Throughout Comp II unit, we had to argue, and talk about their doings, and use some values and worldviews examples. I hope you enjoy.
Luis Alfaro
Rosillo
ENGL-1213
22 April 2022
Maryland Legislature
Throughout the unit, The Freedom of Voting Act has not been talked enough today. Before talking about the stakeholders mentioned with the Freedom of Voting Act, I’ll be talking about the background of it.
The Freedom of Vote Act is a bill addressing voter registration and voting access, election integrity and security, redistricting, and campaign finance. Specifically, the Freedom of Voting Act expands registration (for example, automatic and same-day registration), and voting access (examples: vote-by-mail and early voting). It also ties with the Fifteenth Amendment with it was well.
The Fifteenth Amendment states, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation” (Right to Vote).
Now to mention the stakeholders. The stakeholders mentioned from previous projects. They are prisoners, African Americans, and Latino community as one, and prisons. One of the stakeholders that will be presented is the Maryland Legislature. The Maryland Legislature dealt with reviews of the legislation to make citizens deserve better in elections, being fair, and showing values that would be misunderstood to make them better. The Maryland Legislature deals with reviews and show that the actions from the Legislature should not go into effect especially on this topic of Freedom of Voting Act. The Maryland Legislature deals with reviews of the legislature to make citizens deserve better in elections, being fair, and showing values.
The Maryland Legislature wants to make our citizens deserve better in elections. For example, in the article, “Maryland Legislature restores voting rights to 40,000 ex-offenders”, Governor Larry Hogan, a republican of the state talks about it not being fair to the people specifically prisons should be treated as normal citizens. It states, “Hogan’s office issued a statement saying that he was disappointed with the decision and that ‘our citizens deserve better’” (Maryland Legislature Restores). Hogan shows the argumentation and disappointment that he has about the results of it being shown to the public eye. Many values included justice, for what is right to him, and wants the state to be justified. Also, he wants to not have prisoners get the same rights as a normal American citizen. From another article titled, “Voting Rights Restoring Efforts in Maryland”, talk about the 40,000 Maryland residents overring Hogan’s veto. It states:
“With a vote in the House on January 21 and another in the Senate on February 9, Maryland’s legislature voted to override Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto and enact SB 340/HB 980. When this legislation became law on March 10, it immediately restored voting rights to an estimated 40,000 Marylanders. This new legislation replaced Maryland’s previous practice of disenfranchising individuals with past felony convictions until they completed each and every portion of their sentences. Going forward, citizens will regain their voting rights immediately upon release from incarceration and will not lose their right to vote if not sentenced to incarceration” (Voting Rights Restoration). To be honest, there are many people that believe that the state deserves better not just the citizens itself. However, in California, they have an eligibility requirement for people that are on parole. They state, “if they are on parole, probation, on mandatory supervision, and a federal supervised release, and some more things that are listed” (Voting Rights: Persons). Just talking about the Maryland Legislature, and how the core values that they hold at elections sometimes makes the people in self sickening.
In another article about the Maryland Legislature titled, “Maryland, Democratic Voting Rights advocates react to John Lewis Bill Failure in US Senate”, states as well that they failed and wanting to do better for their state. It states:
“But advocates at the local level say the failure at the national level, is just as likely to engage opponents of voter rights reform as it is those seeking to advance state-wide changes. Advocates in Maryland say they were disappointed the federal legislation failed, despite having strong bipartisan support from voters, particularly as many of the revisions did make it through Maryland’s legislative assembly with bi-partisan support. In 2020 as a response to covid we in a lot of ways managed to pass a lot of the reforms that are in the for the people and freedom to vote act,” said Common Cause Maryland Executive Director Joanne Antoine. She says, despite that progress a big national defeat can help add momentum to opponents in the state who wish to strip voting rights” (Maryland, Democratic Voting). Even though that it was a failure for people who are in jail, it makes the understanding of it making it hard than expected. Also, to add from the same article, it mentions other states, and what they are doing. It states:
“Doing nothing is in opposition to what I think most Americans feel are necessary changes, especially when you’re looking at their staffers walking around giving them water and in Georgia, we can’t give out water to those who will stand in line for hours to vote, it’s just a complete disconnect,” Antoine said. For advocates in Delaware, the fight now shifts to matching the scale of reforms passed in Maryland, including more in-person early voting days, and expanding eligibility for mail-in voting. Currently in Delaware if you want to register for an absentee ballot you have to provide certain reasons you are unable to including injury or circumstances, you have to prove that you need it,” said Delaware ACLU Director Mike Brickner (Maryland, Democratic Voting). Honestly, listening to people from other states, and seeing what they are doing for be the best option to see what they try to convey in voting. In all fairness, these are some examples from other states that would try helping with Maryland Legislature.
