Anti-abortion activist Abby Johnson has advocated for a head-of-household voting system that has historically barred women and people of color from casting ballots.

Anti-abortion activist Abby Johnson, who will speak on Tuesday during the second night of the Republican National Convention, has advocated in recent months for a head-of-household voting system that has historically barred women and people of color from casting ballots. “What is the most controversial thing you believe?” Johnson asked on Twitter in early May. “I would support bringing back household voting,” Johnson replied to her tweet. “How anti-feminist of me.” Johnson’s prime time RNC remarks come on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment, which extended voting rights to women. (In practice, many women of color were excluded for many years thereafter.) Before the adoption of the 19th Amendment, and the 15th Amendment, which prohibits denying U.S. citizens the right to vote based on race, the right to vote was largely extended to White men who owned property and, in some cases, met certain religious criteria. Previously, some states had extended voting rights to Black men and White men who did not own property. Several had laws permitting women to cast ballots. One argument made against women’s suffrage was that their male husbands could vote on behalf of the household. Today, “head of household” is a filing status within the U.S. tax system that provides financial savings to unmarried individuals with children or other dependents. Head-of-household decision making is used in some religious communities, with male spouses and partners nearly universally being the head. Head-of-household voting would permit only the head of a household — and not all household members who are citizens over 18 years of age — to cast a ballot. Johnson believes the male member of the household would be the de facto decision maker. “But what happens when the husband is a Republican and the wife is a Democrat or vice versa?” a Twitter user asked Johnson. “Then they would have to decide on one vote. In a Godly household, the husband would get the final say,” she replied. Johnson’s convention speaking role comes as the presidential campaigns of Trump and Democrat Joe Biden vie for support from women, particularly White suburban women and women without college degrees, who are the most likely to be reconsidering backing the president in November after doing so in 2016. Kyle Morse, the spokesperson for American Bridge 21st Century, a super PAC that supports Democrats, said Johnson’s speaking slot “further underscores just how extreme Donald Trump’s GOP has become.” In a statement to The 19th, Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh said, “President Trump strongly supports the sacred principle of one person, one vote.” Johnson worked at Planned Parenthood for eight years before leaving to become an anti-abortion activist and found And Then There Were None, an organization that supports the career transitions of individuals working in facilities that perform abortions. Her story was chronicled in a 2019 film. Similar statements about head-of-household voting have landed other Republicans in hot water. In 2018, a Republican county precinct chair in Utah wrote on Facebook: “The more I study history the more I think giving voting rights to others not head of household has been a grave mistake!” The state party chair denounced the remark, saying: “The Constitution, while divinely inspired, has been improved via amendments that made voter equality a right of America’s citizenry.” This article has been updated with a statement from the Trump campaign. Amanda Becker Washington Correspondent Amanda Becker portrait Published August 25, 2020 Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

For the friends I’ve lost in the past and recent past because of my political beliefs or because I’m anti-racist or because of being a liberal and expressing the desire to “love one another” no matter your creed or culture or the color of your skin or your physical or sexual identity or anything else...

I’m sorry that my thoughts and expressions got in the way of our #friendship. 

Social Media is truly a way to express yourself, get people’s attention, communicate with each other, but it’s also a Petri dish for bad vibes and offending people who don’t believe the same as you do.

So for those I’ve offended and you felt you had to defriend me and/or block me.... I apologize.

Peace love and hugs to all.... even if you hate me!!

Nearly 12,000 Faithful America members have signed our petition calling on Roku, DirecTV, and DISH to drop right-wing televangelist Jim Bakker for peddling a phony coronavirus "cure." Thank you for adding your name!

Here are three quick updates about this campaign:

1) We tried to spread the word with a Facebook ad -- but Facebook rejected it for making "misleading claims." What an outrageous statement: We're trying to stop misleading claims from Bakker! If Facebook is going to censor our ad, we need to find another way to spread the word. Will you share this petition with friends and family by posting it to your own Facebook profile today?

(If you've already shared the petition, it's okay to share it again -- different friends might see it this time. If you're not on Facebook, that's great too: Please email your friends and family a link to the petition, and ask them to join you in signing!)

2) The Springfield News-Leader, part of the USA Today network, published a big article about our campaign this morning -- right in Bakker's southwestern Missouri backyard! Read it here: "Liberal Christian group calls on TV networks and Roku to drop Bakker show."

3) Last week, New York Attorney General Letitia James sent Bakker a cease-and-desist letter. This Monday, both the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) told him to stop. Then yesterday, he was sued by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt. As of this email, the coronavirus snake oil no longer appears in Bakker's online store.

