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Critical of Feenstra

To the editor:

The ability to have our voices heard at the ballot box is fundamental to democracy. My mother was the first person in my family born with her right to vote protected by law. Tremendous work and personal sacrifice went into making the Voting Rights Act of 1965 happen. In fact, all of us who were not born into aristocracy owe a debt of gratitude to those came before us and fought to expand voting rights.

The vote is sacred to our democracy. It should be protected, celebrated and expanded. This week, Republican congressional candidate Randy Feenstra joined his colleagues in the Iowa legislator to pass a bill to suppress the votes of Iowans. The bill prevents the Secretary of State from proactively sending an absentee ballot request form to all registered voters, like what was done in the June primary.

This is fundamentally antithetical to the ideals of the republic we all love so dearly. The June 2 primary saw record turnout. We should be encouraging people to vote, and dismantling unnecessary hurdles. Iowa and the entire country are made better when more citizens participate in the democratic process. If Randy Feenstra is already dismantling our voting rights, he has no business being the Fourth District’s next congressman. Elections are the performance review for politicians, and we citizens are their management. Haven’t we all had enough of politicians that care more about power than their own constituents?

We must stand against voter suppression tactics in our state. We must not tolerate our public servants changing the rules to avoid accountability.

Demarcus Carter

Fort Dodge

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