Villela: We must vote for those who support, protect free elections

At 85 years old, I’m left with little hope for our state and country.

While I struggle to live on a fixed income with no cost of living assistance, and other seniors suffer from dementia and can’t even afford hearing aids, our society keeps on becoming more rigged in favor of those already in power.

Today, the “elite” gain more and more wealth and political power while everyday Americans are having their rights stripped away.

It’s easy to dismiss senior citizens like myself, but I speak from experience: if we want to stop this backward momentum, we need to secure our democracy and elect those with integrity.

This past legislative session, many Arizona lawmakers fought to further dismantle our voting rights and erode elections. They sought to criminalize mail-based voter outreach and put an end to citizen initiatives.

These efforts are obvious attempts to usurp our decision-making power, the very core of our democracy.

We cannot stand by while corrupt politicians work to silence us. We must elect leaders who value democracy and serve their constituents — not their self-interest — and advocate for our right to vote in free and fair elections.