The mid-term elections are drawing ever closer and with it, threats to voting rights in the United States have become present, worrying communities as restrictive laws threaten democracy.
Diverse communities of color have been fighting for years for better representation on their states' maps, and as part of this struggle, experts gathered at a press conference organized by Ethnic Media Services They spoke about maps that restrict voting, problems with security, access for people with disabilities, and the danger posed by partisan poll workers who seek to interfere with elections.
"We have seen many election laws to restrict voter access passed in many states across the country," stated Sean Morales-Doyle, acting director of the Democracy Program.
Morales-Doyle pointed out that the 2020 elections greatly impacted the fight for voters' rights and stressed his concern for the upcoming mid-term elections to be held on November 8.
"It is really worrying that there are people who are attacking democracy and institutions on which our country has been built," he said.
Communities fight for greater representation on maps
Evan Milligan, executive director of Alabama Forward - which seeks to advance democracy in Alabama - noted that political districts affect the participation of communities based on their race, leaving candidates unengaged.
"These communities deserve more representation at the congressional level," Milligan said, noting that concerns about the unfair distribution of maps have been raised among communities and activists that will lead to unfair elections.
He also noted that the lawsuits against the state of Alabama will seek maps that better represent African-American communities, which have been neglected and alienated from civic participation.
"If we don't have representation that is sensitive to the needs of those communities, we tend to rely too much on philanthropy and service models that will never have the resources to really address what's going on in our community," Milligan said.
He also pointed out that due to the obstacles that exist on the part of the states in relation to the elections, it has been difficult to encourage communities to vote.
Laws affect voter rights in the United States
For Kira Romero-Craft, director of Legal Strategies at Demos, although in Florida the growth of communities of color has been accelerating, "districts of color were cut in half in Ron DeSantis' redistricting, and unfortunately those cases are still being fought in the courts."
He also highlighted that in Florida, efforts have been affected, as laws were passed that persecute organizations that seek to register voters from communities of color.
"The legislature was going after anyone who challenged the state," he pointed out, noting the importance of talking about the democratic system and the disadvantages of it being used as a weapon.
"These systems in the wrong hands can cause terrible things," he warned.
Call to take into account the disabled population
Michelle Bishop, director of Voter Access and Engagement for the National Disability Rights Network, noted that one in five Americans has a disability, representing at least 20 percent of the population.
"There are 40 million voters with disabilities, at least one-sixth of the total electorate," he pointed out, while noting that six percent of these people participate in democratic processes as they sometimes become difficult for them to access.
Bishop noted the importance of making the voting process more accessible to people with disabilities, as there are a multiplicity of factors that hinder their participation.
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