Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

I grew up in northeastern Colorado and I now live in the panhandle of Nebraska. My father was a state legislator and spent his life, working in politics and believing that elected officials could make our country a better place.

Ten years ago, the Supreme Court’s Shelby County ruling effectively opened the floodgates to voting discrimination with an intensity that has continued to this day.

In the 2022 mid-term election, we saw reports of voter intimidation and attempts to silence voters’ voices. And already this year, legislators have introduced a record-breaking number of restrictive voting laws.

Now that the Supreme Court has gutted the Voting Rights Act, states & localities have reverted to discriminatory practices that restrict the freedom to vote for voters of color, Native voters, voters with disabilities, and more.

The freedom to vote is inextricably connected to our ability to defeat regressive policies. Voting rights are fundamental because they secure all other rights. We must protect the right to vote, and lawmakers must work to restore the VRA and continue to push for federal, state & local action to safeguard elections.

The coordinated, anti-democratic campaign to restrict the vote targets the heart of our nation’s promise: that every voice & every eligible vote count. Lawmakers at every level must meet the urgency of this moment.

As we enter our tenth year without the VRA’s full protections, and as the “big lie” fuels anti-voter laws, we must continue to call on our leaders to protect and strengthen our freedom to vote.

We can’t wait any longer. We need to reinvigorate and strengthen federal voting rights protections to prevent new voting restrictions from being adopted in the future.

Rebecah Propst

Sidney, NE