Among My Biggest Disappointments

The other day, a friend asked what surprised me most about politics. This may seem strange, but I’d never really thought about the question.

My response was off-the-cuff but heartfelt. The biggest surprise is also among my biggest disappointments with American political life: the ongoing effort by politicians to suppress votes.

Yes it’s gone on for years. And in some respects, limiting the vote has been a feature of American politics since the beginning, when only white men with property could cast ballots. But when I began in politics, I assumed those days were past us, and everyone was on bo...