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In 2000, only 60 percent of the voting age population actually came out to vote on Election Day. Alarmed at the level of civic passivity; nonprofit, political and religious organizations of all stripes began a massive campaign to stimulate more participation in the voting process. Organizations such as USAction, La Raza, the National Rifle Association and religious organizations began registering millions of new voters across this country. Four years later, an additional 13 million voters were added to the rolls and 64 percent of voters turned out for the 2004 elections.
The massive voter engagement campaigns were an unqualified success and you would think public officials would be dancing in the streets, right? Wrong. Instead, this year, the right-wing assault machine has launched a blistering campaign of attacks against liberal and non-partisan groups for getting millions more American citizens registered to vote and active in the electoral process. Why? Simply because they have been so effective at it. Some people would call that sour grapes, others would call it being a sore loser; I call it a pathetic display of unAmericanism.
From the very first presidential election over two centuries ago, you have always had winners and losers. Federalists, Anti-federalists, Whigs, Democrats, Republicans and Independents have always understood the rules of the game: The winner wins and the loser lives to fight another day.
Now partisan operatives don't want to play the game by the rules anymore. They have leashed their latest disinformation campaign and against ACORN, the progressive advocacy group that has successfully registered 1.3 million largely young, poor, and ethnic minorities to vote this year.
In the business world, you learn by your competitors' example and adopt some of their strategies to remain competitive. In dirty politics, you try to get laws passed to invalidate your opponents, you buy friendly judges to disqualify or overturn results, or you persuade law enforcement officials to raid their offices and prevent them from operating in the first place.
Fox News recently stated - and I quote:
"The ongoing investigations into a controversial advocacy group that specializes in registering low-income voters are becoming a rallying cry for Right-wings just weeks before Election Day."
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| This is partisan politics at its worst.
Political fights over the right to vote are as old as our democracy itself. Voting rights in the United States have developed over a long and contentious history. An astounding four Constitutional amendments have had to be passed in order to protect the right for certain segments of the population to vote. The 15th Amendment outlawed voter disenfranchisement based on race, the 19th based on gender, the 24th based on poll taxes and the 26th lowered the age limit to 18.
Since the days of George Washington, the elites have tried to stay in power by limiting who can and cannot vote. One by one, our courts have overturned these attempts to suppress the rights of American citizens based on class, race, gender and educational status. How can we stand for democracy and freedom across the globe if we don't even practice it here at home? We can't be a proponent for free and fair elections in China, Korea, Afghanistan and Iraq while denying the rights of American citizens in our own country.
Trying to get people registered to vote - then making sure that their vote is actually counted - is a civic duty and organizations of all political stripes who are undertaking this Herculean effort should be applauded. In a year when Democrats are out-registering new voters nearly three-to-one, it's no surprise that sleazy political operatives from the other side are launching an all-out effort to prevent certain underrepresented citizens from voting. We believe that these tactics are unethical, immoral and un-American.
Only 47 percent of young adults are registered to vote; only 50 percent of single men and 48 percent of those without a high school diploma. These people are full fledged citizens of the United States and deserve for their voices to be heard and to elect leaders that represent their interests.
We call for and end to the disenfranchisement of huge sectors of these populations via public misinformation campaigns, purging of voter rolls, election machine tampering and all forms of voter intimidation and suppression. This isn't just about ACORN. Our democracy works best when everyone's voice is heard and everyone's vote is counted. |
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