Democrats: ‘Voting Rights are Human Rights!’

On Oct 19, a small group of Democrats assembled in the basement of the Gordon Avenue Library in the heart of Charlottesville. The attendees conversed over coffee and pastries until it was time to begin the meeting. Once a month, this group invites the general public to discuss important issues facing the country. This meeting’s topic was an issue that hit close to home for many in attendance: voter suppression and voter rights.

The meeting was held by the Albemarle County Democratic Party and featured a panel of two prominent figures in the local party: Abigail Turner and Seth Ragosta, both legal consultants and Democratic activists.

Ragosta began the meeting by recalling an interaction he had during the 2016 elections in which he witnessed several individuals, primarily caucasian, challenging the validity of several minority voters’ right to vote. The collective gasp from the crowd set the tone for the duration of the meeting. 

Several participants reported seeing similar occurrences or even experiencing it themselves. It became clear that Charlottesville suffers from the same bigotry that plagues the rest of the nation. Turner explained that these individuals were exercising their legal right to challenge any voter’s validity, regardless of how absurd their choices were, one particular attendee confronted her saying, “No one has the right to harass another person. All you’re telling us is that you didn’t do enough to protect the person you saw being harassed.”

Turner and Ragosta explained that from a legal standpoint there is little that can be done to prevent this from happening. As citizens, however, Ragosta encouraged those in attendance to challenge the inquiry if they felt that it was unfounded. 

“Without being aggressive, approach the person who you feel is harassing fellow voters by asking them ‘I see you’ve been challenging many voters today, would you be willing to sign an affidavit that states your purpose for challenging these individuals?’ After you ask, nine times out of ten, they will leave the voter alone. It’s our job as citizens to put a mirror in the face of bigotry and to show the individual that they are wrong without humiliating or vilifying them,” said Ragosta.

As the meeting concluded, one attendee, who chose to remain anonymous, reported being shocked at the lack of partisan talking points saying, “There was no mention of democrat-specific policies, candidate endorsements, or anything dem-related. As a centrist democrat, I was really happy with how this was conducted.”

For those who are confronted by a challenge this election cycle, Ragosta encourages them to comply by filling out the presented form; however, if one does feel that they are being harassed, they may report to the election officials who are in place to address such issues.

Turner encourages all Charlottesvillians, particularly students, to engage not only in the presidential election, but also local and state elections as they, more directly, affect student issues like education funding, maintenance, and tuition. The next breakfast event will take place in November; the date has not yet been released.