Historical thoughts this election season…

     I am writing this column on Election Day Eva (Monday, Nov. 5). However, it won’t get into many of your hands until after the election, Wednesday, Nov. 7. (Some might read it on Tuesday, Nov. 6, Election Day.)

     That said, I wanted to highlight a couple of interesting articles I came across concerning the election, or elections in general…

     First, I think many will agree that our nation has never been more divided in terms of politics. And it’s not just in D.C.; that divide extends to Jones County, Monticello, all over. It’s sad really that politics has to lead to a divide of neighborhoods, a divide of friendships, a divide of families (including my own).

     The target age group in this year’s mid-term election are 18-29-year-olds. Or, what many media outlets call “millennials.” Candidates all over the country, from state to national seats, are calling on that particular generation to head to the polls to vote.

     It’s that same generation that has been instituting action all over the country in movements such as “Me Too” and “March for Our Lives.” The millennials are our future leaders.

     However, while one might assume that this age group would be the biggest group to vote, many are staying away from the polls.

     Is it the political divide? Perhaps. But I also think they saw what happened during the last election (Nov. 8, 2016). Apparently the popular vote didn’t stand a chance up against the Electoral College. So the millennials feel their votes don’t matter. And as much as they’d like to insight change, is it really going to happen?

     Some of the reasons the millennials are choosing not to vote vary… Some say the work involved in registering to vote is a hassle. No. Some attend college outside of their home district and don’t know whether to vote in their college district or home district. That’s where absentee ballots come in handy. But then some say the process to apply for and send back an absentee ballot is arduous. No. Some don’t have time to wait in line at the polls between college classes or work. Again, absentee ballots. Excuses excuses excuses…

     The bottom line: Everyone should be exercising his/her right in this country to VOTE!

     It’s hard to believe, but in the 1950s, some states still collected a poll tax from minorities in order to be able to vote. In 1955 in Texas, of instance, an African American man paid $1.50 ($13 in today’s standards) in order to vote. That $1.50 in that time was a day’s wage.

     Poll taxes remained intact until the 1960s, according to the article on Smithsonian.com.

     And while it’s been 60-plus years since the poll tax, some populations of society are still seeing their voting rights challenged.

     Poll taxes weren’t the only way Southern states tried to limit the rights of African Americans. They also enacted literacy tests at the polls. All of these measures were put into place, which for some reason didn’t seem to violate the 15^th Amendment, which granted people the right to vote despite race, color or servitude.

     In 1962, the 24^th Amendment was proposed, which allowed all the right to vote in federal elections.

     Today, we still see the stifling of voter rights. Candidates are blamed for suppressing votes.

     But it ultimately comes down to one’s right to vote, and to be able to vote for the person of their choosing.