To shift gears, I understand that majority of the people would be okay with policies from the Maryland Legislature, majority of the people wouldn’t like it and that’s fine. According to an article, “Revised Voting Rights Bill Rolled out in U.S. Senate, With Machin on Board”, shows some policies about the Freedom of Vote Act in the legislature. It states, ““With the Freedom to Vote Act, the entire voting rights working group, including Senators Manchin and Merkley, is united behind legislation that will set basic national standards to make sure all Americans can cast their ballots in the way that works best for them, regardless of what zip code they live in” (Revised Voting Rights). Majority of the relevance makes sense to some people are into elections but shouldn’t be necessarily involved if they don’t want to get in trouble. In another article titled, “Voting Rights Restoration Efforts in Maryland”, states about the effects about restoring rights in Maryland. It states:
“The effort to restore the right to vote for every Maryland citizen living in the state’s communities joined allies from across the state and around the country, including the Brennan Center. The Unlock the Vote coalition includes community, racial justice, faith, and civil rights leaders who came together to support voting rights restoration legislation as a common-sense reform that builds a more inclusive democracy while serving public safety” Voting Rights Restoration). Understanding that effort of them for every Maryland citizen living wanting what’s best should be number one priority for any legislature when wanting a legislature wanting the people to be heard. Also, with background of the Maryland General Assembly, it states:
“It is a bicameral body. The upper house, the Maryland State Senate, has 47 members and the lower house, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 members. The General Assembly meets each year for 90 days to act on more than 2,300 bills including the State’s annual budget, which it must pass before adjourning. Like the Governor of Maryland, members of both houses serve four-year terms. Each house elects its own officers, judges the qualifications and election of its own members, establishes rules for the conduct of its business, and may punish or expel its own members. The Maryland General Assembly convenes within the State House in Annapolis. (Maryland General Assembly). This shows that it is a very big legislature due to the face that it’s near the national capital. So, the Maryland Legislature has done the value of justice for themselves, and sometimes would listen to their people.
In general, majority of the Legislature of Maryland would sometimes do what best for themselves. They also learned that a lot especially in the pandemic. For example, in the article, “Unlike many other states, Maryland’s legislature is moving to make it easier to vote early or by mail” just proves that a lot in the spread of the Coronavirus. It states, “There were so many lessons learned in 2020 because we couldn’t do our normal elections process” because of the pandemic, Wilkins said. “There was creativity, fast thinking and ingenuity. It created a lot of ideas of how we can better run this process” (Unlike many other). So, this demonstrates a lot of core values of trust, and worthiness especially during a time of pandemic. Also, in need as well.
No matter what the trials or tribulations happen moving forward with this pandemic. Even though that the stakeholders from prisons, prisoners, Latino and African American communities are not as heard as the legislature, we must respect that to make the change for everyone to vote. Even if for people that are prison, they need to understand that everyone in America is on their side when dealing with the Freedom of Vote Act. In conclusion, to summarize the points of values of justice for the legislature, and the people. Also, values of worthiness especially to criminals that think that they are nothing. We are under the Fifteenth Amendment, and under the law to make our daily choices. A recap of what it is, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation” (Right to Vote). I believe no matter who is running what position, let the people have a voice and a say to what they want. Whether it’s equality of race, gender pay being equal, or just anything that society is dealing with today. We want what is best for America, and to the state of Maryland wanting to do good for all of us.