Voting Rights and Big Business
*THIS IS A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COURSE*
*THIS IS A DISCUSSION BOARD*
*DO NOT USE THE SOURCES ATTACHED. MUST USE YOUR OWN SOURCES*
*ANSWER BOTH QUESTIONS AND USE ONE SOURCE TO SUPPORT EACH YOUR ANSWER*
Voter registration and voting is governed at the state-level, not by the federal government, which creates a wide variation in the laws governing elections and voting ("WTP", p. 292). Because the 2020 election took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, certain election procedures were enacted as public health measures, including drive-through voting, expanded voting by mail, and in some instances, 24-hour voting. In many jurisdictions, the majority of voters taking advantage of these more expansive voting opportunities were Black or Latino. As you may recall, allegations of voter fraud were raised by Donald Trump's campaign immediately following the 2020 presidential election, and many of these claims were based upon allegations that people abused these expanded voting opportunities (voting illegally) during the presidential election. Although Trump's fraud challenges were dismissed, it did raise questions about the voting process in many states.
After the election, eighteen mostly "conservative" states enacted new voting legislation which rolled back or restricted these expanded rights in upcoming elections. Some state legislatures, while removing many of the expanded voting options, did include additional provisions to make voting more accessible, like expanding early voting, for example. Georgia was one state enacting reforms early, and Texas Governor Gregg Abbott, after much political fanfare (with a majority of its state Democratic House members fleeing to Washington D.C. to avoid voting on the bill, thus denying Republicans a quorum needed to vote on the bill), signed the Texas bill into law. At the federal level, new voting rights' legislation was pursued to "undo" the new voting measures put into place by these states without success. A federal court in Texas issued a temporary injunction against provisions in Texas' new voting law that prohibit public officials from "soliciting" vote-by-mail applications. Read about it here: Judge temporarily halts part of Texas' voting law that bans officials from encouraging mail-in voting | KUT Radio, Austin's NPR Station.
The Department of Justice has also filed a lawsuit against Texas, alleging its reforms violate the Voting Rights Act. Learn more here: https://youtu(dot)be/tShbJCdyuks.
This week's Discussion Board post requires you to think deeply about voting in our nation. Please start by reading Chapter 8 of our textbook. Pay close attention to historical and current voting trends as well as who votes in our country. Next, spend some time researching the Texas law, Senate Bill 1. These are to get you started, but you should find articles that interest YOU. You will need to cite at least 2 sources when answering the Discussion Board questions (two total, not per question), below.
In TWO well-reasoned paragraphs (one for each question) totaling at least 350 words (note: each paragraph does not need to be 350 words, just your overall response), answer the following questions:
1. Doyou believe the new Texas voting law is justified to prevent voter fraud or will it negatively impact voting rights? Explain WHY you think this, citing at least one source to justify your opinion. The following sources are a starting point. Please do your own research.
Here's What's In Texas Republicans' New Voting Law – Houston Public Media) (BE SURE TO READ THIS SO YOU CAN WRITE INTELLIGENTLY ABOUT WHAT THE LAW DOES!
Texas Gov. Abbott: New Law Does Not "Hinder Anybody's Right To Vote" | Video | RealClearPolitics
What does CNN think? The new Texas voting law includes these 7 major changes - CNNPolitics
2. What are the potential benefits and drawbacks of private companies using their economic power to influence public policy and combat what they view as voter suppression laws? Do you think businesses should take a stand on political issues like voting rights, by taking or threatening to take business out of a state to make a political statement or try to influence the political process? Or, should they stay out of politics because of the economic risks it poses to their companies and shareholders (i.e., potential lost revenue) and the economic harm it may have on communities and citizens (who may lose jobs if companies/events pull out of a state over its voting laws)? EXPLAIN your answer citing at least one source to justify your opinion. The following sources are a starting point. Please do your own research.
Texas Could Lose Billions If Voting Restrictions Become Law, Study Finds (forbes.com)
Coca-Cola C.E.O.: Voting Rights Advocate? - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Delta CEO blasts Georgia voting law as 'unacceptable' and 'based on a lie' after backlash (cnbc.com)
American Airlines C.E.O. Says Voting Rights Is 'an Equity Issue' - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
MLB moves All-Star Game out of Atlanta in response to Georgia's new voting law - CBS News
MLB confirms All-Star Game moving to Denver after pulling out of Atlanta (cnbc.com)
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Voting Rights and Big Business
Question 1
I believe that the new Texas voting law will negatively impact voting rights and is not justified in preventing voter fraud. Republicans lawmakers in Texas passed the new voting law in the wake of former President Donald Trump’s allegations of widespread fraud. However, I believe that the new voting law will hurt minority communities rather than prevent election fraud because most claims of voter irregularities in the state are often unfounded. For instance, after Trump’s claims of widespread election fraud, Texas officials spent 22,000 hours looking for evidence of voter fraud and only identified 16 cases of incorrect addresses on registration forms (Edelman). Texas has one of the most restrictive voting laws in the country and even without the new law, there has been little to no evidence of widespread illegal activity.
Instead of preventing voter fraud in Texas, which is so rare, the new voting law will contribute to an atmosphere of apprehension and mistrust. The new voting law aims to raise the raise the penalty for election fraud from a misdemeanor to a felony charge. It will also expand the attorney general’s election authority to unilaterally prosecute case of election fraud. Other proposed changes include prohibiting voters from voting in other party’s primary election and counties from using schools as voting centers. These changes do not enhance election security in any significant way but only serve to inconvenience many voters, particularly minority voters. The scale and reach of the voting law will limit voting opportunities and access for working class minorities or even intimidate them into not voting. The net effect is lower participation by people of color in Texas elections. There is no evidence that the new voting law is needed and its establishment will only make minority communities uneasy about voting.
Question 2
The potential benefits of private companies using their economic power to influence public policy and combat what they view as voter suppression laws include heightened public awareness of the issues and improved connection between community leaders and poli...