We still have the ability to fight for voting rights in Iowa

In August of 2020, there was much fanfare surrounding the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. The suffrage movement’s hard-won victory in policy form was ratified in August of 1920. What was often forgotten in the 2020 celebration speeches commemorating this milestone were those excluded from its benefits — Black women did not get the right to vote that day. In fact, Black people were excluded from the right to vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 following a bloody, brutal, and widely televised battle for the civil rights of Black Americans in this country. Late Congressman John Lewis said humbly of his own participation in the Civil Rights Movement, (and specifically the fight for the right to vote) “I gave a little blood on that bridge in Selma, Alabama for the right to vote.” The 1965 Voting Rights Act suffered a blow in 2013 when the U.S. Supreme Court determined that it was no longer necessary for state and local governments with a history of race-based voter discrimination to request preclearance before making changes to their voting procedures.

“Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part." - U.S. Rep. John Lewis

Following his passing in 2021, proposed national voting rights legislation was dedicated to his memory. The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act currently in the Senate was designed to effectually reverse the 2013 Supreme Court decision, in addition to requiring preclearance for all states for changes to voting laws to prevent voter discrimination targeting people of color. (For example, the Iowa voter ID law or the shortening of the early voting window ostensibly enacted to counter voter fraud.) Both of these recent changes to electoral rules are in fact more likely to have a disenfranchising impact on voters with inflexible working hours, barriers to transportation, low income, and those living with disabilities. There is to date no evidence of widespread voter fraud, either here in Iowa or nationally. In mid-January, Senate Democrats were unsuccessful in a bid to alter the filibuster and allow the voting rights bill to pass with a simple majority rather than a 60-vote minimum. Because the filibuster changes failed, many now believe the John Lewis Voting Rights bill has been defeated as well. However, in the face of state-level legislation all over the country, to give up now would be a grave mistake.

Despite the cries of “Stop the Steal” as our Capitol building was besieged by treasonous terrorists attempting to overturn a legitimate election just one year ago, the true stolen voices have always been those of marginalized communities silenced at the ballot box by policies designed to do just that. Since the 2020 election, 19 states have enacted voter restrictions that make it harder to do your civic duty. Information on the most current regulations in Iowa can be found at the Secretary of State website.

While our own state has made progress by restoring voting rights to those convicted of a felony who have completed their sentence, there is no tangible benefit to shortening the hours a polling place is operational on Election Day and refusing to accept absentee ballots postmarked on Election Day. These measures simply shrink the number of people who are able to vote. The Iowa laws decreasing voting access were put in place following the 2020 election on a strict party-line vote by Republican legislators and will impact Iowans participating in the midterms.

While this seems a dismal picture, we are not without recourse — we the people still have the ability and the obligation to hold our elected officials accountable to the ideals of democracy they exalt from the stump. While much has been made of the inaction of two Democratic senators, there has been little accountability for the Republican senators suppressing the vote in America. The senators from Iowa report to you. Give them a performance review.

As Congressman Lewis put it, "Ours is not the struggle of one day, one week, or one year. Ours is not the struggle of one judicial appointment or presidential term. Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part."

We owe it to our neighbors. We owe it to ourselves.

Sofia DeMartino is a Gazette editorial fellow. Comments: sofia.demartino@thegazette.com