Activists rally for voting rights in Wilmington

By Rachel Sawicki
Posted 11/10/21

WILMINGTON — While the U.S. Senate is in recess this week, people across the nation are holding demonstrations in support of passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights …

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Activists rally for voting rights in Wilmington

Posted

WILMINGTON — While the U.S. Senate is in recess this week, people across the nation are holding demonstrations in support of passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, including a group of voters in Wilmington on Wednesday evening.

Common Cause Delaware, the Sierra Club Delaware Chapter, Indivisible Highlands and Beyond, and other Delaware activists gathered at 4200 Concord Pike in Wilmington with signs encouraging drivers to “honk for voting rights.” They are actively protesting the filibuster placed on these voting bills by Republicans several weeks ago.

Anne Elmlinger, of Newark, said she has been a climate activist for a long time, but now believes democracy in the country is having an even bigger crisis, and it is frightening.

“We’ve been telling our senators to do whatever it takes to pass this,” she said. “It isn’t slanted towards anybody (politically), it’s just making sure everyone gets to vote. A democracy should not be trying to cut out or make it hard for people who aren’t supporting you to vote.”

If Senate Democrats want to pass these voting rights bills, the rules of the filibuster will have to change. Josh Whittaker is with Common Cause and said that historically, the filibuster has been a large impediment to voting rights.

“(Sen.) Tom Carper just came out last week in support of amending the filibuster to allow voting rights,” he said. “Now we’re putting the pressure on (Sen.) Chris Coons, trying to get him to amend the filibuster, too.”

Nancy Wahler, of North Wilmington, came to the rally to show support for mail-in voting.

“It would lift my heart to know that there are people who maybe are disabled or elderly and can get their vote out there,” she said. “There are people who wait hours in line to vote. That’s just ridiculous.”

Cheryl Siskin is a member of Indivisible Highlands and Beyond, a non-partisan, political advocacy group. She said they are advocating to take out the excuse requirement for absentee voting in the Delaware Constitution.

“Even if one person can’t vote, democracy is not truly realized,” she said.

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