Hi Elizabeth, In 2020, while I was working at a local polling location in Hamilton County, I started a conversation with a woman named Miss Pearl. She told me about how over fifty years ago, she was an activist, fighting for the rights that would become the Voting Rights Act of 1965. So I asked her, how do you think access to the ballot box now is compared to then? She told me, "It makes me sick. I am so frustrated." Because nothing has changed.
We look at the activists whose shoulders we stand on and the work that they put in, the sacrifices they've made, and the lives lost in a fight for something that is fundamentally our right. It is unconscionable to have the lack of easy access to voting in our state. It's a system that has been intentionally broken and miscommunicated to sow chaos and reduce people's faith in our government. |
Over the weekend I went back to my hometown of Lima where I was the keynote speaker at the 2nd Annual John Lewis Celebration. While I was honored to be there I couldn’t help thinking about Miss Pearl and how much work we still have to do. If you can file your taxes online there is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to file for an absentee ballot online. All that is missing is the desire to see more people voting.
We know that there are people who have permanent disabilities that will prevent them from making it to the polls. There is no reason why we cannot maintain a permanent absentee voter list.
An 18 year old can show up at a recruiter’s office and join the military in an afternoon. That same young person should be able to show up and vote that same day! I have the fight in me. I hope you will join me. |
We will do this together, Chelsea |
