By Dani Ross
Special To The Carolinian
This week in Texas, Democrats fled the state to force a pause in the redrawing of its voting maps. Many fled to Illinois where the governor promised protections as their governor promised prosecution. These are lawmakers. These are the people that were elected to represent the best interests of their citizens.
In Colorado clerks are receiving requests for “official” government agents to gain access to voting machines in Democratic states. The request is framed as an initiative to uphold election integrity. The claim is to see if there are any gaps in the network.
‘Good Trouble’ anti-Trump protests has popped up at more than 1,500 sites across the US. The rallies were against the Trump administrations actions and in honor of the late congressman John Lewis, an advocate for civil disobedience and voters rights.
In Florida, the Supreme Court upheld congressional voting maps that weaken Black voter’s influence. The new map splits the northern Florida district in fourths, diluting the Black vote and potentially making it much easier to draw gerrymandered maps in the future.
In North Carolina, the Democratic National Committee is threatening to sue the state’s election board over a plan to purge more than 100,000 voters. With an incredibly vital senate race coming up, every vote is paramount. Many races in this last election cycle were very close, with some being decided in court. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, along with other voting rights groups, are accusing the GOP led legislature of violating laws with respect to voting.
In Miami, city officials cancelled an election altogether. Outraged citizens are calling the action a power grab, as the city commission voted 3-2 to change the municipal races from this year to 2026. The change was made without asking permission from the voters. All they had to do was put the measure on the ballot and there would not have been such an uproar. But, by structuring the change the way they did, it gives commissioner Joe Carollo and scandal-ridden mayor Francis Suarez both an additional year despite reaching their term limits.
Campaign spending limits are becoming a thing of the past. Back in 2010 the limits on outside spending in elections was lifted, allowing corporations and unions to flood campaigns with funding. Now it’s not just donations, but Republicans are looking to erase the limits on how campaign money can be spent.
Some voters perception of our two political parties as a whole are unfavorable, and may lead to low voter turnout. The Democratic Party is looked at as “weak” or “ineffective,” and the Republican Party is viewed as “greedy” or just generally “bad.” Whats most troubling is that the elected officials are representatives of the people. So does this mean that the American people are weak and greedy? Are the citizens of the United States corrupt, power hungry and also ineffective when it comes to preserving a certain quality of life?
Back in 2023, 63% of U.S. adults agreed with the statement that the Republican and Democratic parties do “such a poor job” of representing the American people that “a third major party is needed.” This represents a seven-percentage-point increase from the previous year and is the highest since Gallup first asked the question in 2003. However, these measures are not meaningfully different from the prior highs of 61% in 2017 and 62% in 2021, shortly after the January 2021 Capitol Hill riots.
Elon Musk floated the idea of a third party. The ridicule that followed was swift and harsh. It is often said that power concedes nothing without demand. If you are tired of the circus of our political system then change it! Your vote is your voice. You have the right to use it whatever way you choose. Just be sure to use it.
