On this Election Day, remember the power of the individual right to vote
As an election law professor, Election Day itself is usually pretty quiet for me as I gear up for a very busy Election Night. One of my traditions is to go on a long run to visit different polling sites.
My run today left me greatly inspired.
At the Dunbar Community Center, I met Juan. He is 69 years old, a veteran, and a first-time voter. He is one of many people who benefited from Governor Andy Beshear’s executive order to re-enfranchise thousands of individuals with felony convictions who have completed their sentences. His conviction was 35 years go. “I’ve waited a long time for this,” he told me.
I met Allisha, 41 years old, also a first-time voter. She was joyful as she described her voting experience. There was also a young man in an Alabama hat who was there to vote for the first time ever. Everyone cheered for him.
Listening to Juan and Allisha explain the importance of their vote today was inspiring. They were so proud. It brought tears to my eyes.
I met Nieta, the founder of the youth group Whistle Works, who was facilitating Lexington’s version of #joytothepolls to bring music and fun to the voting process. She had recruited Lee to tickle the ivory on his electric keyboard. I chatted with numerous volunteers from Kentuckians for the Commonwealth who were outside the polls to offer support, encouragement, and assistance where needed.
At the Lexington Senior Center, the line was long but was moving steadily. Voters were in good spirits. Most were wearing masks. Several proudly sported their “I Voted” stickers as they exited. Volunteers from CivicLex were there to assist.
The polls this year have had a joyous quality to them. Chief Ouita Michel and other chefs were handing out cookies (to anyone, not only voters, so as not to run afoul of federal or state law). Secretary of State Michael Adams, wearing a purple tie (on purpose) greeted people and thanked them for voting.
As I write this column on the afternoon of Election Day, we don’t know who will win the presidential election or the numerous Kentucky elections on the ballot. We may not know the winners for a while. I don’t know for whom these people voted.
But I do know that their heartfelt messages of empowerment inspired me. So much of the country has been focused on the latest abuses of the voting rules and justifiable concerns about voter suppression. There have been over 400 lawsuits around the country on the voting process during the pandemic. We have worried about whether the president will accept a peaceful transfer of power if he loses.
But we should not lose sight of the power of the individual right to vote. People have literally fought and died for that right. Voting for the first time ever is incredibly powerful to Juan, Allisha, and countless others.
Kentucky, which just four years ago ranked #43 in how well we run our elections, is a model for the country this year. Instead of the partisan rancor that infected election law in many places over absentee balloting, receipt deadlines, drop boxes, and the like, the state’s leaders came together to craft a bipartisan plan that puts voters first. That plan has made it easier to vote in Kentucky then ever before. It’s not perfect, of course, but it’s a huge improvement. But these pro-voter policies were for the pandemic only and will disappear after this election.
So when the dust has settled on the 2020 election, let’s remember Juan and Allisha. Let’s remember the joyful experience—as well as the general ease—of voting this year. And let’s demand that the Kentucky legislature remember the power of the individual right to vote when they take up bills, as they must, to enact meaningful election reform.
Joshua A. Douglas is a law professor at the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law. He is the author of “Vote for US: How to Take Back Our Elections and Change the Future of Voting.” Find him at www.joshuaadouglas.com and follow him on Twitter @JoshuaADouglas.