MWEG’s March on Utah
Thousands rallied today in Washington, DC, and around the country to march for voting rights, and MWEG Utah leaders Melarie Wheat and Elizabeth Vanderwerken spoke at the Utah event. They explained what is at stake, why our voices matter in this fight, and how we can protect this most basic democratic right. Read the full text of their speech below, or watch the video here.
Civil rights activist and Black voting rights champion Amelia Boynton Robinson was a key figure in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches. On “Bloody Sunday” she was beaten by police on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and photos of her lying bleeding and unconscious drew national attention and helped spur the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Boynton is quoted as saying, “A voteless people is a hopeless people.” We believe this to be true, and for generations countless faithful Americans have worked to expand the right to vote and bring our nation into closer alignment with its highest democratic values. By doing so, they have granted hope and self-determination to an ever-widening circle of our citizenry.
As Mormon Women for Ethical Government, we are also committed to expanding this hope. We believe that all Americans should have hope that their voices matter and that they can appeal to a truly representative government to achieve peaceful and lasting change for our society.
Our organization is deeply committed to upholding the basic ideals of ethical government, which we believe include “the government’s duty to adhere to the rule of law; the human and civil rights of all people; and the civic duties and mutual accountability of people one toward another.” We firmly believe “political structures and electoral systems should be designed to maximize participation of and provide equitable access to all citizens in a society.” Our nation has not always lived up to these values, and as was so painfully seen in Selma, political and social leaders have, at various moments in our history, sought to limit democratic participation and retain control of our government by unethical and immoral means.
In recent years, voting rights have again come under attack. Utah is not immune to these forces, and as recently as the 2021 legislative session, Utah lawmakers were proposing legislation that would restrict or lessen the access of certain voters to the ballot.
As an organization, MWEG spoke out against Utah’s HB197 “Voter Affiliation Amendments” and SB205 “Election Process Amendments” because we believe all voters, regardless of party or affiliation, fund elections through their tax dollars, deserve to have their voices heard, and deserve to exercise their constitutional right to vote without constraint or hindrance. We engaged our members in contacting their legislators regarding these bills, in issuing official statements decrying the problematic elements contained in them, and in submitting official comments for the consideration of certain legislative committees.
By the conclusion of the 2021 legislative session, SB205 was unsuccessful and HB197 was passed with significant revisions that lessened its negative impacts. Additionally, Governor Cox heard from his constituents and, as a result, did not sign onto HB197 when it arrived on his desk, allowing it instead to go into effect without his signature. As constituents, our voices have power, and when exercised to promote equitable systems and access to voting, our voices will continue to have power in and out of the ballot box.
As the U.S. Senate considers a vote on H.R.4, we as a nation have the opportunity to pass important legislation that would shore up voting rights for all Americans. H.R.4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 or VRAA, is named in honor of the late U.S. Representative John Lewis, who was a tireless civil rights advocate throughout his life. We can think of no better way to honor his legacy than to pass this legislation.
This bill amends the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 to strengthen its power to protect voting rights and update its requirements to be specific to the modern context of voting discrimination. It is designed primarily to protect the right to vote for Americans who experience voting discrimination on the basis of race, color, or language minority membership.
For instance, a recent bill in neighboring Arizona made it a felony for an “ineligible” person to collect and return an early ballot for someone else. “Eligible” persons were primarily limited to household or family members, designated caregivers, or election officials. Native Americans were particularly negatively impacted by this bill because with limited access to postal services they rely heavily on ballot collection for voting.
In other areas of the country, communities with large populations of Black and Latino voters have seen significant reductions in polling locations and poll workers, causing increased wait times and additional challenges to access in-person voting. By contrast, nearby communities with majority white populations have experienced far fewer reductions in polling locations and staffing.
As women of faith, we at Mormon Women for Ethical Government believe that when laws are unjust — especially when they violate the human and civil rights of vulnerable or marginalized groups — all citizens have an obligation to work toward reformation of those laws, whether or not they are directly harmed by those unjust laws. As such, it is our duty to ensure ALL citizens have equal access to this fundamental right.
As we each seek to lead out in rooting out racism individually, we also call on our elected officials to support legislation that will root out racism in our democratic processes even when — or perhaps especially when — partisan lines must be crossed. Utah’s senators should vote to pass H.R.4, a bill that promotes the foundations of ethical government.
