The Attack on Voting

Haroon Shaikh ’22

Voting has been debated about in state government in recent years. However, Covid-19 has sparked a new debate about voting in many states, the issue leading to animosity between state officials and causing the president to be fact-checked by twitter. What has made this topic so controversial and how do these debates pose a threat to our elections?

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the safety of voting in the 2020 primaries and general election is currently being scrutinized, especially considering the “second wave” of COVID-19 predicted to hit this winter. To make voting as safe as possible, some states are suggesting to increase the accessibility of mail-in voting. However, expanding voting has never been greeted with unanimous support, tending to fall along party lines.

Expanding voting occurs when ballots and registration are more readily available to people who are eligible to vote. There are many reasons to support the expansion of voting: for one, the U.S. repeatedly has a lower voting turnout compared to that of other nations. In the 2016 election, around 56 percent of the people who are eligible to vote actually voted. Compared with countries in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) the U.S had lower turnout than 25 out of the 32 countries in the organization. Voting by mail is seen to increase voter turnouts. Voting traditionally in a booth can be very inconvenient and overall elicit a decrease in turnouts. In 2016, twenty-one of Utah’s counties conducted the election by mail while 8 continued with traditional polling. Counties with Vote by Mail(VBM) showed an 8.7 percent larger turnout compared with counties that did not.Turnout in the last 4 general elections have been higher in counties with mail in voting.

On the statewide level, Colorado, Washington, and a few more states hold all their elections by mail. Ballots are mailed out before election day, but voters still have the options to fill out their ballot and drop it off for collection, mail it back, or to vote in person. There was an increase in turnout from 51.7 percent to 54.7 percent, but it is not clear whether it was a direct result of mail in voting. However, mail in voting also reaped another benefit: in 2016, it was found that the costs of voting dropped around 40 percent. In 2008, the average cost of one vote was $15.96. In 2014, after the vote by mail was enacted, that cost went down to $9.56 per vote. There was a decrease in the cost of printing, labor, rental, postage, and other costs that would be present with traditional voting. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, there were only five states that conducted elections entirely by mail where ballots were automatically sent to residences.

The concerns Over Complete Mail In Voting

A main reason why some states are hesitant to expand voting is due to concerns of voter fraud; as states were debating on whether mail in voting should be expanded, there was clear opposition from the president and republican politicians for this reason.

“There is NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent. Mail boxes will be robbed, ballots will be forged & even illegally printed out & fraudulently signed. The Governor of California is sending Ballots to millions of people, anyone living in the state, no matter who they are or how they got there, will get one,” Trump tweeted. Twitter then added a fact check label which redirected users to a source explaining mail in voting and the incredibly low risk of fraud occurring . This criticism occurred, despite the president and his staff having all voted by mail in several previous elections.

In Wisconsin, during the 2020 primaries, a conservative majority court did not find it necessary to expand voting to completely mail. This led to long lines and only five of the 180 polling locations to remain open in the city of Milwaukee. Even with refusing to expand mail in voting, 77 percent of votes casted were through absentee ballots.Turnout was still relatively high even with restrictions. In the 2020 primary, 34 percent voter turnout was reported. It was less than the 47 percent reported in 2016 but in the 2016 primary there was a competitive republican race as well instead of one competitive democratic race. However, a safety concern occurred when 52 people who worked at the polls or voted for the election tested positive for Covid-19. In May after the primary Wisconsin’s Election Commission unanimously voted to send absentee ballot applications to all voters.

Recently, a conservative court in Texas remotely voted to rule that lack of immunity from Coronavirus will not be a valid excuse to receive an absentee ballot. To receive an absentee ballot, the recipient must be 65 years or older, have a disability or illness, be planning to leave the county during the election period, or be confined in jail. However, the state conceded that officials can’t deny voter applications for the clause of disability, even if the reason is linked to coronavirus.

There is a common pattern of Republican politicians trying to stop the expansion of voting . When looking at the facts, voter fraud is a concept that is not a legitimate threat to our elections – illegal voting is a miniscule problem.

