Republicans want to deny Americans their first amendment rights by suppressing what our founding fathers considered the most important issue for all of our nation’s people; their right to vote. Republican governors are instituting voter identification laws which will disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of registered voters.

Here are the facts; when large numbers of Democrats go to the polls, they win elections. For proof, we need only to look back at the 2014 midterms. Nearly record low numbers of progressive voters cast their ballots, and Republicans gained control of the Senate.

This is the only opportunity for the GOP to win any national election. Recent polls reveal that 67 percent of Americans are displeased with the Republican establishment. They can no longer deny that they support the wealthiest of Americans, and reject the rights of minorities, women, the LGBT community, and all of the working class. Their lack of positive ideas to serve all of our nation’s people have been exposed.

Support for Donald Trump is a direct statement that 40 percent of Republican voters no longer believe in their party’s leaders.

These voter ID laws are worded in such a manner that it is often extremely difficult to access their Constitutional right to vote.

During the Arizona and Wisconsin primaries, the mainstream media once again failed to tell the American people the truth. Both states had embarrassingly long lines at the polling locations; some in Arizona were not able to cast their ballots until midnight. Both states have voter ID laws, and this was the primary reason for the delays. Adding to the problems in Arizona was the fact that many polling places were not open on the day of the primary.

Intelligent legislators make it easier to vote, not more difficult. Our nation is moving backwards in efforts related to increasing voter turnout.

In other developed nations around the world their citizens have been granted new freedoms to cast their ballots. Some can now vote online, using a pin number.

These efforts by Republican governors to win elections are just that, although they claim that they are designed to prevent voter fraud. The truth is that the percentage of actual voter fraud in the entire nation is less than .012 percent.

Republicans are attempting to destroy our nation and create a plutocracy. Your freedoms are in danger. If you no longer want to live in a country which offers ‘liberty and justice for all,’ vote for anyone who has an ‘R’ next to his or her name.

Op-Ed

By James Turnage

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