Grizzelle, Erica

Professor Apiafi
HED 051
01/26/2021
Voter Suppression and Its Effect

With the new President of the United States officially in office for the last three days, it

wasn’t without roadblocks and outrage. While voting for the 46th President of the United States,

we saw many sources of voter suppression tactics put into play to ensure the current President (at

that time) stayed in office. Fake ballot drop-off boxes were being strategically placed in

historically democratic cities. Voting locations and times were switched at the last minute in

inner cities to make placing votes harder. A tactic that stood out to me this 2020 election was the

false reporting that the Republican candidate had already won, a tactic to deter democratic voters

who hadn’t yet voted from casting their vote. Our democracy is at risk when our government and

citizens back voter suppression. To vote is a right that many Americans fought for. It should be

fair, and we should be free to choose who we want in office. We should not be forced to accept

what is given to us. This is not democracy.

After the circus we saw the last four years, I would start by saying ​accountability ​is the

first step in ensuring that voter suppression is minimized and stopped. Laws need to be

implemented, and all should be held to the law no matter their ranking. If the law was upheld and

certain people were not protected simply because they were the President, the last four years

would have played out differently. I think voter suppression is very dangerous for our youth to

witness. It will give them the impression that voting is a waste of time, which is not factual as we

saw with the last Presidential election. Most people did not vote for that year, and we saw the

results of that election. However, this past election, many of the people who could vote did, and

we voted him out. We are stronger in numbers. Our fight has never been easy, but it’s been

worth it.