As each day passes we draw closer and closer to 2014 midterm elections.  There are several Senate positions that will be crucial for Democrats to win if they want to retain control. On April 7, they demonstrated plans to do just that.

The master plan is called the Voter Expansion Project and it’s being spearheaded by Vice President Joe Biden, former President Bill Clinton and other significant Democrats.  The big names are a necessary move for the Democrats because this is perhaps the most important battle to fight in the months prior to election season.

When the Supreme Court struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act last year, it opened the door to restrictive voting policies across the entire country.  States such as North Carolina and Texas responded by immediately implementing policies that make voting exponentially harder.

In a video announcement of the Voter Expansion Project, Biden references a part of Texas’ voting legislation that classifies a gun permit as an acceptable form of identification but not a student ID.

Democrats have tried to call attention to the fact that these policies are blatantly anti-left wing.  In response, the Justice Department has expanded its defense of the remaining sections of the Voting Rights Act, filing lawsuits in both North Carolina and Texas.

The Democratic Party needs to make sure its entire voting base can make it to the polls in November, which makes this battle paramount.  Even beyond the ramifications in the results, these restrictions are in direct violation of America’s most important right.

As recently as 2006, the Voting Rights Act was reauthorized with a 98-0 vote in the Senate.  Clearly both parties can agree that the right to vote is something that should not be tampered with.

However, the actions of the Supreme Court have provided an avenue for certain states to systematically handpick exactly who turns up at the polls.

As a result, the fight to re-expand voters’ rights is about much more than the elections of 2014.  It comes down to preventing conservative states from limiting the rights of their citizens in order to promote the success of the GOP’s political aspirations.

Throughout history, people have fought and died for the right to vote.  It is one of the most basic principles of American democracy and deserves to be treated as such.  A pillar of justice like this should not be thrown by the wayside en route to achieving party goals.  The fact that conservative states are limiting the right to vote is, as President Barack Obama said at a fundraiser last week, “un-American,” according to an April 10 Washington Post article.

Significant Republican support exists for the right of all citizens to vote.  GOP officials such as Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) have publically backed the Voting Rights Act for years.  Even George W. Bush spoke favorably of the Voting Rights Act at the Civil Rights Summit last week.

The bottom line is that some conservative states and officials are trying to apply partisan restrictions to what President Ronald Reagan called “the crown jewel of American liberties.”  Democrats have incentive to fight these restrictions based on the importance of 2014’s upcoming elections.  However, their greater responsibility is to defend the most important aspect of American democracy.

Reagan put it best in a 1981 statement supporting the extension of the Voting Rights Act.  “…for this Nation to remain true to its principles, we cannot allow any American’s vote to be denied, diluted or defiled.”  It’s time the GOP started to heed his words.

Chris Piemonte is a senior political philosophy major. He can be reached at [email protected].

Published on April 15, 2014 at 1:00 am