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John,
Guns have no place at the polling place.
Where we gather to vote should be a safe, welcoming place, protected from electioneering, and protected from fear-mongering as well.
Every election, we hear reports of some voters facing intimidation at the polling place, where someone has brought a gun. Whether the gun is held legally or illegally, concealed or revealed, the effect is the same: it’s a form of voter suppression, making it more difficult for certain citizens to vote.
Bringing a gun to a polling place is a provocative action that implies a threat. Voter suppression is based on making it too inconvenient -- or too high risk -- to vote. Bringing a gun to the polls, like limiting the number of voting sites and the methods of voting available, serves to suppress voting, but it adds the additional element of hinting at potential political violence.
In a political environment where some extremists warn of “civil war,” and where one candidate himself has declared there will be a “bloodbath” if he is not elected, we must do all we can to de-escalate the rhetoric and create safe spaces for voting.
In the past year, laws were passed to prohibit guns at polling places in New Mexico and Massachusetts. Now we need the same legislation, nationwide.
Tell Congress: Ban guns from every polling place in America. Every voting site should be a gun-free zone!
The polling place must be a place to celebrate community and civic participation, to reinforce our common efforts to find common ground enough to rule ourselves, the basis of democracy -- the exact opposite of staring down the barrel of a gun.
The polling place should be a place of celebration, of community, where volunteers create space for each of us to cast our ballots, and citizens of all races, backgrounds, creeds, and political views without violence can get involved. Instead of guns, let’s offer our neighbors tea and cookies.
To foster democracy, it is imperative that we mitigate tensions and alleviate potential threats, nurturing mutual respect and essential cooperation. As an embodiment of the adage "all politics is local", the local polling place is the crucible where democracy takes shape.
Let us keep the voting experience from one enveloped in apprehension to one brimming with optimism, guaranteeing that every voter feels embraced, safeguarded, and empowered as they engage in the fundamental rite of our democratic society.
Tell Congress: Get the guns out of our polling places! Pass legislation to make our polling places gun-free!
Thank you for removing all coercion and threats of violence from the voting booth!
- Amanda
Amanda Ford, Director
Democracy for America
Advocacy Fund
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