Part of the reason voter suppression works is we've created this culture that says you don't challenge the outcome of elections unless the act is so egregious as to be absolutely clear on its face.
Interpretation
Voter suppression persists due to a societal belief that one should not question election results unless there is undeniable evidence of wrongdoing.
Stacey Abrams highlights the issue of voter suppression, emphasizing that societal norms discourage citizens from challenging election outcomes unless they are overtly and obviously flawed. This culture creates an environment where unjust practices can thrive because individuals feel inhibited from demanding accountability or questioning the fairness of elections.
In practice
During a discussion on election integrity, this quote could highlight the need for vigilance against voter suppression.
I grew up one of six children with working-class parents in the Deep South. My mother was a college librarian, and my father worked in a shipyard. I never saw them balance a checkbook, but they kept a roof over our heads and got all six of us into college.
I do not Google myself, I do not read comments, and I barely look myself in the eye when I look in the mirror.
My being a black woman is not a deficit. It is a strength. Because I could not be where I am had I not overcome so many other barriers. Which means you know I'm relentless, you know I'm persistent, and you know I'm smart.
The basis for sustainable progress is legal protections grounded in an awareness of how identity has been used to deny opportunity.
I like to solve problems. I know it is a skill set, but it's also an obligation. I grew up with parents who believe that you don't simply complain: you try to find solutions and fix what's in front of you.
Here in Georgia, we continue to grapple with our own vestiges of hate. The image carved into Stone Mountain, like Confederate monuments across this state, stand as constant reminders of racism, intolerance, and division.
In Iran the whole reform and democracy movement has been based on the emerging free press.
Herbert Hoover once ran on the slogan, 'Two cars in every garage'. Apparently, the Republican candidate this year is running on the slogan, 'Two families in every garage'.
We have two evils to fight, capitalism and racism. We must destroy both racism and capitalism.
Ballots are the rightful and peaceful successors to bullets.
What we have ignored is what citizens can do and the importance of real involvement of the people involved - versus just having somebody in Washington make a rule.
If American women would increase their voting turnout by ten percent, I think we would see an end to all of the budget cuts in programs benefiting women and children.
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