ARTIST STATEMENT

In 1776 the United States Constitution only guaranteed white property-owning male the right to vote. Two and a half centuries later, voter suppression is still in existence, disenfranchising thousands of voters every year. As I approach my voting years, I have thought a lot about the people that fought for my right to vote. It is also important that we recognize the people who continue to fight for their own right to vote. People miss work, wait for hours in line, track their ballots, and stand up for their right to cast their ballot during every election.

My level of political awareness and understanding has dramatically changed in the last few months. COVID-19 and the rise of the Black Lives Matter and other social justice movements sparked a fire in me. I found myself upset, left to wonder what I could do to make a change in an often harsh world. As the conversations started to shift to encouraging people to vote, I thought about education’s power. If I cannot find a solution alone, I can use what I have learned and educate others about the root of the problems and hopefully find a solution together. 

The action of casting a ballot is America’s great equalizer. Everyone from the president to factory workers has the privilege of voting. However, the path to voting is not equally accessible across race, gender, and age. Every election hundreds of people are denied their right to vote because they can't take time off work, pay for proper identification, or present the correct proof of residency forms. From the beginning of this project, I noticed that free and fair elections are only afforded to part of the country.  

Voting is the cornerstone of democracy. Thus, it should not be difficult for a large portion of the population. This is why I decided to pursue an IP capstone project focused on understanding voter suppression myself and to ultimately educate others about the reality of America’s voting system. When reading my articles, on topics that range from the history of voting and voter suppression to the Voting Rights Act and long waiting lines, I hope that you will gain a better understanding of how voter suppression affects our voting system and reflects the reality of our political climate. My main goal is to provide unbiased literature, allowing readers to form their own opinions and seek practical solutions so they can make progress in their everyday lives. Voting is how we express our hopes and dreams for the future of our county and by recognizing, and hopefully ending, systemic voter suppression we can work toward creating a county where everyone's voice is heard.