To the editor:

Access to the ballot has been hard-won by the hands and hearts of tireless American activists, ceaselessly struggling for the right to vote since the inception of our nation.

In New York state, the last enslaved person was freed in 1827. By 1846, free Black men in New York state could only vote if they owned $250 worth of property. Women could not vote until 1920 in the United States. The history of voting rights in America is complex and becomes increasingly important with each election. To learn more, visit the John Brown Farm in Lake Placid.

Flash forward to 2024. After centuries of ongoing struggle, equal rights, civil rights and voting rights are being thrown back into the hands of the states. Rights are being challenged and eroded across the country. As we approach the consequential presidential election, some of us are reminded of the victory and defeat of Shirley Chisholm in 1972, the first Black woman to seek the presidential nomination in the United States.

Flash forward to 2024. Kamala Harris is now the second woman, first Black woman, and first South Asian person to be a major party’s presidential nominee. As we look ahead, we must look to our past, extend gratitude to the activists who’ve come before us, and make a promise to build on the legacy of justice and inclusivity that was laid out for us.

Some of us need a loving reminder that voting is the contribution we make to the world we want to live in. We are all co-creators of society, community, and the larger world around us. Don’t you want a say in how things are working around you? Remember — there was a time when someone who looked just like you had no say in political affairs or public matters. Someone who looked and thought, loved and breathed just like you, your mother, or your sister, had to fight for the right to vote. There’s a chance they may have lost their life in this fight, as many did.

Many of us today were born with the right to vote in U.S. elections. Today, we’re being called to take measures to protect equal rights in New York state. The proposed ERA, on the back side of the ballot in New York, fortifies protections against discrimination for women, pregnant people, those with disabilities, LGBTQIA people, older adults, and people from other countries in New York. Voting YES means one more voice pushing us closer to equality. Voting YES is one more step in favor of equal rights, which have been pending on a national level since the ERA was first introduced to Congress in 1923 … over 100 years ago.

Vote YES for the ERA and support a world of equality, opportunity, justice and love.

Make a plan to vote, take a friend to vote, vote early and share the sort of love that facilitates change. Show up and vote for the leaders who show up for the people.

Anna Forsman

Saranac Lake