Letters to the Editor: California has an important role to play in protecting voter access

To the editor: Two-thirds of California voters in a recent poll believe American democracy is under attack (“Californians say democracy is in peril, state should enact voting rights protections, poll shows,” April 2). Amid relentless assaults on our voting rights at the federal level at the hands of President Trump — including efforts to impose strict voter ID laws, require proof of citizenship and, as recently as this week, restrict mail-in voting — the fight for voting rights is shifting decisively to the states. Access to the ballot and the integrity of our elections are increasingly at risk, and in this midterm year, California must be prepared.

Pay attention: These measures are not abstract policy debates. They are direct threats to our democracy. The right to vote should remain sacrosanct, not a partisan issue illustrated in a poll.

California has long set the standard for protecting voter access. If we fail to take meaningful action, we open the door to the erosion of our fundamental principles.

After all, as California goes, so goes the nation.

Lana Abbasi, Riverside