Is America Doomed to Repeat its History?

Julia Ecker

With the election no more than a week away, tensions and emotions run high across the nation. So far, the polls have seen an outstanding turnout, with possibly the highest voter turnout since the 1998 election. Over 61 million people have already cast their votes compared to the 47 million from the 2016 election. However, voters have faced many challenges that eerily shadow obstacles Americans faced 75 years ago. 

Throughout the 1900s, Jim Crow Laws, tactics used by white men to inhibit minorities and their ability to vote, plagued the southern cities of this country. Although the Constitution was amended to state that all men were equal, when going to voting booths, it was blatantly clear that they were not actually “equal.” Men and women were given literacy tests, comprised of nearly impossible questions, such as “circle the first, first letter of the alphabet in this line.” These tests were used as loopholes around suffrage for all, and they quickly shut down any black man or woman who showed up at the poll, ready to vote. Illiteracy was still rampant among blacks, and the white men used this fact to their advantage. Furthermore, some whites resorted to threats and violence to prevent blacks from casting their votes. This phenomenon was voter suppression. 

In August of 1965, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, outlawing any discriminatory means to stop voting. Now, 60 years later, the country is more politically polarized than ever. Americans are determined to have their voices heard through their vote. Not only is America experiencing a divided government, but it is also going through a pandemic. As a result of COVID-19, many Americans have turned to mail-in-ballots, despite the fact that unauthorized ballot boxes have shown up in four counties in California. No one is quite sure what will happen to those who deposit their votes in these boxes. McLennan County of Texas has closed 44% of its polling locations since 2012, with its demographic consisting of mostly Latinx and Black citizens. In Georgia, officials stated that residents had to wait more than six hours to vote. The Secretary of State of Georgia announced that long lines were to be expected.  However, these long lines meant many left before they could vote, because they had to return to work or simply because of impatience, Kristen Reed from KARE reported.