WP Contribution... "Protect Universal Suffrage from Trump’s Fear Tactics and Deception"
"Vote for Biden to Prevent Voter Suppression of People of Color," Urges
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator and Democratic vice-presidential candidate, urged voters to make sure to vote in this presidential election to commemorate the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in the United States. She strongly appealed for participation in voting to prevent President Donald Trump and the Republican Party from suppressing the voting rights of people of color.
On the 26th (local time), Harris wrote an article for the Washington Post (WP) to commemorate the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in the U.S., encouraging voting in the November presidential election by saying, "To honor the women who fought to protect universal suffrage a century ago, we must vote." Every year on August 26th, the day is celebrated as Women's Equality Day in the U.S., marking the implementation of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, enacted on August 18, 1920, which granted women the right to vote. This year marks the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in the United States.
She particularly criticized President Trump for applying a double standard to mail-in voting. She said, "The Republican Party is implementing oppressive voter ID laws, voter roll purges, and shortening early voting days through various scare tactics and deception. Especially, President Donald Trump is exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic," adding, "He is politicizing the postal service by spreading misinformation about mail-in voting while he himself applied for mail-in voting."
In her article, Harris stated, "Even after the 19th Amendment was enacted, women of color, including Black women, had to fight against discriminatory suppression policies such as literacy tests that blocked the voting rights of people of color," and noted, "It took another 45 years after 1920 for voters of color to have their voting rights protected, and an additional 10 years for women of color to be exempted from literacy tests." She pointed out, "The Republican Party is once again trying to suppress and attack the voting rights of people of color that were so hard-won."
She continued, "We should follow the example of Black women in the 1920s who established suffrage schools to teach each other to pass the literacy tests imposed by the white government," emphasizing, "As voters, what we must do first is register to vote, wear masks, and come to the polling stations or vote as early as possible by mail." Harris stressed, "The best way to honor the generations of women who paved the way for our suffrage is to vote, and through this, we must fight so that all Americans, regardless of gender, race, or age, can enjoy equal voting rights."
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