Time for Illinois to take the next step on voting rights

Sunday is the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. The VRA is widely regarded as the single most important civil rights law ever enacted.

In the midst of false claims about widespread voter fraud, hackers threatening the sanctity of our elections by breaking into America’s voter registration system, and states passing laws restricting ballot access and reducing competitive elections through gerrymandering, we should all take a moment to reflect upon the promise of equal voting rights for all citizens.

In 1965, members of both parties in Congress came together to pass a bill that finally gave millions of Americans the ability to exercise their right to vote. Now, we stand on the cusp of again giving more Illinois citizens access to the ballot box through Automatic Voter Registration.

AVR will add over 1 million eligible Illinois citizens to the voter rolls, strengthen and modernize our elections against potential fraud and save our cash- strapped state money.

It’s no wonder the bipartisan AVR bill was passed unanimously through both the state House and state Senate and that Gov. Bruce Rauner plans on signing it before the end of August.

The legacy of the VRA has been momentous in leveling the playing field for equal rights. Let’s celebrate that legacy and make Illinois the 10th state to enact automatic voter registration. Ra Joy, Bronzeville Executive Director,

CHANGE Illinois

Nightmarish tax burden

For my family, it is so much more than the political spinster language on new taxes. The gross dysfunction between Cook County leadership and its residents is rivaled only by the lack of leadership in Springfield. Mike Madigan vs. Gov. Bruce Rauner is a bad soap opera of no change, no relief, unless we the taxpayers are willing to bear the burdens of crony deals. My wife and I moved to DuPage County 12 years ago to escape the taxation onslaught. I’m fed up, we’re fed up, and I plan to retire in nearby Northwest Indiana.

Thanks for the memories Illinois — or were they nightmares?

Brian J. Athern, Darien

Blame rapists for campus rape

Mona Charen’s column in Friday’s Sun- Times was beyond the pale. She attributes the “pressing problem” of campus rape to “the sexual revolution and hookup culture.” This is complete nonsense. This problem is caused by one thing: rapists. It is “pressing” because rape victims have the courage to stand up and fight back.

Don Anderson, Oak Park

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