Letter: Protect democracy with voting reforms

Graphic by Lori Deaton

North Carolina has a long history of voter suppression. Recent attempts to implement a voter-registration law were decisively struck down in 2016 by a federal appeals court, which said its provisions deliberately “target African-Americans with almost surgical precision” in an effort to depress black turnout at the polls. Another example in 2016 was the redistricting plan that was struck down by a [federal] district court, ruling the plan constituted illegal racial gerrymandering by populating two districts disproportionately with African-American voters. Currently, counties accounting for half of North Carolina registered voters have cut back on hours and decreased the number of polling places.

In order to protect our democracy, we must address these issues and go even further to allocate $4 billion in federal funding for states and mandate the implementation of reforms nationwide like early voting, postage-paid vote-by-mail and online and same-day voter registration.

— Woody Eisenberg
Asheville

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12 thoughts on “Letter: Protect democracy with voting reforms

  1. Enlightened Enigma

    Hey Woody…you already have the right to a mail in ballot by request! No laws need changing…and we are NOT a democracy…strive to be smarter.

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    • bsummers

      Yeah, Woody. Any attempt to make it easier for people to vote is by definition an attempt to steal the election from the rightful winners, the Republicans. As President-for-life Donald the First said just yesterday, “The Democrats are trying to Rig the 2020 Election, plain and simple!”

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      • James

        Not good enough! The Founding Fathers (keeping their women in check) demanded that only straight, white, property owning males should have the right to vote! The GOP is for strict original constitutional viewpoints and a return to those roots. That’s why serial adulterers like Trump can vote by mail but not anyone who doesn’t pledge fealty to King George Trump VI. Hail Our New White Nationalist Overlords!

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    • Dopamina

      You are not enlightened as you clearly seem to think Democracy and Republic are mutually exclusive terms. We can be both a form of representative democracy as well as a republic, both at the same time! So there’s some enlightenment for you, perhaps next time stick to the topic actually being discussed instead of being a distracting pedantic :D

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      • Lulz

        No what you leave out is the democracy equals mob rule. You cannot have a representative republic when you equalize the taxpayer to the taxtaker. How can someone who lives on welfare and section 8 have the same vote as someone who pays 60% of their income in taxes. Your democracy is a sham. Period.

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        • Peter Robbins

          Be careful what you wish for. If they start imposing qualifications for voting, they might be bring the literacy test.

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          • Peter Robbins

            Gawk! I meant to type “they might bring back the literacy test.” The way it is still makes the point, but it might be misconstrued. Sorry, folks.

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        • James

          Does that mean you should lose your right to vote when you go on SS and Medicare? College students going to school full time? All the people who became unemployed during the Trump Virus Pandemic? Police officers or firefighters or veterans who become disabled and unable to work while doing their duty? You really aren’t very bright are you?

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  2. Enlightened Enigma

    Democrackkks always try to RIG elections…it’s their evil nature.

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    • James

      You seem to keep forgetting that the GOP acquired the Klan in a friendly takeover back during the Nixon administration. I could be wrong… maybe you can remind me of the last Democrat endorsed by the Klan? We know the last presidential candidate they endorsed was Dementia Donnie.

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    • Dopamina

      I too enjoy making claims without evidence. I often accuse chestnuts of being lazy – prove me wrong!

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  3. Stan Hawkins

    I am especially encouraged by this thoughtful recommendation. If it works like the census where I get 3-4 invitations to respond, that will be really helpful. Even still, with the level of integrity in local Buncombe Govt officials over the years, my outlook is encouraged further for citizenship in action.

    Gee thanks – I wish I would have thought about this civic lesson first.

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