I have to say that I don’t understand the whole GOP need to make voting harder. Yes, I understand that Republicans think they are keeping Democrats from voting, but there is plenty of evidence that it is just as effective at suppressing votes from their main constituencies, including senior citizens and people who live in rural areas.
My state has switched over to vote-by-mail, and it has been a huge success. It is fast, simple, secure, doesn’t force you to take time off work, and there are plenty of convenient drop boxes if you don’t trust the USPS. Not surprisingly, Republican areas of the state still elect Republicans.
Sometimes I think Republicans and conservatives do things like this just to annoy Democrats and liberals. Or as Politico puts it, “Owning the libs has become the GOP’s core belief“.
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As the general public becomes better informed, the Republican argument loses popularity. The only way they can stay in power is to limit who can vote. Back in 2013/14, Red states that passed Voter ID laws allowed NRA IDs and handgun licenses to act as identification, but not VA IDs. If you can guarantee your base is the only ones able to easily vote, you have a better chance of winning.
It’s the same principle behind the conservative push to defund schools. The less educated a person, the more likely they are to vote Republican.
The GQP knows what it is doing, and to whom, they just don’t care how many other people they disenfranchise. So long a lot of people of color are not able to vote, they consider that a “win.”
Make Election Monday and Tuesday Paid (if you vote) national holidays. We don’t need holidays for individual people in history. Columbus day? Why? President’s Day? A joke. MLK Day? A Phillip Randolph did more over a longer period of time. Commemorate the birth dates, but voting is for all the chips, and what King and Randolph wanted.