Pine Knot News - A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news

For years, the only people eligible to vote were male property owners. Yet humanity flourished. In America, women weren’t allowed to vote until 1920. Blacks were given the right in 1870 but many actually couldn’t easily exercise those rights until 1965. People under 21 got the right to vote in 1970, but they still have to be at least 18.

A democracy can flourish even when, sometimes, voting rights are restricted.

Now, I am not advocating for voting restrictions. I generally oppose voter ID laws, especially because there is no real problem with unauthorized voting and I believe most vote...