No More Excuses. Just Do It. VOTE!

2020 had a record number of voter turnout for elections held in the United States. Not only was the Office of The President on the ballot, this year's elections also included voting for 35 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives. Local state elections were also held for 13 state and territory governors as well as contests for other state, local, tribal and judicial offices, and a variety of referenda. (source - Wikipedia).

With the continual debate as to whether or not Donald John Trump; the 45th President of the United States should concede; Georgians are back in the hot seat to vote again, for the Senate runoff elections, held January 5, 2021. This runoff election is a must win for either of the political parties. The Democrats will need to win both seats to split control of the chamber 50-50, while Republicans will need to win at least one seat to maintain their majority. If the Democrats are voted in for both of the seats, the vice president will have the power to casts tie-breaking votes in the Senate.

So why is it important for American citizens to register to vote and exercise that right to vote? Well, let's take a look at the timetables of the American voting history. In 1776, only white men age 21 and older who own land could vote. It wasn't until 92 years later in 1868, when the Fourteenth Amendment granted voting rights to all white men born or naturalized in the United States. Two years later, the Fifteenth Amendment was created to eliminate racial barriers for voting in 1870. However, voter discrimination continued against women, Native Americans and blacks.

The late 1890's and early 1900's gets a little tricky for women. Only a few states were granting their rights to vote during this time period. Voting rights for white women, wasn't official nationwide, until the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified in 1920. Soon after, Native Americans would be granted voting privileges along with citizenship in 1924. But in the land of the free and the home of the brave, it wasn't until over 40 years later, that black men and women, would be granted full rights to voting, even though back in 1870 the Fifteenth Amendment clearly granted voting rights to all.

Fast forward to the 21st Century, where now every legal citizen is given the freedom and right to vote. But here's the catch, "voter discrimination" has simply just been taken over by "voter suppression tactics". Voter suppression tactics, attempts to prevent specific groups from voting and or, reducing the number of voters who might vote. Tactics include make voting less convenient; shutting down polling sites, purging from the registration rolls of voters (who don't vote regularly), and the "suspicious" USPS Mailbox removals.

Even with the current shenanigans going on now, many Americans still have excuses as to why they don't exercise their right to vote. Why is it so hard to convince why voting is important? As history shows us, many people have fought, endured much pain, and lost their lives, to ensure that "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." So, No More Excuses! Just Do It! VOTE!