Thankful Voter
Morgan Malone
I am thankful that on November third I will be able to cast a vote for the candidate of my choice in the state of Texas. I am reminded though that voting has not always been made available to Americans in the United States.
In Johnathon Eig’s biography entitled King: A Life he chronicles the birth, education, calling to ministry, pastoring, civil rights work and death of Dr. Martin Luther King. Throughout the book one learns about the struggles of African Americans in the United States during Dr. King’s life. This includes prejudice, segregation, and restricted voting.
Eig records as many others have of the plight of African Americans who were told they had a right to vote but they were denied that opportunity. Throughout the south special rules were created to cause our brothers and sisters not to be able to pass a particular test so that they could vote. In other places a poll tax was instituted to discourage people from voting.
Dr. King and others spoke out against these measures. They sent out volunteers to help individuals register to vote. In some places these volunteers were arrested or killed. Authorities in southern states did unspeakable things to discourage African American people from voting. It wasn’t until 1965 that the Voting Rights Act was passed. This law made it unlawful for American Citizens to be denied the right to vote.
This act affirmed the Biblical belief that we were made in the image of God. We, therefore, should not be discriminated against and prevented from voting.
Voting has to be a right and a privilege for all American citizens to participate. This past year my father, who could not see to write or read a ballot wanted to vote. I took him to his polling center. While we were there it was determined that someone would need to read the ballot to him and in turn mark down how he wanted to vote. While my father and I differed politically on the candidates, I did not choose my candidate over his as I cast his ballot. I fulfilled his wishes and he participated in the electoral process.
It was important to both he and I that his vote was cast the way he wanted. May you and I have that same kind of commitment as we come to vote in November. May each of us be reminded of the privilege and right to vote. May we be thankful for the opportunity to vote as we approach Thanksgiving this year.