen must be alert to what changes are being proposed in their home state.
Perhaps the most sweeping change in voting rights since the 2010 election is the proliferation of state laws requiring citizens to present photo identification in order to vote. New “photo ID” laws in Indiana, Georgia, Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin, have the potential to disenfranchise 3.2 Million voters. More than 10% of U.S. citizens lack such identification, and the numbers are even higher among young voters (18%), and African Americans (25%). In Texas, under "emergency” legislation passed and then signed by Gov. Rick Perry, a concealed-weapon permit is considered an acceptable ID but a student ID is not. It isn’t hard to see whom they want to vote and whom they would rather not have vote.

Since January, six states have introduced legislation to impose new restrictions on voter registration drives. In May, the legislature in Florida passed a law requiring anyone who signs up new voters to hand in registration forms to the state board of elections within 48 hours of collecting them, and to comply with a barrage of bureaucratic requirements. Those found to have submitted late forms would face a $1,000 fine, as well as possible felony prosecution. Denouncing the legislation as “good old-fashioned voter suppression,” the League of Women Voters announced that it was ending its registration efforts in Florida.

Besides these tactics to disenfranchise voters, the days of early voting are being cut, Sunday voting is being eliminated, and ex-felons are being disenfranchised. Look up what has happened in Ohio, Iowa and Florida in recent months. If you live in a state I have mentioned, and value the vote of all our citizens, now is the time to speak up against these unjust laws.