Carol Anne Costa: Violence, Voting and VEMA

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Carol Ann Costa GoLocalProv MINDSETTER

 

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Journalist and author Jeff Greenfield once noted, “Men and women in my lifetime have died fighting for the right to vote: people like James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, who were murdered while registering black voters in Mississippi in 1964, and Viola Liuzzo, who was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan in 1965 during the Selma march for voting rights.”

Mr. Greenfield and many others have often acknowledged the courage of pioneers and predecessors to speak truth to power. Along with so many others who summoned the will and the gumption to march and demonstrate for representation and rights within the course of the constant evolution of our glorious republic. Americans and Rhode Islanders remain present and willing to engage in democracy.  So I ask, is it not time to make voting and the election process in Rhode Island fair, fast, accurate and friendly? I say yes, and it is Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea leading the charge, as she unveils her Voting and Elections Modernization Act of 2015 (VEMA)  in Senate Judiciary today.  

The Senate Judiciarys will hear testimony on VEMA.  The VEMA package contains legislative proposals to improve elections in our state and promote greater civic participation and public confidence among Rhode Islanders. House Bill (H-6051), sponsored by Representatives Regunberg, Handy, Keable, Blazejewski, and Barros and the Senate companion (S-821), sponsored by Senators Goldin, Lynch, Walaska, Conley, and Lombardi. VEMA will allow Rhode Islanders to quickly and securely register to vote online; it will also clean up our voter rolls. It should be noted that clearing up the voting rolls is critical to reducing the potential for fraud.  Additionally, VEMA will expand in-person early voting by allowing Rhode Islanders to vote when it's convenient for them. As opposed to the “election Tuesday” marriage of historical convenience, as its origins are in the 1840s and had much to do with travel time via horse and buggy and Sabbath days. Time to move forward… My opinions on voter reform are well documented and I am so thrilled we have a leader in Gorbea who is willing to tackle this reform.  

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I love it when the screams of voter fraud are loud and clear; yet the mere mention of change  makes those same folks shrink like a sponge in the sun. Thankfully, we have a leader eager to take bold steps to make an impact on antiquated voter laws and a disjointed and fractured election process. So let’s talk about really reducing potential for fraud - ballot handling rules; Gorbea’s VEMA also strengthens rules around who handles completed mail ballots to ensure integrity. Really, isn’t that what we all want regardless of political stripe?

Gorbea, I am certain, will mightily push our elections and voting into the age of technology. The possibility of on-line voter registration is HUGE and visionary and will bring RI into line with many other states. Currently, 24 states, including Massachusetts and Connecticut, have passed online voter registration, and 32 states and Washington DC allow in-person early voting. These are reforms that are in keeping with the schedules and lives of busy Americans. The ability for Rhode Islanders to conveniently and securely register to vote online would be a significant achievement. I urge the legislature to support these reforms. They make good sense and represent thoughtful improvements.

I look forward to a vibrant debate on voter and election reform and our Secretary of State is a leader in its path forward. Increasing access to elections and providing convenience for citizens are all terrific moves ahead. Selma remains a testament to the fight for voting rights and the people who took a stand through blood, sweat and tears delivered reform by helping to inspire the passage of the Voting Rights Act. The Voting Rights Act was a broad and sweeping piece of legislation that diminished the liberties gap between black and white voters in the U.S. It also allowed a greater number of African Americans to engage in the political process at every level.

And, even while yesterday in Baltimore the irresistible sounds of spring; the crack of a Louisville slugger against the well stitched leather of a hardball and the unmistakable snap of a fastball hitting the web of a perfectly positioned catcher’s mitt went unheard in the vacant seats of Camden Yard, the sounds of democracy boisterously filled the streets, airwaves and bandwidth for each of us to consider no matter what the issue, human rights, civil rights, women’s rights or voting rights. And today, the voices of citizens will fill the Senate Judiciary Committee to continue the debate on much needed voter and election reform; tune in! 

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Carol Costa is a public relations and community outreach specialist; she has experience in both the public and private sectors. She is the Chairwoman of the Scituate Democratic Town Committee and has extensive community affairs and public relations experience. She previously served in the Rhode Island Judiciary for nearly 17 years. Carol also enjoyed a successful development stint at the Diocese of Providence as Associate Director for Catholic Education and is currently the Executive Director of the Warren Housing Authority. Her work has been published in several local outlets including GoLocal, Valley Breeze, The Rhode Island Catholic, and Currents Magazine.

 

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