The right to vote is under attack. From discriminatory “voter ID” laws to inconsistent and unequal provision ballot counting techniques, many voters around the country — especially those from low-income or minority backgrounds who are most targeted by voter suppression — are asking whether they even have this right anymore.
To rectify this, freshman congressman Mark Pocan (D-WI) along with fellow congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) has introduced a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to a vote. It reads simply as follows:
SECTION 1: Every citizen of the United States, who is of legal voting age, shall have the fundamental right to vote in any public election held in the jurisdiction in which the citizen resides.
SECTION 2: Congress shall have the power to enforce and implement this article by appropriate legislation.
Want to support this proposed amendment? Call the Congressional Switchboard atAi??(202) 224-3121 and ask your Member of Congress to support the Pocan-Ellison amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing the right to vote.
I do believe in an effort to make it totally inclusive the first line section should read ‘Every Citizen, regardless of race or gender or sexual orientation, who is of legal voting age, shall have have the fundamental right to vote in any public election held in the jurisdiction in which the citizen resides. Determination of Residency shall be held to be no greater than 30 days from date of initial domicile.’
Leaving out any possibilities just opens the door to the states rights crowd to try and push unfair laws that would have to pass a court gauntlet. The last part is to stop an group from blocking college students from voting in a state where they were not originally a resident.