On Friday, Rethugs triumphed in Delaware’s Superior Court. The General Assembly had enacted statutes making it less difficult for people to vote.
Meaning, Rethugs went to court to challenge the statutes as unconstitutional. Because they know that, the more people who can vote, the less likely that Rethugs can win elections.
(P)laintiffs backed by local Republicans went to court challenging them on grounds that the law changes violated provisions of the Delaware constitution, lawsuits that have been successful to this point.
In 2022, the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling that struck down changes that allowed any registered voter to vote by mail without an excuse as well as the law change that allowed for same-day voter registration.
The justices wrote that both changes conflict with provisions of the constitution that govern voter registration as well as who qualifies for absentee voting.
Now, on Friday, a second lawsuit aimed at allowing in-person voting days before the election as well as absentee voters to permanently register as absentee was struck down by Sussex County Superior Court Judge Mark Conner.
Those against such changes, primarily Republicans, cite concerns about the potential for voter fraud under expanded voting systems although states that have enacted such reforms have not seen widespread voter fraud.
The pushback against voting access gained further fire when former President Donald Trump sought to discredit President Joe Biden’s 2020 election by raising unfounded concerns over widespread voter fraud.
OK. Barring a reversal in the Delaware Supreme Court, there is only one way to make voting more accessible to Delawareans. That is to amend the Constitution. The Democrats have tried to do that. They have the requisite super-majority in the Senate, and indeed have passed such an amendment. The D’s, however, don’t quite have a super-majority in the House, and the same amendment that passed in the Senate failed in the House on a straight party vote. Before we get to what we need to do, we might as well call out yet one more Rethuglican lie:
Republican leaders in the Delaware General Assembly issued a statement Monday emphasizing that their opposition to recent law changes were similar to the courts: strictly legal.
“To be clear, we take no issue with in-person early voting. It is a convenience that many Delawareans have embraced and has been accepted by voters nationwide,” wrote Republican State Senator Gerald Hocker and Brian Pettyjohn as well as State Representatives Mike Ramone and Lyndon Yearick responding to the ruling.
That is a lie. Because, were they telling the truth, they simply would have voted in favor of the proposed constitutional amendment. They didn’t because, while they fight for the ‘right’ of corporations and LLC’s to vote in Seaford, they oppose any initiatives to make voting more accessible to, you know, voters.
How can we make voting more accessible? By giving the House D’s a super-majority. There are currently 26 D members in the House. At 28, they have a super-majority to pass the constitutional amendment, which will have to be passed in two consecutive sessions of the General Assembly. The good news? There are three great D challengers to R incumbents. All of them can win this November. Here they are:
1. Frank Burns. Here is his website. The incumbent is Mike Ramone.
2. Dr. Monica ‘Nick’ Beard. Here is her website. The incumbent is Michael Smith.
3. Tracey Miller. Here is her website. The incumbent is Lyndon Yearick.
These are all great candidates. All have excellent shots at winning. All three support greater access to voting for individuals. All three oppose enabling LLC’s and corporations to vote in Seaford and/or elsewhere. In other words, they support democracy, their opponents are on record as opposing it.
Each of the linked websites have DONATE buttons. Don’t think I need to suggest to you what I’d love to see you do…because, this year, democracy is on the ballot.