By Alex Koplin, Tim Whip, Therese Lewandowski and Lani Raymond
How is your hangover? We don’t mean the one that you might have incurred from drinking too much on New Year’s Eve, but the one that seems to be ever present as we watch our democracy come under attack.
When the Insurrection occurred on Jan. 6, 2021, it was a direct attack on our democratic rule of law. We all must pay attention to these attacks that are trying to usurp our democracy. Many of these battles are happening in state legislatures that directly involve voting rights.
Election laws are changing throughout our country with state laws being enacted that will make voting restrictive and election administration partisan.
What can you do to reverse the trend?
Many of us watched the January 6th Insurrection feeling hopeless, as we witnessed our Capitol being torn apart. The sheer audacity of the former president doing nothing, but watching and hoping that the election would be overturned is totally un-American. He didn’t care that property and lives were being taken, and that the very building that represents our democratic nation was being vandalized.
If you were one of those people watching that day with anger and sadness, please consider taking a few minutes now to fight for our democracy. There are many ways to do this, but today we are asking that you raise your voice in support for the Freedom to Vote Act that is currently in the hands of the Senate.
On the anniversary of the Insurrection, we ask you to call or email our Sens. Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski. Let them know you support the Freedom to Vote Act.
Below are some talking points you might want to include.
This bill would make all 50 states and Washington, D.C., have a uniformed approach to voting, including:
Designate Election Day a national holiday
Automatic voter registration (Alaska does this when you apply for a PFD.)
Same-day voting registration
Online voting registration
Early voting guaranteed for two weeks, including nights and weekends
No-excuse absentee voting
Reform campaign finance
To get a more comprehensive look at this bill, go to https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/freedom-vote-act.
To contact Sen. Sullivan, go to https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/contact/email.
To contact Sen. Murkowski, go to https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/contact/email.
The Freedom to Vote Act is one way we can bring back trust. Take just a few minutes now to contact our senators and let them know you are for this act. The more voices that can be heard, the more our democracy will be protected. Your voice is needed more than ever!
This piece was written by members of Kenai Peninsula Votes, a nonpartisan group of citizens who want all people to vote and be informed about voting.
