Literacy and Election Day

#electionday #literacy #biden #trump #us #vote #votingrights #votersurpression #detroit #michigan #florida #gadsdencounty #negatedballots #congresselections2020 #joebiden #donaldtrump #teachers #election2020 #education #reading #unemployment #2020uselectionresults #electionfraud #countthevotes #countallvotes

For 43 million Americans, election day is not as simple as going to the voting station and filling out a ballot. There is a silent hurdle: literacy.

What is literacy?

The Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) has defined literacy as the ability to: “the ability to understand, evaluate, use and engage with written texts to participate in society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential” as reported by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Being able to read is important for being a part of society, but it goes much further than that. Did you know that 21% of Americans in the United States fall into the category of low-literacy/illiteracy. That equals to 43 million people, or, 1 in 5 people. These studies were done on native and non-native Americans aging from 16-65 years old. In this study, 85% of low-literacy/illiterate are natural born Americans and 15% were American immigrants. From these statistics racially White and Hispanic adults made up the largest percentage. How could the United States of America produce such a high number of illiterate natural born Americans? Don't we have a right to free education? Well...

A Right to Education? A Right to Vote?

In Detroit, Michigan there has been some stir around this topic for some time. Students had been contesting that they do not have adequate access to education which results in a high levels of illiteracy. They have reported a lack of teachers and a lack of textbooks as some of the struggles they face while in school. Situations escalated to a point where a senior student taught math classes for a month, due to lack of staff. The students also report that it is not uncommon for their schools to be infested with rodents or cockroaches. On some days the students are held in the auditorium and made to watch children's movies. This is a result of underfunding. The students had sued the state of Michigan for withholding their right to an education. Part of their plea is to say that literacy is a fundamental skill needed to vote and voting is an American right and duty. After appealing the original hearing (which had resulted in a loss) Michigan courts finally ruled in favor of the students' of Detroit. As NPR news station reports: "In a landmark decision, a federal appeals court has ruled that children have a constitutional right to literacy, dealing a remarkable victory to students".

In Florida's Gadsden County, thousands of ballots have to be voided at the end of election day. This is because thousands of ballots are filled out incorrectly. Gadsden County's schools have an average D rating across their county. Half of their black population is reported to not have completed high school. The instructions on the ballots are read improperly, or the ballots themselves are confusing and complex to fill out. It is argued that the language and instructions used on the ballots are not voter friendly. In some states, the language used on ballots invites only the highly educated towards understanding how to complete the ballot. This suggests that the complex language used on some states' ballots discourages the lesser educated from voting.

Is a lack of education an act of voter suppression?

If we as Americans have the Voting Acts right of 1965 and Michigan has ruled that literacy is a constitutional right, then would weak or failing education systems be an indirect act of voter suppression? If 43 million Americans have insufficient literacy skills, how can they read a ballot to vote? If an American requests, ballots are offered in languages other than English to accommodate their linguistic needs. If an American has limited mobility, there are wheelchair accessible entrances to accommodate their needs. So... should voting polls have oral voting ballots to accommodate and allow for the 21% of the country (to vote) that hold insufficient literacy skills or are unable to decipher a ballot? Should we as a nation address poor access to education as a suppression towards the path to the polls?

Tell us what you think in the comments! Let your voice be heard.