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April 16, 2021, Adrian, Michigan – The Leadership Council of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, standing with U.S. corporate leaders against restrictive voting measures, issued the following statement.
As leaders of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, representing all regions of the United States, we join hundreds of U.S. corporate leaders in their recent “We Stand for Democracy” call to uphold the right of all U.S. citizens to vote and to oppose “any discriminatory legislation or measures that restrict or prevent any eligible voter from having an equal and fair opportunity to cast a ballot.”
Following the passage in Georgia, along strict party lines, of legislation that restricts voter access in ways that disproportionately impact communities of color and people who are poor, similar efforts are underway in numerous other states where our Sisters and Associates live and minister, including Arizona, Florida, Texas, and Michigan. These efforts, which include 55 restrictive bills in 24 states, according to the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice, are premised on the baseless claim of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, which witnessed historic voter turnout.
The right to vote of every citizen of the United States regardless of race, creed, gender, ethnicity, or income is a hard-earned protection now enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. There must be no back-tracking to Jim Crow laws aimed at limiting robust engagement by all citizens in our richly diverse multi-cultural democracy. It is a right that also expresses a fundamental tenet of our faith – our belief in the inherent dignity of every person, made in the image of God.
The Leadership Council of the Adrian Dominican Sisters is composed of the members of the General Council, including Prioress Patricia Siemen, OP; Vicaress Mary Margaret Pachucki, OP; Administrator Frances Nadolny, OP; and Councilors Patricia Harvat, OP, and Elise D. García, OP; as well as regional leaders, including Adrian Crossroads Chapter Prioress Peggy Coyne, OP; Dominican Midwest Chapter Prioress Kathleen Klingen, OP; Dominican West Chapter Prioress Lorene Heck, OP; Florida Chapter Prioress Mary Ann Caulfield, OP; Great Lakes Dominican Chapter Prioress Carol Jean Kesterke, OP; Holy Rosary Chapter and Mission Prioresses Patricia Dulka, OP, and Sharon Spanbauer, OP; Our Lady of Remedies Chapter Prioress Rosita Yaya, OP; and Secretary Marie Joy Finfera, OP. The 14-member Leadership Council issued the statement during its Spring meeting, which was held virtually.
I admire your expressed desire to achieve what is seen as fairness and justice in our national voting system. However, I would also like to see a clear and just plan set forth to achieve that end rather than simply disagreeing with what is proposed. All citizens should be able to vote and at the same time should be able to show that they truly do possess that right.