Should Voting Be Considered Free Speech?

President Ronald Reagan once said: “The right to vote is the crown jewel of American liberties, and we will not see its luster diminished."

The reality is, however, that while casting a ballot appears to be one of the fundamental ways to engage in your right to free speech, currently the First Amendment of the US Constitution only protects activities adjacent to voting, but stops short of protecting the vote itself.

Citing a paper published by the Yale Law & Policy Review: “Burdens on voter registration and voting are not analyzed under strict First Amendment standards, and therefore the Court has allowed states excessive latitude to restrict voters’ access to the ballot box.”

But if the notion of “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”, is imbedded within the fabric of our country, we have to include one of the most basic and fundamental way to express one’s opinion, and that is the right to vote.

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