Features of Human Rights - Emily Wilburn


Emily Wilburn

2 October 2020

Voting in Texas

    2020 has been a pretty crazy year already, and to make it extra interesting it’s also an election year. There is a lot of discussions this year regarding how people will be voting: will the majority vote in person or by mail in? The current president, Donald Trump, has made his stance on voting via mail pretty clear and it has caused some pretty scary conversations. He believes that mail-in voting is voter fraud and that it could rig an election. He even tweeted out saying this, “Mail-In Ballot fraud found in many elections. People are just now seeing how bad, dishonest, and slow it is. Election results could be delayed for months. No more big election night answers? 1% not even counted in 2016. Ridiculous! Just a formula for RIGGING an Election...” Anyways… this has all led to some pretty crazy stuff. Right now in Texas, there is a limitation on the number of ballot drop-off locations. It is limited to one drop off location per county. By putting these voting limitations in place Governor Greg Abbott has most violated voting rights. This directly affects the elderly and those who are disabled and not to mention the millions of Texans worried about their health and safety during these scary times.


    Universal: A universal human right refers to one that is inherent to a human being. This idea of a universal human right places a duty on all members regardless of political, cultural, or religious beliefs. It essentially refers to all people being equal regardless of identities. We can look at this to be a violation of universal human rights because of those who it is directly affecting. Due to COVID-19 having a stronger effect on the elderly, it will be harder for them to vote in person this year so it is extremely important that they do so via mail-in. Regardless of COVID though, the mail-in voting system has been especially useful to both the elderly and disabled for years. By targeting specific groups in this way it is a clear violation of a universal human right.


    Inalienable: An inalienable human right is one that can not be taken away from a human being and the right to vote is an inalienable right in the United States. Altering the system in which people vote which causes fewer people to be able to vote is a violation. 


    Indivisible: An indivisible right refers to the equal importance of all human rights and beings. It makes it to where governments are unable to choose some rights over others. Indivisibility makes sure that all human rights are protected equally. Though all rights are meant to be protected equally in this case it does not apply to those who are older, disabled, or worried about their health.


    Interdependent: Human rights are supposed to be interdependent because the protection of one human right acts as a protection against other human rights. In the United States, we are all (kinda) given the right to vote and it acts as a sort of participation in our government. If not everyone has the ability to participate and vote in the election that right is being affected. 


    Universal Declaration of Human Rights Violation: Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states the following: (1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. (2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country. (3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures. What is going on with drop-off locations for mail-in ballots in Texas is a direct violation of this, especially to the first statement. By limiting the drop-off location is does not allow for everyone to be able to take part in the government of their country. 



Work Cited:


'It's the same thing': Experts baffled by Trump's misleading distinction between 'absentee' and 'mail-in' ballots


Appeals court allows Texas governor’s mail ballot drop-off restrictions to stay in place


Universal Declaration of Human Rights

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