Since the founding of the United States, voting has been of paramount importance to her citizens. Voting has been the true American act. Initially voting was reserved for certain citizens, people of property or of certain birth, nationality, or race. However over time voting has been accorded a privilege to everyone–men and women–of age. No longer was it restricted to those who could pay for the privilege or to Caucasians. Now everyone could vote.
Unfortunately, in 2022 not everyone believes in universal suffrage. Some Americans believe there are those among us who do not deserve to vote. Regularly they do everything they can to restrict voting to people who act like them, who think like them, and who look like them. They have fulminated against universal suffrage, trying to restrict it to themselves only. Often they proclaim fraud and even challenge certified election results, refusing to accept the will of the voters. In my opinion this is egregiously wrong.
It is the responsibility of every thinking American to cast his or her vote, to express an opinion which may go against the majority but which nevertheless deserves to be articulated. Both the freedom to vote and the right to vote matter!
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Although he has long been eligible to retire, Donald J. Richardson continues to (try to) teach English Composition at Phoenix College in Arizona. He defines his life through his teaching, his singing, his volunteering, and his grandchildren.