Our elections have been investigated many times to ensure a fair vote occured. In the 2016 election, all states reported no indications of massive voter fraud. Two studies were conducted in 2014 to see how safe our elections were. In one study it was found that from 2000-2014 there were only 31 credible allegations of voter impersonation. More than one billion ballots were casted during this time. It is most likely that most of these claims were dismissed. The second study in 2014 found no evidence of widespread fraud for the 2012 election. After the 2016 election President Trump tweeted, “Wow, Report Just Out! Google manipulated from 2.6 million to 16 million votes for Hillary Clinton in 2016 Election! This was put out by a Clinton supporter, not a Trump Supporter! Google should be sued. My victory was even bigger than thought!” Because of his belief that there was massive fraud, Trump set up a commission to investigate elections. President Trump’s own commission to investigate voter fraud found no credible evidence and was disbanded. There have been dozens of other similar investigations which all have led to the same conclusion – voter fraud and voter impersonation is incredibly rare.

However, this false narrative that fraud is rampant and our elections are in jeopardy continues to persist. From 2017 – 2019, Arkansas, North Dakota Missouri,Georgia, Iowa, Indiana,Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Arizona, Florida,Tennessee, and Texas enacted stronger voting restrictions. This included strict photo id laws, reducing early voting, and making registration and staying registered harder.

Problems With these Laws

Aggressive voting laws try to solve the issue of voting fraud that has time and time again been deemed insignificant, bringing on an onslaught of negative effects. For example, strict voter ID laws reduce turnout by 2-3 percentage points. This requirement disproportionately affects minority voters – twenty five percent of African-American citizens who are eligible to vote do not have photo id. A study also showed that minority voters are more frequently questioned about their ID. Some states are also much more stringent when it comes to acquiring an ID, as required documents, travel expenses, and wait time can cost from 75 to 175 dollars. For low income communities, many will be turned away from voting simply due to the inconvenience and the cost. States with strict ID laws also have an increased financial weight: Indiana spent 10 million dollars from 2007-2010 in order to set up a vote by ID system. Texas spent 2 million dollars on voter education and efforts in order to make its Voter ID law successful. Voter ID laws reduce turnout, disproportionately affect minority voters, and cost states an unnecessary expense.

Other laws such as restricting earlier voting and making a strict deadline of voter registration also unnecessarily decrease turnout. This excuse of fraud to justify voting suppression caused a lot of controversy in 2018’s gubernatorial election. Brian Kemp (Republican) and Stacey Abrams(Democrat) ran an incredibly close race. Stacey Abram’s campaign relied on minority and infrequent voters, yet Georgia’s voting laws made sure this would not happen. Georgia has one of the strictest voting laws, requiring all voters to register thirty days before an election. Because of this, 87,000 voters were not allowed to vote since they registered after the deadline. Georgia also has laws that remove voters who are registered simply because they are infrequent voters. Led by Brian Kemp’s own office,on a single day in July 2017, 560,000 Goergians were removed from the voter rolls because they skipped elections. The total number of purged voters was 1.4 million. The majority of purged voters lived in Democratic precincts. The defense for this was that many had moved away or died. However, an investigation found that 65 percent of those who were purged re-registered from the same county, meaning they would have been eligible to vote if they were not disenfranchised. Another policy nicknamed an “exact match policy” held up 53,000 pending registrations due to small typos such as a missing apostrophe or a hyphen. Most of these held up registrations were people of color (POC). All of this was done in the name of protecting voter fraud while in actuality, it caused the suppression of votes and most likely led to the narrow victory of Brian Kemp. In the end of the governor’s race, Brian Kemp won the election by less than 55,000 votes. Brian Kemp then himself oversaw the election and declared it fair. Georgia is not the only state with these laws, as key battleground states such as Florida, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Texas, and Ohio have similar legislation.

The Republican party is now also moving towards an increase of patrols in the voting booths.In May, 50,000 volunteers in 15 states were being recruited to monitor the polls and challenge voters who seem suspicious. This was part of a 20 million dollar plan. The reason why there is such a rise in measures like this is due to a 2018 court ruling that allows the Republican Party to campaign against fraud without a court approval. This ban has been going on for around 40 years and it has now been lifted. These patrols can challenge voters and their right to cast a ballot. The reason why this is so troublesome is because this will negatively affect turnout of minority votes. In 2018 when the party recruited off-duty police officers to monitor polling places in predominantly black and latino neighborhoods a lawsuit claimed that the officers stopped volunteers from helping voters and only caused disruptions. These patrols will only intimidate voters and will target minority voters.

