Our freedom to vote is under attack, as the Wisconsin Legislature has passed anti-voter bills that severely hinder the freedom to vote. The Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Campaign (WIVEC) stands resolutely in opposition to these cynical and divisive bills. We support Governor Evers as a strong advocate protecting our voting rights, and we encourage him to continue that by vetoing these bills.
As people of faith, we believe that all of us are made in the image of God and endowed with worth and dignity and worthy of respect. Part of living a life of dignity and respect is the right to be heard and to be counted. In a democracy, that means having the freedom to vote. We believe that the right to vote is sacred, no matter one’s race, gender, or zip code.
These anti-voters bills would, among other things, make it harder for individuals to vote,
especially voters with disabilities, voters from Black and brown communities, and older voters. They would make voting by absentee ballot more difficult, and make it harder for nonpartisan election officials to administer our elections. Some of these bills would even criminalize voter assistance with unreasonable penalties, having a direct impact on disabled voters, older adults, and voters in nursing homes.
Rather than creating barriers to voting, our elected representatives should protect freedom and make voting accessible to everyone regardless of their race, ability, or place of residence. We expect our legislature to uphold our right to vote, and we encourage voters to use their right to vote in the upcoming April 5 election. It is vital that we protect our freedom to vote so everyone’s voice can be heard.
WIVEC once again thanks Governor Evers for his continual stewardship of voting rights for the people of Wisconsin. We support the governor using his veto power to prevent these bills from becoming law.
As it is stated in the Book of Deuteronomy – “justice, justice shall you pursue”. To pursue
justice, we must work together to ensure the right to vote for all the people of Wisconsin.
