The Specialists

Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.
–Franklin D. Roosevelt

We like to think of the United States as a great bastion of democracy and equality, but it’s easy to forget how unequal our voting rights were in our early days as a country. African Americans were not able to vote (or their votes were not counted equally) until 1870 and women didn’t win the right to vote until 1920. Some minority groups have been denied voting rights as late as the 1970s. These are precious rights for which some people have had to fight long and hard.

Even today, there are sometimes roadblocks to voting. Fifteen states have enacted laws that require that a photo ID be presented to be able to vote. In some states, thousands of eligible voters have been wrongly purged from voter rolls. We can no longer simply show up at the polls and expect to vote; we must now proactively ensure that all of our paperwork is in order.

Election Day is just six weeks away. In the meantime, you can determine whether your state requires a photo ID to vote and confirm that you are registered. Make sure your voice is heard this Election Day!