A tremendous amount of pressure from Rightwing goups to suppress votes is increasingly occuring. In Wisconsin, a right wing group wanted the state to remove around 230,000 voters a year earlier than planned. Wisconsin is a swing state and elections come down to a small margin of victory. In a state where the Supreme Court was won by less than 6,000 votes, the governor seat by 30,000 votes , and Trump’s presidency by only 22,000 votes, the impact of voting is critical – it only takes a few thousand votes to completely shift which party controls the state. Majority of those who were removed came from precincts and cities who vote Democratic.

There’s a pattern of unfair and unjust laws that disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of people. The true purpose of these laws seem to simply suppress low income and minority votes in order for elections to favor some people . We must see through this false facade of voter fraud because the right to a fair election is being taken away.

Ways you can help

The first thing we need to do is register to vote and show up to polls to make our voices heard no matter how hard people try to stop us. If you are eligible to vote please click here and try to register. Stacey Abrams has founded multiple organizations to help ensure a proper voting process. Visit organizations such as Fair Fight to find ways to help out. This fight is crucial for America and the people’s voice must not be dimmed.

Graduating in a Broken America

Matthew Wieseltier ’20

May is normally the happiest month of a high school senior’s year. After worrying about the college process for years, come May 1st, they are left to worry about things like who they are going to prom with and what to wear to graduation.

Ask any high school senior what they are worried about right now, and they’ll tell you that they are worried about going for a walk outside because they might transmit the coronavirus to someone in their household. That their grandparents are in a nursing home with a high reported rate of infection. That their loved ones will die a preventable death in a hospital ill-equipped to help them, surrounded by people they do not know.

It is into such an America that the class of 2020 emerges. Caught off-guard by a virus that we were warned about months in advance, America was brought to its knees. Our healthcare system crumbled, with a government that seemed to actively undercut it for selfish political reasons. This administration’s failure to lead a coordinated federal response means that they have the blood of tens of thousands of Americans on their hands.

But the problems do not end there. People across the country have actively protested against lockdown orders meant to protect them, clamoring that their lives and the lives of their fellow citizens are less important than… their right to be less than six feet away from each other? Their right to … what, exactly?

No leader can rule without the support of the people, least of all in a democracy. A president is usually doomed without the support of their own party. So then is this really a problem with just our president? We, as a collective nation, should never have reached the point where a significant portion of our population simply ignores science.

The issues that we face today are not limited to just our leadership. Yes, this grossly incompetent administration could have done any number of things better to save more lives. But our issues run deeper than that. There are systematic, recurring problems in this country. This virus has proved that to both us and the world, crushing the antiquated idea of American exceptionalism. There is nothing exceptional about having the sixth-highest deaths per capita in the world (this statistic according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center).

There will of course be a reckoning once this is all over. Politicians will fight over who bungled this or that order of personal protective equipment, and blame will be thrown around aplenty for the failures of our healthcare infrastructure. However, once the dust settles, we will still be living in the same broken nation that allowed this crisis to transpire in the first place. There is no group of people, much less a single person, upon whom the blame can be placed for the current state of this country. This crisis is exposing a host of problems that have festered in this country for decades, if not more.

Americans must not look to assign blame, but rather we must begin to fix the host of issues that this crisis has exposed. By now it has become clear that we will not go back to the same society that existed before the pandemic. This new society has the potential to be better than the one that came before it, if only we make it so. We have learned so many valuable lessons during this ordeal about everything from healthcare to racial inequity, from education to the economy. To not learn from these lessons would be irresponsible at best, criminal at worst.

My message to my fellow graduates is as follows: it is important to rethink, but also to repair. It is on us, the next generation of leaders, health experts, and scientists, to bring about the change this country needs. This change is not necessarily political, but rather it is societal. America is no longer on top. Our job is not to maintain this country’s status, but to rebuild that status in the eyes of the world.

