Kristine Bartanen’s letter of July 7, titled “Civic Health,” asks that we contact Senators Sinema and Kelly regarding The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

It’s a common tactic of the liberal left to title federal legislation with inaccurate verbiage, then adding a deceased southern Congressman’s name to the proposed act is even more disingenuous. If you understand states’ rights and were taught American history, you know that each state’s governing body is charged with administering local, state and federal elections. To that point, Arizona has taken steps to ensure that each and every vote is a legal one cast by the person registered.

We are a country of laws. You need a photo ID for hundreds of daily activities, from getting a library book to boarding an airplane. Bartanen claims that many Americans have absolutely no photo ID, cannot get a photo ID or will be somehow disenfranchised by needing to show a photo ID to register to vote by mail. Nonsense. There are tribal photo IDs, state IDs and driver’s license IDs, all easily obtained.

This country has just gone through some real election trauma and we the people have demanded accountability. Our state legislators have responded through adoption of new legislation. Civics teaches us the founders had no taste for placing elections in the hands of a massive federal government, as this act would require. They chose to give election power to the states, the government closest to we the people.

A lack of knowledge about how our government operates and our voting system is just another sign of the country’s failed educational system. We totally reject the federal election scheme Bartanen calls for, no matter how “nice” it sounds.