By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog

TAMPA— The fight to recognize universal suffrage has been bloody, costly and, above all, hard-fought.

Though considerations of race, sex, income, literacy and property ownership once barred certain individuals from the polling place, today these distinctions remain rightfully absent when American citizens casts their vote.

What remains important, however, is not that individuals are allowed to mark their political preferences on a piece of paper, but rather that these preferences are counted accurately and legitimately, so the true will of the people can be recorded.

Nationwide, many states are undertaking efforts to reduce voter fraud, whether it is through requiring identification to match voter profiles, limiting unaccountable third-party registration groups or confirming eligibility and residency.

Allowing individuals to vote only represents one facet of the democratic process — the other, more important aspect is allowing each vote to have equal weight, free of manipulation or rigging.

Read more: FloridaWatchdog.org