Voting Rights are Human Rights
While the right to vote is widely recognized as a fundamental human right, this right is not fully enforced for millions of individuals around the world. Consistently disenfranchised groups include non-citizens, young people, minorities, those who commit crimes, the homeless, disabled persons, and many others who lack access to the vote for a variety of reasons including poverty, illiteracy, intimidation, or unfair election processes. An important force in combating disenfranchisement is the growth of organizations engaged in election monitoring.
Human Rights Library, University of Minnesota
According to an October 7, 2020 article, in Pass Blue, entitled International Election Monitors Arrive in the US for the Nov. 3 Poll , by Allison Lecce , the major international body for monitoring elections, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, has begun observing the lead-up to the United States Nov. 3 general elections. At the invitation of the US State Department, the work of the organization, known as the OSCE, started on Sept. 29 and will operate in just 28 of the 50 states and in Washington, D.C.
The experts consist of legal specialists and political and media analysts, and the team will work at polling stations and with board of election offices to oversee and assist in election proceedings, leading up to the election and on Nov. 3. Analysts from the OSCE’s Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights gauged the pre-election climate by looking at such aspects as voting methods, voter rights, cybersecurity and campaign processes. Experts spoke with US government officials, media, political parties and civil society. It found that distrust in the election has been widespread and could negatively affect the results of the presidential election. An observation mission could ease distrust in the process and ensure fair results, the report contends. But what exactly does it mean for the US and voters? Can it save us from attacks from our own president?
Public scrutiny was raised in the late summer after many reports that public post boxes and sorting machines were being removed from sidewalks and some post offices. Voting advocates, politicians and others considered the removals an attempt to sabotage postal voting, and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy was forced to reverse his decision on the policy. DeJoy is a Republican Party donor who was appointed to the job in June.
In this year’s election the right to vote has been assaulted on many levels and in ways that election monitoring groups and civil rights defenders never could of imagined. This assault on the USPS is just one of a myriad of ways the Right to Vote needed protecting this year. I personally discovered two subtle ways in which voting was suppressed, maybe someone else had this same experience. It seems disenfranchisment is not the only way voting is suppressed, as if that isn’t enough.
I became concerned when my partner's mother's ballot did not arrive in the mail. She is 84 and wants to vote again after not voting for years, so, in August, we helped her get registered as a Democrat again in San Diego County. So, we checked the status of her registration and much to our surprise her listed information had a completely wrong address. She lives in La Jolla California and the incorrect address was a Solana Beach address that none of us had ever heard of. We then called her local registrar's office and they told us someone had sent in a change of address form back in September and for some reason they could not see who signed it. They told us she needed to register all over again thereby changing the address back to her La Jolla, Muirlands Vista Way address.
Fortunately, after spending a few hours on the phone, her son was able to take her directly to the Kearny Mesa registrar's office to register again and pick up a new ballot. I'm not sure how many people would have taken the time to straighten all this out and be able to vote. And I'm still concerned that there might be a wayward ballot out there that may adversely affect her new ballot. The new ballot was filled out and dropped off at the the registrar's office earlier today.
But, the most pressing question is whether this may be a pattern, essentially ballot stealing, that is happening. I'm thinking maybe some organized group is getting lists of newly registered voters, who would not have been in the habit of getting their ballot in the mail, and changing the address so they never receive one. Or if not that nefarious, could it be a widespread error in the registrar's process?
A second, even more mysterious instance happened in Lodi California. A friend of mine’s mother is in a nursing home in Lodi California named Delta Rehabilitation and Care Center. When she checked on her mother’s ballot, she found out that none of the residents of the home received their mail-in ballot. Upon tracking her mother’s ballot she found that they were still at the post office and never been delivered. to the residents. And upon speaking with the registrars office she found that they knew they were never delivered. Again, could this be a pattern, to how many nursing homes in the area, or even around the country, did this happen.? This brings should be questioned., an investigation even should happen. But will it?
My friend had to jump many hoops to get her mother the ballot that she so dearly wanted. She said her mother has been looking for her ballot for weeks and was truly disappointed that she had not yet received it.
It certainly is plausible to me that these instances are additional ways our human rights can be assaulted, limited, essentially taken away….including voting rights., and by our own president.