We live in some pretty amazing times. Technology has progressed in some pretty cool and astounding ways making our lives easier and easier. The number of things we are able to do through our phones still impresses me to this day. Growing up with a computer my dad built running MS-DOS that screamed at you when it tried to connect to the internet to being able to access forms and fill them out on my phone in just 30 years is pretty darn cool. Heck, I don’t even have to use my finger and make one of those awkward signatures on the form anymore, I can just click a box, type my name, and bada bing. So imagine my surprise when I learned that the state had put an emergency rule into place saying that electronic signatures were insufficient for voter registration. That seemed odd. So after a little reading I learned that Get Loud Arkansas, a voters rights advocacy group started by one of my personal heroes, the incomparable Sen Joyce Elliot, had created a digital registration form and registered hundreds of Arkansans to vote. This was apparently an issue. The state board of elections determined that this was not okay, and put a stop to their work. Citing mostly that it created an inconsistency from county to county in registration practice that caused issues in validation, the board ended the groups efforts to register citizens for the upcoming elections and said that applications must be physically signed in ink and a physical form must be turned in. The post I stumbled across noted a meeting for public comment on the issue and calling for folks to show up and speak out against the proposed rule. So, I decided to enter the chat.
I decided I would take a stand with Get Loud and offer my voice
In this new life I am building, activism and service to others is a very important aspect. I am volunteering my time with multiple organizations, going to marches and rallying with my community, and I am showing up to the meetings at the capital it seems. I had never spoken at a committee meeting before. I had gone to a few in a previous session when the legislature decided to target Trans kids, but my voice was not necessary at that time. I wasn’t even sure it would be in this moment either, but I wanted to be ready. So I prepared a quick little speech so there would be yet another statement on record against this proposed rule. We met in a relatively small room in one of the buildings around the capital building. Maybe 30 of us crowded in to give words about this issue and what we thought. I was not really sure what to expect. How many people would speak? Who was going to be there to support the proposed rule? Would it get heated? Spoiler alert: nobody showed up to speak in favor of the proposed rule. Not a single person. Everyone in that room was united in one purpose, to call out the prejudiced nature of this proposal. I expected a pretty tame meeting to be honest. This didn’t feel like something that was going to get people worked up.
Boy, was I wrong
It got started kind of slowly, people waiting a bit before they stood up to be heard. But once the ball started rolling, it was like electricity was flowing through the room. People were laying out very well thought out and articulated arguments against the measure, and doing so with passion. Not the kind of angry passion that you sometimes see, but an earnest and pleading one. One that spoke to your humanity, that called your soul forward to recognize injustice. I was taken aback. My comments were facts and figures I had researched to support my position because I thought this meeting would be kind of dry and those kinds of empirical things would be more appropriate. But I learned from some of the other speakers that while those things are good and necessary, if you don’t speak with conviction, your voice can be lost in the crowd. I’n not saying mine was that day, but I will definitely augment my approach when I speak again. I was getting more and more fired up after every person spoke. How could this be a conversation we were having? It seemed so obvious that this was a poorly thought out attempt to keep groups who primarily vote democrat away from the voting booth. How was this not clear to every person on the board? Perhaps it was. And that is the problem, isn’t it? They probably know exactly what they are doing. And they don’t care. They trust in political apathy among citizens so their decisions go unnoticed, passed without debate. I can say with confidence that if the right thinks that the progressive citizens of Arkansas are going to stay home and remain silent when they pull stunts, they are very much mistaken. I left that day feeling elated and hopeful for the future. I said what I had to say and felt good that I had lended another voice to the record that day. Nobody asked to speak with me after the meeting adjourned, so I went on about my day waiting for Monday when the board would meet and consider the public opinion
Imagine my surprise when I got a message the next day with a news article
A friend sent me a message commending my words at the meeting. I was confused since nobody approached me to discuss my remarks or anything like that. Little did I know that reporters don’t have to talk to you one on one for you to be quoted. Apparently the lens with which I presented my case stood out enough that one reporter felt the need to mention it. So, here are my remarks in their entirety:
I am here to speak against the proposed rule requiring in person voter registration with a physical signature. This rule creates significant barriers to voting for many Arkansans, particularly those in rural communities and communities of color. According to data from the Arkansas House of Representatives through the University of Arkansas, 41% of Arkansans live in rural areas. Many of those residents live more than 10 miles from registration locations, making it difficult for them to register in person. This rule would disproportionately impact these residents, who already face significant barriers accessing even essential services.
Transportation is a critical issue for Arkansas. Many rural residents lack access to reliable transportation. The Rural Health Information Hub reports that poor road conditions and the absence of public transportation hinders the ability of rural residents to travel. This lack of transportation is a major barrier, particularly for low income individuals who may not own a vehicle and cannot afford public transit, if it even exists in their community.
Arkansas already requires voters to present ID at polling stations to validate their identity. Adding an in person registration requirement his redundant and unnecessarily burdensome. Electronic signatures are secure and commonly used in various official transactions including financial agreements and legal documents. I myself was able to register a small business with the state completely online without physically signing a single document. Moreover, rural areas in Arkansas are not homogenous and include significant minority populations, especially in the delta. Approximately 24% of rural Americans are people of color and this statistic holds true in Arkansas specifically where black communities are a substantial part of the demographic landscape. These communities already face systemic barriers to accessing essential services, and this rule would only exacerbate these challenges, further disenfranchising them.
The state constitution states in Article 3 Section 1 that “elections shall be free and equal”. This proposed rule violates the spirit of our constitution by imposing additional burdens on certain groups of voters, particularly those in rural areas who often lack adequate transportation. Policies should aim to increase voter turnout and civic participation, especially in a state like ours that, as others have said, has the lowest voter registration and turnout rate in the country. This proposed rule does the opposite, creating additional hurdles and discouraging engagement in the democratic process. I urge the board to reject this rule and instead work towards solutions that promote accessibility and inclusivity in our voting system
At this stage of the game, remaining silent is being complicit in the actions of those who would seek to harm our neighbors. Our inaction is no longer an option. When you see oppression in any form, you must speak out. I truly believe that we can affect change. I hope I never grow so jaded that I lose that naivety. Because it is that naivety that keeps me going most days, believing in a better future not just for myself, but for every person I see on the sidewalk, and for the generations that will come after. A better world is possible, but we won’t see it realized if we don’t speak up and do work.