REGISTER TO VOTE! It’s your right.

[Image description: Pic of a laptop computer and pair of glasses on a table. Showing is a Vote Registration screen. The naafa logo is in the upper left-hand corner and the usa.gov logo in the lower right-hand corner with Visit https://vote.gov/ underneath the logo.]

By Darliene Howell

Historically, the freedom to vote for representation in the U.S. is steeped in privilege and has not allowed for “liberty and justice for all.” 

In 1776, voting was controlled by individual state legislatures and only white men age 21 who owned land were given the right to vote.

The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (in 1868) grants full citizenship rights, including voting rights, to all (white) men born or naturalized in the United States.

In 1870, the 15th Amendment to the Constitution was passed to eliminate racial barriers (for men) to voting, but states continued the practices of voter discrimination and suppression. All while Native Americans were still denied the right to vote.

The 19th Amendment to the Constitution (in 1920) was ratified giving (white) women the right to vote; while it did not initially extend to women of African American, Asian American, Hispanic American and Native American heritage because of widespread voter suppression enacted against Black women and other women of color.

The Snyder Act of 1924 admitted Native Americans born in the U.S. to full U.S. citizenship and granted the right to vote. Even with the passing of this citizenship bill, Native Americans were still prevented from participating in elections because the Constitution left it up to the states to decide who has the right to vote.

The federal Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 to ensure that all men and women age 21 and older, regardless of race, religion, or education, have the right to vote.

It wasn't until the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965, that Black women were in-practice able to exercise their right to vote.

In 1971, the 26th Amendment to the Constitution lowered the voting age to 18.

Today, we still see the rights of voters being violated by states through voter suppression; eliminating people from the voting rolls, closing polling places in areas that disadvantage minority populations, voter ID laws, redrawing district lines and more.

IT IS IMPERATIVE that we register and vote in both federal and local elections. Your vote DOES matter. Voting for the representatives that will move forward the wishes of the people is of the utmost importance. There are people and communities that need for us to use our constitutional right, our privilege, to vote to help create change.

If you have not registered to vote, there is still time!  You may be able to register online. Go to https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote or https://www.vote.org/register-to-vote/ to see what the requirements are for your state.

GET REGISTERED AND VOTE!

[Pic is of Darliene Howell, a Caucasian woman with white spiky hair and glasses shown in a blue and white #FacesOfNAAFA frame with the NAAFA logo at the bottom reading national association to advance fat acceptance]

Darliene Howell is a fat acceptance activist, rabble-rouser and tons of fun! She is a member the NAAFA Board of Directors and has been active in fat community for over 20 years.