The Radical Right's War on Voting: An Opportunity in Disguise?
First, they sought to divide us by legal status. Next, they came for the teachers and the nurses. Recently, they attempted to drive a wedge between African-Americans and Hispanics by erroneously tying minority unemployment rates to illegal immigration. Now the Radical Right is taking their war against American values one step further by introducing and passing state-based legislation that will make it harder (and in some cases, impossible) for emerging communities to vote.
A new piece in today's Washington Post details various efforts to limit voting rights. From legislation in New Hampshire that would make it harder for young people to vote, to legislation in North Carolina that would require a state-issued ID and make it harder for many groups to vote, the 21st Century coalition is under attack. While there have been various assaults on the American way, this is the first to attack Millennials, African-Americans, Latinos and women in such equal measure.
The consequences of the legislation are grave - both at an electoral and a civic level. But this coordinated campaign also offers an opportunity to re-unify and invigorate this growing majority, a chance to join together and fight to make it easier to vote, not harder.