Importance of Voting!

I am writing to encourage everyone to vote. Especially those young people who might be voting in their first election! And the reason is that I am worried about our country.

Right now we have a president who has encouraged hated, racism and sexism. He has called neo-Nazis “very fine people” and employed a wife beater as a senior advisor. He has imprisoned people seeking legal asylum from oppressive governments and horrific gang violence while separating children from their parents, causing these already tortured people irreparable damage. There is no clear plan to reunite families.

The Russia investigation is worrisome. The Special Counsel has publicly initiated criminal proceedings against 3 Russian organizations and 20 people, 5 from the U.S., 14 from Russia, and 1 Dutch national. Instead of presidential oversight, Republicans are busy discrediting the Special Counsel and investigation. The president denies knowledge of any Russian involvement in his campaign, but constantly defends Putin and Russia and meets with Putin without other state officials present.

Now, the man that is dividing the country with hatred, committing human rights violations, and is under investigation for working with Russia to fix the election, will be filling a second Supreme Court Justice seat. He has nominated Brett Kavanaugh, vetted by The Federalist Society and The Heritage Foundation, two highly partisan groups. Judge Kavanaugh previously wrote that he believes that a sitting president should not be a subject of an investigation or be indicted in a criminal or civil lawsuit. Additionally, with Kavanaugh on the bench, certain civil rights may be at risk of reversal including desegregation, non-discrimination based on race or gender, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rulings including marriage equality, Affirmative Action, healthcare including not discriminating against preexisting conditions, voting rights, including ongoing voter ID requirements and voter role purging. Settled or established law will now be looked at and can be overturned by a court with a conservative majority, including Trump’s first pick, Neil Gorsuch.

Elections have consequences. If you are not registered to vote, download the registration form. To make it easier for you to vote, there are groups running Vote By Mail campaigns and I urge you to participate. If you receive an “Application to Vote By Mail Ballot” or would like to download one, simply fill it out, sign, stamp, and mail it. You can even opt to Vote By Mail in every November election going forward by checking a box. Your ballot will be sent to you by the end of September. When you receive your official ballot, fill it out, put it in a white envelope, SIGN THE FLAP, stamp and mail it. Here in NJ, we actually have 45 days to vote either by mail or in person at the Essex County Clerk’s Office, 465 Martin Luther King Blvd. room 247
Newark, until 3:00 the day before Election Day. All forms can be downloaded from http://www.essexclerk.com/Forms/.