From Louisiana to Virginia, Voter Suppression Spreads

On April 21, I went to my precinct to vote for the only item on the ballot: an amendment drawing new congressional maps that would offset Republican attempts to gerrymander across the country.

On April 22, a Tazewell County, VA judge blocked the amendment, saying it did not abide by the Constitution of Virginia.

On May 8, the Virginia Supreme Court agreed, blatantly ignoring the will of the state's residents.

The system of checks and balances is broken.

In the coming days, there will be many legal think pieces and discussions while actual voters try to figure out what went wrong. For my fellow voters in Virginia and communities across the country, can we be angry and frustrated, yes. But discouraged? No.

Not going to lie, I'm extremely disappointed. Why did I fly home early, pause in the middle of a busy work day, to cast a vote that would be ignored?.

I spend part of my days working with my NAACP colleagues to research voter attitudes and motivations to best help our communities vote. What we've seen recently is that Black Americans feel:

• Like we're under attack from all sides.
• That democracy is in trouble.
• That their vote doesn't matter. 

Today, I am one of those voters. I understand younger voters who wonder, "What's the point?" I'm with the 92% and the last generation of students to receive civics lessons in grade school. We're tired of raising the alarm.

Through the shared frustration and uncertainty, though, I offer this: Voting is the muscle of democracy that we have to keep trained and in the best shape. Stay ready so you don't have to get ready, as they say. Every branch of our government is doing its best to dismantle our "exercise equipment," like the Voting Rights Act and fair maps that ensure representation for all.

So, register to vote if you haven't already. Check your voter registration. And as much as you're tired of hearing it, encourage people to vote with you.

Setbacks have always been a part of this movement. Democracy and civil rights are not instruments of instant gratification. There are fits and starts. Wins and challenges. And our guarding of the rights we were all promised doesn't have a finish line or expiration date.

So, I'll see you at the polls in November?