Building a better democracy

As citizens of the United States, a nation dedicated to promoting democracy abroad, we must always ensure that here at home we have the strongest democracy possible. For over 200 years, we have striven toward the ideal of a truly democratic nation, but we still have much work to do. From Jim Crow laws requiring voter literacy, to poll taxes, to current state laws requiring complicated proof of identification in order to register to vote and to cast ballots, certain politically powerful groups have systematically attempted to disenfranchise minorities, the poor, and the under-informed in this country. As a consequence, fundamental principles of democracy are violated in many American elections. Furthermore, concerns about the reliability of modern electronic voting equipment have shaken many citizens' faith in the integrity of the voting process. As an organization of Democratic attorneys and others, the Florida Democratic Lawyers Council utilizes Election Day poll monitoring, and litigation, if necessary, to help strengthen our democracy. We work at the national, state, and local levels to extend the right of "one person, one vote" to all Americans. Although voting rights should be a non-partisan issue, the current system has increasingly served to disenfranchise minority voters and voters in urban areas, unfairly benefiting the Republican Party. As Democrats, it is our right and our responsibility to insist on a fair and accessible voting system.