If Our Votes Didn’t Matter, They Wouldn’t Be Working So Hard to Suppress Them

Our democracy depends on a simple principle: every eligible voter should have a meaningful opportunity to make their voice heard. That principle is under pressure following the United States Supreme Court decision  that favors efforts to restrict access to mail-in voting. This further underscores the conversation surrounding who gets to participate in our democracy and how easily they can do so.

Whether someone votes by mail, during early voting, or in person on Election Day, the goal should be the same: make voting accessible, secure, and fair. If our votes didn’t matter, they wouldn’t be working so hard to suppress them.

Voting is power. It is how working families hold elected officials accountable. It is how communities demand better schools, safer neighborhoods, stronger infrastructure, affordable housing, economic opportunity, and a government that listens, and this matters deeply at the county level.

As a candidate for Essex County Commissioner, I believe county government has an important responsibility to help make our elections accessible and ensure residents have the information they need to exercise their right to vote. Government should be working to remove barriers, not create them.

The effort to restrict access to the ballot is a reminder of just how much our voices matter. Our response must be to organize, to educate ourselves and our neighbors, to register to vote, to make a voting plan, and to help our families and communities understand their options. 

This November, let’s make our voices impossible to ignore. Let’s participate in our democracy with the urgency and determination that this moment demands.