Activists gather in downtown Fayetteville to rally for voting rights – The Fayetteville Observer

About 50 people gatheredaround the Market House in downtown Fayetteville on Saturday afternoon to rallyfor fair voting laws both locally and across the country.

The demonstration took place on the 58th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'smarch on Washington where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

According toKimberly Hardy, rally organizer and president of the Democratic Women of Cumberland County, the demonstration was intended to bring together people from all political backgrounds to demand an end to restrictive voter laws in the United States such as gerrymandering the act of manipulating voting districts unfairly to gain an advantage, or to disadvantage opponents.

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"The issue of disenfranchisement, oppression and gerrymandering, these things are huge for us," Hardy said. "And just as a black woman, my community is always hampered by these kinds of things."

The demonstration also aimed to push for congressionalapproval of the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, both of which are intended to expand fair access to voting and end restrictive voter laws, Hardy said.

According to theFor the People Act, if passed it would assist in making voting more accessible and equitableto the public by instituting policies that end partisan gerrymandering, expand access to voting by streamlining voter registration and mail-in voting, restore voting rights for people who have been in prison, strengthen ethical voting procedures, and update outdated voter infrastructure like old voting machines.

Similarly, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act seeks to embolden the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by restoring parts of the act like requiring state voting laws be authorized by the federal government.

Hardy, along with several other groups and activists, organized Saturday's event to highlight the importance of comprehensive voter legislation and advocate for the end of voter suppression, she said.

"You control what happens in this country," Hardy said. "We can hire and fire so many people with one piece of paper every two to four years, and so let's hire the people that believe in the values that are important to us."

She said the issue of voter suppression is not a partisan problem, and it affects people at all points inthe political spectrum.

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Also in attendance at the event was Democratic N.C. State Sen. Kirk deViere, who represents Cumberland County. He said he was glad to see so many people out fighting against voter suppression.

"We need to make sure that we expand the access to the ballot and not decrease it," he said.

He referenced a recent order from several state trial judges that restores the right to vote to around 56,000 felons in N.C. whose sentences do not include prison time.

"Look at the recent ruling we saw across the state where over 50,000 felons are now able to vote," deViere said. "That's huge. That's how it's supposed to be.

Several people at the event helped people register to vote, emphasizing the need to bring in new voters rather than rely on those who would vote no matter what.

Gerard Falls, a Fayetteville educator and member of activism organization Cape Fear Indivisible in Fayetteville, spoke to the crowd about the need for more people to get involved in voting rights discussions.

He said that despite anyone's political affiliations, key issues unite us all.

"Access to affordable healthcare is a struggle for the vast majority of people in this community, access to affordable housing is a struggle for the vast majority of people in this community, and living wages that people can support their families on is a challenge for most of the people in this community," Falls said. "It doesn't matter whose door you're knocking on, whether they're Republican or Democrat, these are experiences that people share."

According to Falls, fair access to voting and voter registration turnout is a key factor in remedying the issues of affordable healthcare, housing and fair wages.

As demonstrators chanted mantras illustrating their goal to give people access to the right to vote, passing motorists honked their horns in solidarity.

"All of us," one activist called out.

"Or none of us," the crowd answered.

Reporter Jack Boden can be reached at jboden@gannett.com.

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Activists gather in downtown Fayetteville to rally for voting rights - The Fayetteville Observer