TODAY IS ELECTION DAY: Americans Must Protect Against Fear and Intimidation at the Poll Sites and Vote!

Today, November 3, 2020, is the last day to vote for the next U.S. President.  Communities, like the Sikh community, that have experienced hate violence have many reasons to want to cast their vote.  Aggressive rhetoric by self-proclaimed militias and other anti-government, far-right extremists, early voting marred by tacit bullying, state sanctioned barriers to voting and court rulings that strike down progressive voting statutes, must not further alienate Sikh voters.  These factors already hindered a significant number of voters from casting their vote at the polls this election and UNITED SIKHS, an organization that has championed civil and human rights since 1999, and that works to ensure voting rights and access for all groups and all members of religious minorities, encourages every Sikh American to protect the right to VOTE and to vote.
Historically disenfranchised groups, who have also been the segments of the population that in the last 100 years have overcome impediments to voting, are especially susceptible to voter intimidation. This is also true of voters with disabilities and voters with limited English proficiency who lack equal access to the voting polls.
We must be vigilant about polls sites that require a photo ID in order to vote when other methods must be made available. Many State’s voter photo ID requirements have been overruled by courts that have held that affidavits in lieu of a photo ID should suffice. Some, however, still have photo ID restrictions. See your State’s ID laws
Other tactics used to discourage voting are cutting voting times, restricting voting and purging voter rolls.  These serve to disenfranchise voters in marginalized communities.  “Threats of violence and intimidation at the polls in conjunction with state-sanctioned barriers create additional hurdles for racial minorities, poor people and young and old voters.  These barriers  hinder a very large segment of American society from casting their vote,” states Wanda Sanchez Day, National Legal Director at UNITED SIKHS.
State laws and conservative court rulings have in the past served to embolden those who would deny others access to voting.  For example, in June 2013, 5 out of 9 Supreme Court Justices voted to strike down a central tenet of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.  That landmark statute required certain states and localities with a history of discrimination against minority voters to obtain federal government review before the laws could go into effect.  The ruling is one that most civil rights activists see as a direct affront to voting rights.
One of the Sikh community’s fundamental values is Seva, or Selfless Service.  “We believe in protecting peoples’ rights and values,” states Jagdeep Singh, UNITED SIKHS’ Executive Director.   “Everyone in our country has the right to vote and we as Sikh-Americans must exercise our value of selfless service to help our communities to vote safely and securely so we can advance an inclusive democracy,” states Mr. Singh.
For the Sikh community, like many other marginalized communities, voting in this election can mean a decisive step in addressing the rise in hate crimes that has gone unabated and that has become a national crisis.  “The next Congress and President must do what democratic governments must do- protect those most in need,” states Jagdeep Singh.  “That necessarily means protecting those targeted by hate.  In America today, calls to “monitor poll sites” is not a call to protect voters.  Instead, it is a call to incite violence and intimidation against defenseless communities that is heard loud and clear by those intent on violence.  It also emboldens those with reactionary ideologies that deny the history of oppression in this country,” he said.

We must vote, we must stay vigilant and informed and we must defend against those who seek to oppress through violence, intimidation and misinformation.
If you or anyone you know is the victim of discrimination or intimidation at a poll site, please call the local police.
Please also contact UNITED SIKHS at law-USA@unitedsikhs.org
About UNITED SIKHS
UNITED SIKHS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization champion for civil and human rights for all. As emergency responders, they protect individuals and communities from discrimination, violence, and disasters. UNITED SIKHS recognizes the human race as one.