It is a common refrain in graduation speeches that it is that class’s turn to go out and change the country, or the world. If that is the case, the Class of 2020 has its work cut out for it.

Disparities: How can teenagers acquire knowledge about them?

Anita Osuri ’22

Similarly to many of you, these past few months at home have been harsh. I adopted numerous hobbies, such as drawing, painting, and running to pass the time. In addition to those hobbies, I have had the opportunity to reflect on our society and the issues that have been strikingly obvious. By observing the news and politicians speaking about these problems, I started to wonder what teenagers can do to aid in resolving these disparities.

At the beginning of quarantine, I realized that this dire situation had exposed holes in our current government and social system; economic and racial disparities have plagued our nation, and it is our duty as teenagers to step up to help amend these issues. Currently, due to the coronavirus, many low-income workers are especially vulnerable to layoffs, and unfortunately, they do not have the extra privilege many of us have of being able to pay for front door grocery deliveries. According to the CDC, this service costs between $3 to $9, which is a significant burden on people already facing economic issues. In these areas, food insecurity rates have spiked, and people facing financial problems do not have the option to leave crowded cities where there are illness hotspots.

Another point I would like to bring to light is racial disparities. The CDC has revealed that death rates among African American and Hispanic people are unbelievably higher than those of white or Asian people. What is the reason for this? This crisis is mainly due to living conditions, health conditions, and work circumstances. Many of these underrepresented minorities live in densely populated areas where institutional racism is rampant, and there is less social distancing. In addition, these people may live exceptionally far away from grocery stores and medical facilities. One of the most alarming causes is due to lack of sick paid leave, which increases exposure and spread of the virus. According to the CDC, Hispanics have lower rates of access to paid leave than white non-Hispanic workers, which demonstrates the prevalent racial disparities in our society.

So what can teenagers do about these disparities? Oftentimes teenagers feel that they are too young or do not have the power to make a difference about these issues. However, the truth is that as young adults we have so many resources at our fingertips to gain the necessary knowledge. The most crucial action for teenagers to take is to research these issues and become educated on them. Do not judge before seeing all sides of the problems, and be sure to utilize reliable websites such as the CDC and other scientific journals to comprehend the scope fully. For example, google scholar is an exemplary browser to find the latest scientific journals about a wide array of topics. As for websites to avoid, try not to only use evidence from Instagram and Snapchat as those platforms are often rampant with misinformation. Once you have educated yourself on these topics, voice your opinions! Discuss these problems with your peers and come up with plausible solutions. By working together and uniting with other teenagers, we can formulate plans and actions that can be implemented in the future. Think about grassroot initiatives such as helping your neighbor, your religious institution, specific ethnic groups, or particular communities to influence one family at a time. If you are interested in these topics, make sure to attend university conferences and calls to hear other peoples’ opinions and voice your own. Or if you want to view these issues firsthand, be sure to volunteer for some organizations that try to tackle these issues such as the NAACP or Big Brothers Big Sisters. Remember that we are the future, and it is our responsibility to stay educated and become the next generation to face these problems!

unravelled, sewn again

Saanvi Nayar ’22

scraps of identity
too often wrung of pride
basked in heat blazing of privilege
hems picked and pulled
scrubbed with a hatred 
that kills not soft nor subtle nor slow
but a hard, gut-wrenching hatred
that burns and blisters till festered 

and as the sun reaches its peak
a heat so unbearable that
scraps weathered and worn
pinned with slurs that turn to fists
assemble to be hemmed and stitched
though broken and bruised 
tanned by scorched oppression
blood of life splattered
there is strength, resilience,
the vitality of a culture 
rallying rich and fragrant as ever

brought together by cries 
of anger and love and pride
hardened by screams for mercy
the softened gasp of not one life
but futures, families, careers,
too many to count - robbed.
scraps bonded for justice
fostering art of voice, 
of spirit, of action
vibrant and demanding to be heard

stitched with old thread
covered in patches and fabrics anew
for do not forget
as the sun rises again, 
so will we
scrapped in unity
a community built to thrive
under the harshest of heat
and the pledge of allies
beautiful and diverse
stitching arms and hearts
to fight as one.

