Of all the blessings in America that are taken for granted, the right to vote is near the top of the pile, if not crowning it. Only about 50% Americans consistently show up at the polls every four years, and those numbers are even less for non-presidential elections.
It is not We, the People who affect Washington. It is We, the People who show up. With this fact, is it any wonder that our systems of authority are in a tenuous state?
Millions around the world crushed under the oppression of dictators and kings would and have risked imprisonment, torture and death to be able to actually decide who their leaders are. But in the West, many can't be bothered to take 30 minutes to drive down to the local middle school and cast their ballot.
America is legally and lawfully a Republic, which means we are self-governing, delegating temporary authority to elected officials. This puts the People in charge. But without our vote, We the People become We, the Oppressed.
Those thin, paper ballots are the only thing standing between us and a Marxist America, which is why the vote is more valuable than anything else on earth, save the Holy Scriptures.
And yet, perhaps because so few people respect their right to vote, our election system is alarmingly unprotected, exposed, and vulnerable. Awareness of this is on the rise, and some have suggested using voter I.D. and in-person voting to protect the electoral process. An objection to this is that it is racist, preventing some minority groups from exercising their election rights. However, the issue with said objection is that an I.D. is used in almost every other facet of life:
If it's not racist or discriminatory to require identification to buy a house or car, get a marriage license, visit a doctor's office, apply for a job or school, conduct banking, go to court, enter a federal building, apply for food stamps/welfare/unemployment/social security/low income housing, adopt a child, or hold a political rally, why is it, then, racist to vote?
Another hole in the racism argument is that if it is true, the vast majority of democratic or semi-democratic countries are suppressing the right to vote, because the vast majority of Democratic countries use some form of voter I.D.:
If such flagrant suppression of human rights was rampant in the world, why are there not widespread protests and resistance movements? It must also be observed, though any conclusions on this point are left up to the reader, that most of the individuals resisting voter I.D. are career politicians.
But wait! There's more!
What the critics of voter I.D. have failed to acknowledge is that the vast majority of all voters support election integrity, including 77% of blacks, 78% of Hispanics, 67% of Democrats, 97% of Republicans, and 82% of Independents.
The truth is this: our election system is broken, and over 75% of the country believe voter I.D. is the way to fix it. It's proven effective, and elections that go without it are ripe for corruption, fraud, and theft.
Of course, it must be remembered that even with secure elections, that's only a temporary solution to the Washington Problem. The permanent answer is a Convention of States! Be a self-governing citizen and strive for Article V by signing the petition and spreading the word about COSA!
