Dear Georgia General Assembly,
My name is Aisha Dukuly. I am a Georgia resident and future voter. As a young Black woman and student activist of the EdLanta Student Coalition, it is imperative that I lift my voice regarding the current move to suppress the voices of Georgia voters.
Let’s be clear, these bills are targeting people of color, women and those who lives in disenfranchised or lower income communities. Voting is so critically important in the advancement of our society as we have witnessed in recent elections.
Why would GA republicans want to take this right away from us?
Representatives like the late John Lewis, dedicated his life to voting rights for leaders in his very own state to drive efforts to erase these rights and his legacy.
Voting is so very important because it is an opportunity to make your voice heard and facilitate positive change in your community.
I desire to vote because my ancestors fought and died to ensure that I have this right.
For students, working-class citizens, the disabled, and many others like myself mail-in-ballot absentee voting is our only way to perform our civic duty and make our voices heard.
Without mail-in-ballot absentee voting, my mother who is disabled wouldn’t have been able to vote in the last election. As a student and someone living with a disability, I might not be able to vote in the future without mail-in-ballot absentee voting.
Voting is power and if you all allow H.B. 531 and S.B. 241 passed into law you all will be taking power away from many Black people, young people, and disabled people like me. That is unacceptable.
Georgia Republicans are infringing upon the rights of voter futures like myself and we are not made for Jim Crow idealist’s actions to suppress our voices!
As a stakeholder in Georgia, my voice matters. Even being a youth. We can’t be ignored in this process as the recommendations are going to infringe upon our right to vote.
Here’s my thoughts on the proposed H.B. 531 and S.B. 241 in Georgia that will be voted on soon.
My Concerns with H.B. 531 are as follows:
- Limit early voting hours and days, including weekend voting
H.B. would make it harder for the elderly, people with disabilities, low-income people, rural residents, and/or students who need schedule flexibility in order to vote. Citizens should be able to exercise their right to participate in our democracy whenever it is most convenient to them.
- Add new requirements to absentee voting
There is no factual evidence to support the claim that the mail-in vote process is not secure or that ballots cast by mail in recent elections have been compromised. There is no explicit reason to add new requirements (such as Photo-ID verification) for absentee voting. Black people and other people of color will be disproportionately affected by this because they vote by mail the most.
- Disqualify ballots cast out-of-precinct
Many people of color and those living in low-income communities can’t take time off of work to vote in their precinct, so they vote in areas where they work, go to school, etc. Moreover, it shouldn’t matter where people exercise their right to vote as long as it is done legitimately. Citizens should be able to vote wherever it is most convenient for them. Again, this is a very explicit way of trying to suppress Black voters, voters of color, low-income voters, and so many more voices that need to be heard.
- Limiting the use of secure drop boxes
During the recent elections, the addition of secure drop boxes allowed citizens a secure and safe way to cast their ballot during a global pandemic that we’re still dealing with. Limiting the use of secure drop boxes would force the elderly and those living with pre-existing conditions to put their health at risk by going to vote in person at the polls. Citizens shouldn’t have to choose between life or death in order to exercise their right to vote.
There is nothing criminal about offering food and drink to people who have been standing in line for hours on end to vote. As good citizens it is our civic duty to vote. Thus, incentivizing people to vote, who otherwise might leave and neglect their civic duty due to sheer exhaustion is a good thing.
My concerns with S.B. 241 are as follows:
- Repeal of no-excuse absentee voting
Absentee voting is essential to ensure that voters in my community and many others like it are able to cast ballots safely, securely, and freely. No excuse absentee voting allows those in my community who can’t afford to miss work or those who have non-negotiable personal responsibilities to still have a say in what happens in their community with having to come to the polls. The repeal no-excuse absentee voting will silence the voices of Black people, people of color, low-income people, and so many more in my community.
- Photo Identification Requirement for Absentee voting
There is no factual evidence to support the claim that the mail-in vote process is not secure or that ballots cast by mail in recent elections have been compromised. There is no explicit reason to add new requirements (such as Photo-ID verification) for absentee voting. Black people and other people of color will be disproportionately affected by this because they vote by mail the most.
Voting as it is currently is extremely inconvenient and low voter turn-out is proof of this. Voting can become more convenient if we were able to do it securely from our mobile devices, just as we do many other things securely from our mobile devices. With the implementation of mobile voting more voices will be heard, thus propelling more equitable governance of our democracy.
The EdLanta Student Coalition is encouraging youth across the State of Georgia who are at the brink of being able to vote to lift their voices against the modern day, Jim Crow tactics republican senators in Georgia are using to suppress our voices and our votes.
Contact the ESC at professorjba@gmail.com and visit the ESC site for more information on their work.
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