Guest commentary: Help remind government that Constitution matters
Our calendar has officially turned to spring, which means that here on Sanibel season is ending. What isn’t ending is the chaos in Washington, D.C., and the need for all of us to keep our commitment to defending democracy.
As this U.S. presidential team continues, it is clear that our Constitution is under a very severe attack. Congress is not stepping up to its role in checks and balances, and only our federal courts remain active in working to protect our laws and constitutional structure. And even there, our courts are actively being threatened by everything from death threats to proposed House bills, such as House Bill 1526, and a parallel proposed Senate bill to prevent courts from placing nationwide injunctions on activities that they find to be illegal. In addition, the Department of Justice is working overtime to thwart efforts to protect immigrants here legally. People are being kidnapped off of our streets and deported to prisons with deplorable conditions with no due process as promised in our Constitution. All of these efforts should, in the words of the court, be found to be a “grievous error” that “shocks the conscience.”
In addition, the SAVE Act — HR 22 — will significantly impact the ability for citizens to register to vote or update their registration. This act will, in particular, impact women who have changed their name with marriage or to escape an abusive relationship. All in the name of eliminating non-citizen voting, something that is a negligent to non-existent amount of U.S. voting. The House voted to approve the bill, sending it on to the Senate, where a vote was not yet scheduled as of April 16. We all need to reach out to our Senators to ask them to stop this bill in its tracks.
To quote the late Honorable John Lewis, I hope you are all getting into “good trouble”! I encourage all of you to use your rights and speak up. Call your representative — here in Florida, and if you also live elsewhere, in that state as well. You can find who your elected federal officials are by visiting https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials. Our government serves “We the People.” We need to help remind them that we think that the Constitution matters.
Cathie Kozik is president of the League of Women Voters (LWV) of Sanibel. Working at the national, state and local levels, the LWV is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization that has fought since 1920 to improve systems of government and to impact public policies through citizen education and advocacy. For more information, visit https://www.lwv.org/local-leagues/lwv-sanibel or the League of Women Voters of Sanibel on Facebook.