New Voter Suppression Laws impact women more than men

Since the Supreme Court of the United States eliminated much of the 1960’s Voting Rights Act in 2013, many states have added restrictions to voting and some are considered draconian. This is especially true after the 2020 Presidential Election and former President Donald Trump and his followers spreading theories that he really won the election, according to Dr. Katherine Jellison, an award-winning history professor and author at Ohio University. Most changes impact women more than men, says Dr. Jellison. Although states like Georgia, Texas, and Florida have led the way in massive changes restricting a person’s opportunities to vote, other states have been eroding those rights as well. Dr. Jellison says “Voter ID” requirements may seem, at first blush, innocuous. However, they discriminate against women who have changed their names because of marriage and discriminate against the elderly and certain minority groups who might not have drivers’ licenses. Also, she asserts that limiting hours of voting and cutting back on the ability to vote by mail also impact women who are generally working long hours at a job and then working equally long hours being a mother, wife, and caretaker of most homes. Cutting the number of polling places also leads to extremely long lines for people to vote, according to Dr. Jellison. This impacts women, primarily, who are trying to manage childcare while trying to exercise their constitutional right to vote. The only way to counteract these new restrictions is massive public awareness and a refusal of being denied a chance to vote. She cites the public awareness campaign in Georgia as a good example. Dr. Jellison, besides being a history professor, also is the Director of the Central Region Humanities Center.