What Disenfranchisement Can Look Like
Disenfranchisement is a big word, but what does this word mean? According to the Oxford Dictionary disenfranchisement is "the state of being deprived of a right or privilege, especially the right to vote." America already has a sour past of disenfranchising people to vote, and it only continues. There are still many forms of disenfranchisement happening in our country, some of which include laws being passed that redefine what it means to be a citizen.
In some states, like New Hampshire, laws are being passed that make it harder for students and minorities to vote. Law HB 1264 is changing what it means to be a resident in the state, "forcing people with out-of-state driver’s licenses or car registrations who are eligible to vote in New Hampshire to pay fees to switch to state-versions. Otherwise, they will face criminal penalties"(Flaherty). This basically creates a poll tax for students, forcing them to pay potentially hundreds of dollars in fees to claim residency, and if they vote without changing their license they can be fined. For students who already don't have much free time, or extra money lying around these are significant obstacles. For out-of-state students that are committing to go to college and live in that area that are already paying exorbitant amounts in out-of-state tuition, adding a cost to something that should be a fundamental right discourages students from exercising that right.
Speaking as a college student, there is already a lot of discouragement when it comes to voting. Older generations don't take us seriously, which is frustrating when we see and aim to expose a lot of the injustice that is happening in our community. This post only talks about one instance of disenfranchisement, but there are so many other ways it is happening in our country. Access to polls via mail-only requires people to have a permanent address, polls in some communities are only in certain places and are far away from a vast population of minority residents.
How can you encourage voting in your community or help make it more accessible for everyone? Check out https://swagyoungvote.weebly.com/ to see how you can partner with the Southwest Action Group (SWAG) to help motivate disenfranchised youth to vote.
In some states, like New Hampshire, laws are being passed that make it harder for students and minorities to vote. Law HB 1264 is changing what it means to be a resident in the state, "forcing people with out-of-state driver’s licenses or car registrations who are eligible to vote in New Hampshire to pay fees to switch to state-versions. Otherwise, they will face criminal penalties"(Flaherty). This basically creates a poll tax for students, forcing them to pay potentially hundreds of dollars in fees to claim residency, and if they vote without changing their license they can be fined. For students who already don't have much free time, or extra money lying around these are significant obstacles. For out-of-state students that are committing to go to college and live in that area that are already paying exorbitant amounts in out-of-state tuition, adding a cost to something that should be a fundamental right discourages students from exercising that right.
Speaking as a college student, there is already a lot of discouragement when it comes to voting. Older generations don't take us seriously, which is frustrating when we see and aim to expose a lot of the injustice that is happening in our community. This post only talks about one instance of disenfranchisement, but there are so many other ways it is happening in our country. Access to polls via mail-only requires people to have a permanent address, polls in some communities are only in certain places and are far away from a vast population of minority residents.
How can you encourage voting in your community or help make it more accessible for everyone? Check out https://swagyoungvote.weebly.com/ to see how you can partner with the Southwest Action Group (SWAG) to help motivate disenfranchised youth to vote.
Sources
New Hampshire Is Trying To Stop College Students From Registering To Vote
Maggie Flaherty - https://www.aclu.org/blog/voting-rights/fighting-voter-suppression/new-hampshire-trying-stop-college-students-registering
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