Yes, that’s me in my dress whites walking ashore for the last time after 25 years on active duty. I am a retired Navy Master Chief Petty Officer. I served on 2 different aircraft carriers, was stationed overseas in 2 different places, and moved every 33 months or less.
I am an American. But am I American enough for Ole Mitch? Last week he said that Blacks vote as much as Americans.
Voting Rights Bill fails. McConnell Says Blacks vote as much as Americans
So I ask you again, am I American enough?
This is me too. I was Voter Number 1 in Virginia Beach for the November 2021 election. My “I am an American” tweet got over 15,000 likes and was retweeted over 1,500 times.
So who was Ole Mitch referring to?
We are once again fighting for equality at our polling places. We cannot allow this issue to fade into the background. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been weakened. It was last renewed in 2006, but protections were gutted by SCOTUS in 2013. Gone is the requirement for federal approval of redistricting maps for states with a history of discrimination. Strict voter ID laws went into effect with fees required for IDs. Voter lines are longer in many minority districts than white areas. Voter registration impediments are being codified in several states.
Photo credit: Drew Sheneman, published in Washington Post January 12, 2022.
We cannot allow our vote to be obstructed, lost, not counted, or discounted!!!
Our democracy is established on the foundation of voting rights!
We must pass federal legislation to protect those rights. And I will be working to ensure the new Virginia House of Delegates majority does not reverse any of the voting advancements codified during the 2020 and 2021 General Assembly sessions.
I am running for the Virginia House of Delegates in the new District 96. I am still working with grassroots organizations to maintain our right to vote. Do not let our right to vote issue fall out of the headlines. Join me in the effort!
Hippen for Virginia Beach HD 96
