The Daily Escape:
Manzanita Beach, OR – 2021 photo by Taysian Photography
A new Pew Research poll asks whether voting is a fundamental right, or a privilege. Like most things in America today, the answer is that it depends on your age and political affiliation. Self-identified Republican voters skewed more toward âprivilegeâ while self-identified Democratic voters said âright.â See this chart:
Overall, 57% of Americans over 18 say voting is a “fundamental right for every US citizen and should not be restricted.â
- Younger adults are most likely to say voting is a fundamental right, peaking at 64% among 18-to-29-year-olds. Sixty percent of 30-to-49-year-olds agree. But for people aged 50 or older, only about 50% say voting is a fundamental right.
- The biggest gap is by political party affiliation. Fully 78% of Democrats say voting is a fundamental right versus just 32% Republicans.
- A 67% majority of Republicans say voting is a privilege that can be limited.
Isnât it shocking that most Republicans don’t think voting is a fundamental right? Maybe that explains why they find it acceptable to re-litigate the 2020 presidential election, or to suppress the votes of those they think will vote against them.
Although the majority of Republicans view voting as a privilege that can be limited, younger Republicans and Hispanic Republicans are more likely than older Republicans to say that voting is a fundamental right for every US citizen:
44% of Republicans and Republican leaners under 30 say it is a fundamental right, compared with 37% of those ages 30 to 49, 29% of those 50 to 64 and just 22% of those 65 and older.
The Atlantic quotes historian Eric Foner, saying that since the country’s founding, Americans have been torn between: (emphasis by Wrongo)
“…voting as a right and voting as something that only the right people should do.”
Foner says that every step forward in human rights has given birth to a desire to “purify the electorate.” After the Civil War, Northern Republicans wanted to exclude “disloyal” pro-Southern Democrats and newly arrived immigrants from the ballot, while Southern Democrats were adamant that freed slaves should not vote.
The Constitution mentions “the right to vote” five times. But people on the Right often observe that the Constitution doesnât explicitly say, “All individuals have the right to vote.” It simply rules out specific limitations on the right to vote. A right not guaranteed in affirmative terms isn’t really a “right” in a fundamental sense, they say.
But if the rule is that the Constitution must say, “here is a specific right and we hereby guarantee that right to every person” then there are few rights in the Constitution. The Constitution does more ârights-preservingâ than rights-proclaiming.
States shouldnât be able to pick and choose who gets to pick and choose our elected representatives. Taking away peopleâs right to vote would further increase corruption, simply because the government would have an easier time targeting those people. It isnât inconsistent that states can make rules about conduct of elections, but they shouldnât be able to decide who gets to vote. That should be unconstitutional.
This question has become a full-on political battle with Republican states pushing for more control over who gets to vote, mostly based on the Big Lie.
Letâs close today by remembering Dusty Hill, the bass player of ZZ Top, who died on Wednesday. He, along with the other two band members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame in 2004.
ZZ Top probably has the longest-running unchanged band lineup in rock and roll history. Dusty told the Charlotte Observer:
âPeople ask how weâve stayed together so long…I say separate tour buses. We got separate tour buses early on, when we probably couldnât afford them. That way we were always glad to see each other when we got to the next city.â
And when they were playing, you didnât take your eyes off Hill. Not just because of his luxurious beard. He was a great bass player, and his raw vocals were unforgettable.
This recording of their hit âTushâ says it was recorded in 1975, but theyâre playing Dean guitars in this video. That didnât happen until the 1980s. Still, itâs worth listening to Dusty live on lead vocals and the great guitar playing:
RIP Dusty.
