The decline of our democracy in the US is not only disheartening, but has also been a wake-up call to the fact that it was never quite the democracy that many thought it was. We have a long history of disenfranchising groups of people in this country, and my own ignorance to the extent that this occurs is quite embarrassing. With the current election in full swing, and the availability of information, it comes as a depressing realization that there are powerful people attempting to suppress the voice and the vote of others; I can be somewhat naive in my belief that people are generally good, and want to do the right thing.
Our democracy is based on the idea that our leaders are elected by the people, and will represent them. Despite the ideological differences in the two major political parties, one might assume that both parties agree to this notion. However, the voter suppression enacted by the Republicans is evidence to the contrary. The Republicans in power are suppressing votes and continue to create obstacles to what most would consider our fundamental right of being a US citizen. Some of the tactics being used are what one might expect to occur in a third-world dictatorship, not in the US, the so-called country of freedom and liberty.
Especially in this covid-19 world, voting should be made easy for people, allowing us to vote safely, without gathering at the polls. Yet, those in power have hampered this process. The president, who votes by mail, continuously claims that this apparatus is full of fraud, with no evidence to support his claim. He has caused considerable confusion and distrust in the system. Furthermore, he has made great effort to disrupt the mail in vote by impeding the US Postal service from being able to tally the ballots. The Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, has intentionally hindered the postal service, removing sorting equipment and reassigning or displacing senior USPS officials, causing the chair of the House Committee that oversees the USPS to declare that this was “deliberate sabotage”. DeJoy’s appointment to this position has been controversial due to his strong connections to the Republican Party, his lack of prior experience with the USPS, and his personal equity in XPO (a subcontractor for USPS, which has increased business since DeJoy’s tenure). Trump conceded that the postal service would need more funding to handle mail-in voting, and said he would not allow any additional funding as he wanted to prevent this from happening!
In addition to hindering the mail system, the Republicans are also attempting to disqualify as many of the ballots as possible by restricting the timeframe when they can be counted.
Furthermore, in the manner of a gangster, Trump has threatened to “protect” polls by sending in the military, police, or private militias. This is also known as intimidation.
It is distressing to see a political party go to such lengths to demolish this fundamental right of being an American, to be able to cast your vote and have it counted. The Republicans seem to have forgotten what it is to be a true patriot, and just what it is that makes this country great. The need to win the election, at all costs, has a price tag that they may well live to regret, for the price is our democracy.