Jack Lessenberry on Voter Suppression Laws

In order for this to be a true democracy, every eligible American must be able to vote. So why are states are making it harder for people to vote as legislatures pass voter suppression laws, putting roadblocks in front of our most fundamental constitutional right?

In his radio address this week, Jack Lessenberry examines the issue of voter suppression laws in Michigan.

Throughout American history, we have had to fight to ensure that no one is excluded from participating in our democracy. From poll taxes to literacy tests, regressive laws have sought to eliminate “undesirable” voices from the electorate: African-Americans, women, immigrants, the elderly and young people.

Even after all the battles we've fought to gain access to the polls, as Lessenberry points out, fifty-five percent of registered voters didn't vote in our state. That's just registered voters: when you consider the number of people who haven't registered, the numbers grow even grimmer.

"...it’s easy to beat up on people for not voting," Lessenberry points out, "but the fact is that we don’t make voting as easy as we could -- and there are efforts underway to make voting harder still."

Instead of addressing some of the root causes of low voter turnout and encouraging all to participate in our democracy, lawmakers nationwide seem more interested in reinstating barriers along every step of the process, packaged as voter ID laws, restrictions to voter registration and cuts to early voting.

We need to remind our elected officials that although the right to vote is often taken for granted, it is something that we can never afford to forget. After all, they should be seeking ways to encourage more Americans to vote, not inventing reasons to deny voters the ability to cast their ballots.

Key News and Documents 

Read More | Know Your Voting Rights

Learn More | Voter Suppression