Remember nation’s history, vote
Preferential primaries and non-partisan judicial elections will be held on Tuesday in Arkansas. There are important decisions to be made for El Dorado and Union County. This newspaper has provided a number of articles on key races. Please review available information on candidates and vote.
It is important.
Political arguments often center on laws established by the U.S. Constitution.
The Constitution governs us and the people we elect on the federal level can influence those laws. Whether something is constitutional is a question we want answered. Often, we hear the phrase: “That’s not what our founding fathers intended.”
It is crucial that we remember where America started and recognize how far we’ve come. When our nation’s history and hard-fought battles for voting rights are considered, that should be enough to have us lined up and waiting to exercise our rights. And it should be a wake-up call for those who have become complacent and opt to skip voting opportunities.
Let’s recap some American history. This country’s founders did not intend for African Americans to be more than three-fifths of a person and relegated them to slavery. Our founders did not intend for women to be treated as equals to men. Women were not given the right to vote until 1920 — less than 100 years ago.
The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery in 1865. African Americans were freed. Up until that point, the 3/5 law established during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 was in play. The law allowed Southern states to count slaves as 3/5 of a person for the purposes of apportionment in Congress. Slaves couldn’t vote, but the law limited the power of slave states. For example, it would take 50,000 instead of 30,000 in a district to earn congressional representation.
The 14th Amendment of 1868 established citizenship rights for all persons born within the U.S. and guaranteed rights and privileges.
The 15th Amendment of 1870 established that no citizen be denied the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. This amendment was intended to give freed slave men the same privileges of the white male majority. States, however, got around the amendment by creating Jim Crow laws and other barriers to prevent minority males from voting. Literacy laws, grandfather clauses (if your grandfather was eligible to vote, you could vote which excluded African Americans whose grandfathers were slaves), and poll taxes (which hindered the poor) restricted voter access.
The 19th Amendment of 1920 gave women the right to vote. It established that no citizen shall be abridged of their right to vote based on sex. Half of the population received the right to vote 98 years ago.
The 24th Amendment of 1964 eliminated the poll tax and some of the Jim Crow laws established by the 15th Amendment. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 removed literacy tests from the voting process. The 26th Amendment of 1971 established 18 as the legal voting age; all persons 18 and older shall not be abridged of their right to vote.
This is recent history. Remember it. And when you hear politicians talk about measures to deny and restrict certain populations of people, think about how you would feel if it were you — because in the not too distant past, if you were black, female, poor or illiterate, it was you.
If you have questions about voting, candidates or polling sites, visit the Arkansas Secretary of State’s website: https://www.voterview.ar-nova.org/VoterView/ Home.do. It provides thorough and accurate information. Early voting will continue Monday and the polls will be open from 7:30 a.m. To 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Vote. It’s your right and duty as an American citizen. And most importantly, it is now a right for us all.
Shea Wilson is the former managing editor of the El Dorado News-Times. E-mail her at melsheawilson@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @sheawilson7.