My Left of Lansing “Short” this Friday is about Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s proposal to ban anyone under 25 from voting, unless they fulfil specific requirements, including passing a citizenship test.
Generation Z is not only a politically active voting bloc, especially in Michigan, but it’s also a highly progressive voting bloc. Rather than fight for their vote based on their hate-filled policies, Ramaswamy’s brilliant idea is to silence their voices by taking away their voting rights.
It’s no different than right wing efforts to ban books and defund libraries across the country. Silencing the voices they don’t like is the right wing’s plan to grab long-term power.
Gina Keller from Distill Social talked about how progressives are doing a better job at connecting and messaging with Gen Z voters, as we witnessed in the 2022 midterm elections.
And that scares the right wing, which is why the only solution it sees is blocking them from the voting booth.
—Pat
NOTES:
“Ramaswamy proposes raising voting age to 25, unless people serve in military or pass a test.” By Meg Kinnard of The Associated Press
“Could you pass this voting literacy test designed to disenfranchise African-American voters?” By Katie Serena of ATI
“Most of us would fail the U.S. citizenship test, survey finds.” By Allyson Escobar of NBC News
Photo: “March For Our Lives student protest for gun control” by Fibonacci Blue is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
