The law should protect, strengthen, and expand our rights. I don’t say that because I am a lawyer—I say that because I am an American.
Right now there’s a move nationally and in our state to limit our voting rights. This move is driven by an ambitious political class that has figured out how to make money off the politics of fear, rumor, and outright lies.
In Idaho, members of the supermajority are pressing forward with bills that would make it harder for students to vote or for older folks to vote. They make it harder for just about any busy mom or dad who didn’t have room in their lives to jump through registration hoops ahead of Election Day.
The details of these bills matter if they become law. But at the moment what matters is that they are crass and wrongheaded. They limit rights. They limit freedom.
There are plenty of facts out there to prove that fraud isn’t a problem in Idaho. But I’d suggest asking Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney, a very partisan politician. Secretary Denney once floated the idea of fingerprinting voters to make elections “secure.”
Fingerprints to vote!
Now, he works to prove that Idaho’s elections are fair and honest.
It’s relevant to know that the Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin, and one of my opponents for the job, Priscilla Giddings, are allied with Rep. Dorothy Moon (candidate for Idaho Secretary of State), who is pushing the most extreme effort to pare back our voting rights. House Speaker Scott Bedke, another Lt. Governor candidate, has a history of letting extremists in his party have their way.
Voting matters. I believe all Americans should be able to vote. I believe politicians should get out of the way when citizens are headed for the polls.