Republican state lawmakers want to limit voting in ways that disproportionately impact people of color, elderly and lower income voters. The 15th Amendment prohibited denying the vote based on the color of one’s skin, yet it took the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to guarantee and protect those voting rights. The Constitution goes only so far; the state government mandates the circumstances and laws for voting in each state. Given the results of the most recent election, Republicans in the state government are scurrying to enact laws that will return results to their favor. We already have voter ID laws, and they work. In fact we had the most secure elections in the history of the state in 2020. We should celebrate the fact that more people voted in these elections than ever before, not limit access to voting. This is how a functioning democracy works. An engaged citizenry makes for better communities for everyone.

DEBRA HIERS, ATLANTA