When you have been queuing for hours in the blazing sun and are extremely thirsty but have forgotten to bring water with you, a kind-hearted volunteer offers you a bottle of water. This sounds like a simple little thing, right? But nowadays, it’s not like that. In some parts of the United States, such kind acts have become illegal.
In 2021, Georgia passed a law: the SB 202 election Law, which prohibits people from delivering water, offering snacks, or even setting up sunshade umbrellas to voters within a 25-foot distance from them. Some supporters claim that this is to prevent election fraud or “vote-rigging”. However, critics – including myself – see deeper issues: This minor restriction actually touches upon two of the pillars of democracy: civil liberties and civil rights.
First of all, let’s understand these two terms clearly, as they are often confused. Civil liberties refer to the freedom from government interference. They protect us from excessive government intervention in our personal lives, such as freedom of speech or privacy rights. While civil rights pertain to equal opportunities and protection under the law. They ensure that people are not discriminated against and guarantee fair opportunities for everyone in areas like education, employment, and voting.
In this case, The law banning water and umbrellas involves both.
On the civil liberties level: the government is preventing ordinary citizens and volunteers from helping others by delivering water. This behavior limits people’s freedom to help others and to do good. Even though this ban is intended as a kind gesture to avoid disturbing the voters, it is still an instance of government intervention that infringes upon civil liberties. This is a question of civil liberties.
At the civil rights level: We think of the situation faced by those voters in line. If you were a voter and had to wait under the scorching sun for four or five hours without any water to drink, what would you do? What would you do? Stay or leave? If you are young and have free time, you might stay and vote. But if you are an elderly person, have a disability, or are a low-income worker, you can’t afford the risk of heatstroke or absenteeism, so you are likely to leave. However, once you leave, you lose your right to vote. This is a civil rights issue.
This is precisely the reason why this policy has both supporters and opponents. On the surface, it is just about simple matters like delivering water and setting up shade umbrellas. But in essence, it concerns who can vote and who is excluded. Vulnerable groups – the poor, the elderly, and the disabled – are the ones most likely to be harmed by long queues and the lack of basic supplies. They are the ones most likely to be excluded by this law. This restriction not only limits the freedom of volunteers but also indirectly limits citizens’ voting rights.
This is directly related to the course topics we discussed in class such as political participation, equality, and government power. Democracy is not just about election days. It concerns whether everyone can truly cast their vote without unnecessary obstacles. When the government prohibits such a small act, it may be trying to prevent fraud, but at the same time, it makes it even more difficult for voters who are already facing the greatest challenges to participate in the voting.
So, what does this incident teach us about today’s democracy? This case shows us that the threat to voting doesn’t necessarily have to be very dramatic. It doesn’t have to be something like “you can’t vote”. Sometimes, they can be as simple as a rule prohibiting water delivery and setting up sunshades. That’s why we need to always pay attention to these details. Protecting democracy means protecting not only our freedom to help others, but also everyone’s right to vote.
So when you come across a news item about some minor election rules, don’t simply cross them out or ignore them. We need to immediately ask ourselves: Who benefits? Who is excluded? Sometimes, the answers are hidden in some small details that we never pay attention to, just like a bottle of ordinary water.
