Saturday, July 17, those who attended the Good Trouble: Candlelight Vigil for Democracy in Muskingum Park listened to local citizens talk about democracy, sing about justice, and celebrate the life of John Lewis. All who attended were reminded of his legacy and ensuring equal access to exercise our right to vote.

U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Oh) was invited as were U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH). While Sherrod Brown sent his support, Bill Johnson sent his unfounded opposition to the For the People Act (HR1.) He stated he is opposed “as it overrides the US Constitution in preventing state election officials from checking the eligibility and qualifications of voters; eliminating the states’ ability to remove ineligible voters from their voter rolls; and banning state voter ID laws.”

HR1 does NOT override the Constitution; it follows it. Article 1 of the Constitution states, “but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter state regulations.” HR1 does NOT prevent state election officials from checking eligibility of voters, nor does it eliminate the ability to remove ineligible voters. It does prohibit “voter caging” that has been used with partisan aims. Voter caging refers to a practice in which a political party or another partisan organization uses returned mail to determine that a voter is ineligible to vote in that area. Section 1201 of HR1 describes best practices to prevent voter caging. HR1, Section 1071 addresses voter registration that prohibits interfering with voter registration. It does not address maintaining voter rolls. Once a voter is registered, officials would continue to follow the National Voting Registration Act of 1992 that dictates counties provide voter list maintenance.

Those of us who attended the vigil on Saturday night are urging everyone to become informed about your voting rights. As Sherrod Brown in his letter of support stated, “Our democracy depends on active citizens like you. Dr. King taught us that ‘progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability’. It rolls in because we fight for change, and we refuse to accept the injustices arounds us.”

Annelle Edwards

Marietta