If we really want to talk about voter suppression

Voter suppression has become a big story. The Republicans have become villains for their attempts to make it more difficult to vote. This has become a selling point for the Democrats.

I know that I have already discussed this topic, but I have a little more that I want to add. For starters, why don't I provide a quick definition I found online for voter suppression:

Voter suppression is a strategy used to influence the outcome of an election by discouraging or preventing specific groups of people from voting.

There is a lot more overlap between the two major parties than most people will admit. Among the similarities is that both parties look for ways to unfairly skew election odds in their favor. In other words, both parties cheat.

Ahead of the 2020 election, pretty much every liberal state tried to completely remove Donald Trump from ballots. This fits every definition I have ever seen for voter suppression, including the definition I provided above. This isn't just about the presidential election. This action discourages opposition from voting, making more controversial laws easier to pass.

The Democrats made up an excuse for these laws. They insisted that Trump's refusal to release his taxes would justify exclusion. This excuse is similar in concept to how the Republicans have been hiding behind accusations of voter fraud. No rational person believes that the Democrats would have pursued similar legislation if one of their own refused to release taxes. They were clearly driven by a desire to use their position of power to remove opposition from ballots.

The Democrats ultimately failed in this effort, primarily because the pandemic shifted their priorities. Regardless, I don't believe that an unethical act magically becomes ethical if someone fails.

The recent Republican laws have made it further than what we saw from the Democrats. Since there are ongoing battles, I don't think we can say that the Republicans have succeeded where the Democrats failed. Even if they did, that shouldn't diminish what the Democrats tried.

Compare the types of voter suppression we have seen from these two parties. We have concepts from Republicans such as voter ID laws and stricter mail-in requirements. Then we have the Democrats trying to prohibit voters from voting for the candidate of their choice. Which side do you think would have a bigger impact on the number of voters? The simple truth is that the Democrats are behind what is easily the biggest attempt at voter suppression I have ever seen.

Let me make something clear. I'm not writing to defend the Republicans. I'm writing because I'm sick of the political game that the Democrats appear to be winning. They are gaining support from people who are concerned with voter suppression, even though their party has attempted voter suppression efforts themselves. We should not reward the Democrats just because the Republicans engage in the same kinds of practices.