Don't Assume You'll be Able to Vote in the Next Election

Discussing Trump's recent attacks on voting rights

Authorities respond to a fire at a ballot box in Portland, Oregon, Oct. 28. 2024

Throughout my adult life, I have been continually frustrated and befuddled by the lack of gravity the general public places on the exercising of ones civic duty; that being, of course, the use of one’s right to vote, and participation within our system of republican democracy. Too many take this great privilege for granted, and are under the misguided notion that their individual vote does not matter in the grand scheme of things; but this is a self defeating inclination, because if everybody thought that their vote was inconsequential and stayed home, then truly nothing would ever change for the better. One of the greatest lies that people tell themselves is that abstention from the vote means that they are not responsible for the outcome. This could not be further from the truth. By abstaining you are not removed from the voting process, you are silently supporting the option that is the greater of how ever many evils are on the ballot.

Today, we are faced with the consequences of that dereliction of civic duty. Too many took our intricately assembled system for granted under the false pretense that it could not crumble, and that the contingencies put in place would always work. We have been insulated from the consequences of our actions for too long in this country, and now the chickens are coming home to roost.

Current Attacks on Voting Rights & Voter Suppression:

As you are likely aware, a massive talking point MAGA constantly harps on about is the “stolen” 2020 election. However, you may not realize just how pervasive this lie is, or how Republicans are now using it as justification to change elections across the board in the name of “security”. The Trump administration is doing their best to use this excuse as a way to limit the voting capability of every demographic that votes against Republicans in large numbers.

Executive Order 14248 | Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections:

Ordered on March 25th, this executive order aims to create stricter registration requirements in order to vote, and makes many changes to how the states must administer and certify their elections, with the added threat that states found uncompliant could lose federal funding. In summary, the EO includes the following:

• Prospective voters must provide documentary proof of US citizenship to register

  • Acceptable documents are passports, Real ID that indicate citizenship (only Enhanced Drivers License or Enhanced ID meet this requirement), military ID that indicates citizenship, and a state or federal ID accompanied by another form of proof of US citizenship (birth certificate)

  • It also adds the documentation requirement to military and overseas voters, many of whom don’t have easy access to their birth certificates

• The Attorney General will be provided complete information on all foreign nationals who have indicated on any immigration form that they have registered or voted in any election

  • This requires the disclosure of voter information from the state to the federal government, which infringes on the states autonomy in regard to elections

• Grants DOGE and the Department of Homeland Security full access to voter files and voter list maintenance records from every state

• The head of each Federal voter registration executive department or agency shall assess citizenship prior to providing a Federal voter registration form to enrollees of public assistance programs (SNAP, Medicaid, etc.)

• The order would have the Attorney General take legal action against any state that counts ballots received after election day

• The order states it will withhold federal funding and decertify states voting systems if they do not comply

Furthermore, this EO is very dubious legally, and seem to trample over the states constitutional rights to conduct elections how they see fit. The executive branch is not allowed to infringe on those rights, only Congress is. This is enumerated in the elections clause in article one of the constitution.

Article I, Section 4, Clause 1:

The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.

Nineteen states have already filed suit over this executive order, including Democratic attorneys general from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

The SAVE Act:

The SAVE (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) Act is more or less a Congressionally legislated version of the Executive Order above, particularly the proof of citizenship requirements when registering to vote. The particularly problematic part of this piece of legislation is that — if you don’t have a passport or Real ID that indicates citizenship — you will need to present some form of ID along with a birth certificate, naturalization papers, or equivalent. This presents a problem for millions of married women who’s names are no longer the same as what is on their birth certificates, and creates a financial barrier for people that need to reorder their birth papers, register for a passport, or obtain a Real ID. And while getting those things shouldn’t be an issue for most, it disproportionately affects women, the poor, young voters, and voters who are overseas (including military). This will also likely create voter apathy for people who have to overcome such barriers in order to register.

How to Ensure You Can Vote:

• Stay up to date on how your state conducts elections, and any legislation that passes pertaining to voting rights. I will do my very best to report on any such changes, so keep reading my publication and you should be fine in this regard.

• Get a Real ID and/or a passport ASAP. If you don’t know, after May 7th, you must have a Real ID to board domestic flights and enter certain federal facilities. You can get one at the DMV. Real ID also may serve as proof of citizenship if they are an Enhanced Driver’s License or Enhanced ID, otherwise you will also need to have a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship along with your Real ID. Unfortunately, EDLs and EIDs are only available in Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington. Having a passport is the ideal, as it is the most thorough piece of documentation you can have, and works in every situation in which you would need proof of citizenship.

• Have a copy of your birth certificate easily accessible. If for some reason you don’t have access to your birth certificate, you can order a new one from the state/city you were born in online. Remember though, if your name is different on the certificate, you may not be able to use it.

• Don’t wait until the last minute to register, and check your status before elections. With all the changes happening, if you wait until the last minute it’s possible that you could get un-registered without even knowing, or won’t be able to get the required documents to register on time.

• Volunteer at your local polling place. This is more for the benefit of others and to make the whole process better for everyone.

Every Vote is Important:

President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965 while Martin Luther King and others look on

I’ve been toying with this idea for a while, and I feel that it holds true: when people are born into a system, and no one is alive to remember it’s inception, they fabulize it’s mechanisms and trivialize its functionality. When something is much older than you, it feels like it has a greater certainty about it. To you, it is and has always been a fact of life, so it becomes difficult to even conceptualize its absence. The Byzantines likely never truly thought that the ramparts of Constantinople would fall; after all, they had been under siege for centuries at that point. Ottoman Turks crashing upon the Theodosian walls of the city would have just been a fact of life to everyone living there at the time. And yet, one day they did fail, as all human constructs do given enough time.

If you take nothing else from this article, then please at least understand this: the power to vote is a privilege, not a certainty. In fact, it is a historical anomaly. Even in America — which was founded on the principles of government by the people and for the people — for most of its history omitted the majority of the population from being eligible to vote. And furthermore, even after granting those rights to every citizen, the system tried its damnedest to prevent those people from exercising that legal right. Every right you have, every privilege you enjoy — that doubtless all of us take for granted — was not freely given, but rather fought for and earned through the blood and toil of your forebears. So, regardless of any misgivings you may have about the candidates, or the subject matter, or what effect your vote may even have in the grand scheme of things, you should treat every election like it will be your last. You never know, one day it just might be.

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National protest on April 19th: https://www.nvunheard.org/protest-listings/

Contact Your Representatives: https://5calls.org/

5051 (organizes protests): https://www.fiftyfifty.one/

The General Strike: https://generalstrikeus.com/

If you would like to know more about protest methods and organizations, here is my article on the subject: We March to Revolution: A Call to Action & Ways You Can Fight Back

And here is a more general article about Fascism in America today: American Fascism: What to Expect and How to Prepare

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Ever vigilant, your eyes in the sky,

~Minerva