LETTER: Federalizing voting rejects state's constitutional sovereignty

The United States always has been considered a “democracy,” but it was never intended to be a “pure” democracy, as noted by Thomas Jefferson when he said: “Democracy is 51% of the people taking away the rights of the other 49% of the people.” Instead, the framers of the Constitution created a federal constitutional representative democracy. One that relied on a sharing of power between the individual states and the federal government through a written document. A document that describes the limited, enumerated powers of the federal government, its structure, organization, composition, and other elements of its three branches, while ensuring democracy for all via citizen-voted representation.

Now, Democrats in Congress want to “federalize” voting, suggesting that recent changes in voter qualification and voting procedure laws have impinged on voting access or voter rights. My reaction is utter disbelief. As far back as 1787, James Madison suggested that only “debt-free landowners should be allowed to vote.” Today, simply asking for an ID, or proof of residency in a specific locale to satisfy state election requirements is unacceptable.

Voting is a choice, who you vote for is a choice, but voting is not required. Certifying who is eligible to vote and the how, when, and where voting is conducting is determined by the individual states according to their own internal capabilities. The founding fathers did not make voting a “right” in the Constitution by choice, leaving it to the states.

Congress is challenging the concept of federalism by its action, by rejecting the state’s constitutional sovereignty regarding voting as reflected in Article I, Section 4 of the Constitution.

— Paul D. Bohac, Callaway

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This article originally appeared on The News Herald: LETTER: Federalizing voting rejects state's constitutional sovereignty