America, We Have A Problem

Kavin Nakkeeran ’22

These past few weeks have broken us, divided us, hurt us. The United States of America is literally on fire. Atlanta, Bakersfield, Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, no, this is not a list of major American cities in alphabetical order, this is a list of cities in active protest. In protest to arrest the three other “complicit” police officers who stood by and did nothing as George Floyd was murdered at the hands of a sociopath. In protest against a system, a system that views some as inferior, as a threat, just because of the color of their skin. Because that is what this conversation is about. It is not about looting and rioting, it is not about CNN, nor Antifa. It is about the systematic racism that has fueled this country for so long.

I, like so many of my peers growing up in Central New Jersey, have a unique perspective on the issue. I consider myself an American to every extent possible, but it is easy to detach myself from hundreds of years of pain and suffering. I can say “they did that” or “that happened” and remove myself from any accountability. But, by living in America, by breathing here, when so many cannot, I, too, am part of the system.

When my parents, and a lot of others like them, immigrated to America, they saw what was going on and absorbed it. The Americans did Thanksgiving, so every year, they cut up turkey like their American counterparts and feasted on it. They saw the NBA and kids playing pickup games, so they picked up basketball. That’s how they absorbed American culture, by soaking up what they saw. And they saw a system where blacks were inferior to whites, where everyone was fine with what was happening. My dad had never encountered any race but his own before migrating to the US, so why is it that he got uncomfortable when seeing his black neighbors in Atlanta? And I tell them, the system is broken, we have to fix it, but they just say, you don’t understand, that’s just how it works, that’s just how this country is. But that’s just it. In an effort to be accepted, they accepted racism without questions. That’s the difference between me and my parents. They see the world as it is, but I see the world as it should be.

Truth to be told, they are right, that is how the world is. In 2015, the Hamilton project compiled data stating that around 16% of the black population, compared with around 19% of the white population, used drugs. And while drug usage and selling (both roughly at 1%) were equal between the race, black Americans were 6.5 times more likely to be arrested and incarcerated for it on the state level. Let that sink in. If your skin is a darker color, you are 6.5 times more likely to go to jail for the same offense.

Nobody is saying that every single police officer is inherently racist. But as a whole, the policing system encourages racial profiling and racial targeting, at the expense of hundreds of lives. That is what ACAB and other organizations supporting police reform are, a manifestation of the frustration against the policing system. Any one who believes that the ACAB is arguing for anarchy and death of police officers is just using a strawman because they do not want to accept the truth. Our country is broken.

But systematic racism goes beyond policing and criminal justice. We think of redlining as something of the past, but in just 2018, two years ago, Reveal from the Center of Investigative Reporting analyzed that black applicants are 2.7 times less likely to be accepted for homeownership than their white counterparts. This report took into consideration nine other economic factors related to banks lending money, but still found that blacks were denied owning property just because of their skin color.

The list goes on and on, from health laws to employment, but for me, the most important example of institutionalized racism is education. Americans have long believed that equal opportunity will lead to equality. That is why the United States was the first nation to institute widespread public education. But what a lot of people don’t realize is that linking the education system to property taxes leads to unequal opportunity and inequality. The median net worth of a black household is just 17,500 dollars, in contrast with the 171,000 average net worth of white families. This is caused by centuries of slavery and decades of laws that prevented free blacks from owning property and accumulating wealth. But now, we are denying them the right to escape poverty. Lower property taxes lead to less funding for education systems, which then, in turn, is leading to higher dropout rates, all leading back to the lower net worth of black families. There is no break from this cycle, which has perpetuated in black communities from the 19th century.

Obviously, rioting and looting is not the answer to this beyond complex network that works against some. Historically and morally, peaceful protests have always availed. From Gandhi’s liberation of India to Martin Luther King Jr.’s Civil Rights movement, we have succeeded with calm heads and steady voices. Now is not the time to throw that away.

Racism is not political. These protests are not political. This is not a “leftist campaign for the election.” This is about equality. For 8 minutes and 46 seconds, George Floyd was restrained by a knee on his neck. But the truth is, for over 400 years, African Americans have been oppressed by systematic racism. This is a fight to be free.