All of that is welcome news, but more is still needed. DirecTV, DISH Network, and Roku can end Bakker's deceptions once and for all by taking away his public platform. Help make that happen by sharing our petition with friends and family today.

Thank you for everything you do to love your neighbor, including taking action to protect them from con-men and the coronavirus.

In peace,
Rev. Nathan and the Faithful America team

Nearly 12,000 Faithful America members have signed our petition calling on Roku, DirecTV, and DISH to drop right-wing televangelist Jim Bakker for peddling a phony coronavirus "cure." Thank you for adding your name!

Here are three quick updates about this campaign:

1) We tried to spread the word with a Facebook ad -- but Facebook rejected it for making "misleading claims." What an outrageous statement: We're trying to stop misleading claims from Bakker! If Facebook is going to censor our ad, we need to find another way to spread the word. Will you share this petition with friends and family by posting it to your own Facebook profile today?

(If you've already shared the petition, it's okay to share it again -- different friends might see it this time. If you're not on Facebook, that's great too: Please email your friends and family a link to the petition, and ask them to join you in signing!)

2) The Springfield News-Leader, part of the USA Today network, published a big article about our campaign this morning -- right in Bakker's southwestern Missouri backyard! Read it here: "Liberal Christian group calls on TV networks and Roku to drop Bakker show."

3) Last week, New York Attorney General Letitia James sent Bakker a cease-and-desist letter. This Monday, both the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) told him to stop. Then yesterday, he was sued by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt. As of this email, the coronavirus snake oil no longer appears in Bakker's online store.

All of that is welcome news, but more is still needed. DirecTV, DISH Network, and Roku can end Bakker's deceptions once and for all by taking away his public platform. Help make that happen by sharing our petition with friends and family today.

Thank you for everything you do to love your neighbor, including taking action to protect them from con-men and the coronavirus.

In peace,
Rev. Nathan and the Faithful America team

Nearly 12,000 Faithful America members have signed our petition calling on Roku, DirecTV, and DISH to drop right-wing televangelist Jim Bakker for peddling a phony coronavirus "cure." Thank you for adding your name!

Here are three quick updates about this campaign:

1) We tried to spread the word with a Facebook ad -- but Facebook rejected it for making "misleading claims." What an outrageous statement: We're trying to stop misleading claims from Bakker! If Facebook is going to censor our ad, we need to find another way to spread the word. Will you share this petition with friends and family by posting it to your own Facebook profile today?

(If you've already shared the petition, it's okay to share it again -- different friends might see it this time. If you're not on Facebook, that's great too: Please email your friends and family a link to the petition, and ask them to join you in signing!)

2) The Springfield News-Leader, part of the USA Today network, published a big article about our campaign this morning -- right in Bakker's southwestern Missouri backyard! Read it here: "Liberal Christian group calls on TV networks and Roku to drop Bakker show."

3) Last week, New York Attorney General Letitia James sent Bakker a cease-and-desist letter. This Monday, both the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) told him to stop. Then yesterday, he was sued by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt. As of this email, the coronavirus snake oil no longer appears in Bakker's online store.

All of that is welcome news, but more is still needed. DirecTV, DISH Network, and Roku can end Bakker's deceptions once and for all by taking away his public platform. Help make that happen by sharing our petition with friends and family today.

Thank you for everything you do to love your neighbor, including taking action to protect them from con-men and the coronavirus.

In peace,
Rev. Nathan and the Faithful America team

Nearly 12,000 Faithful America members have signed our petition calling on Roku, DirecTV, and DISH to drop right-wing televangelist Jim Bakker for peddling a phony coronavirus "cure." Thank you for adding your name!

Here are three quick updates about this campaign:

1) We tried to spread the word with a Facebook ad -- but Facebook rejected it for making "misleading claims." What an outrageous statement: We're trying to stop misleading claims from Bakker! If Facebook is going to censor our ad, we need to find another way to spread the word. Will you share this petition with friends and family by posting it to your own Facebook profile today?

(If you've already shared the petition, it's okay to share it again -- different friends might see it this time. If you're not on Facebook, that's great too: Please email your friends and family a link to the petition, and ask them to join you in signing!)

2) The Springfield News-Leader, part of the USA Today network, published a big article about our campaign this morning -- right in Bakker's southwestern Missouri backyard! Read it here: "Liberal Christian group calls on TV networks and Roku to drop Bakker show."

3) Last week, New York Attorney General Letitia James sent Bakker a cease-and-desist letter. This Monday, both the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) told him to stop. Then yesterday, he was sued by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt. As of this email, the coronavirus snake oil no longer appears in Bakker's online store.

All of that is welcome news, but more is still needed. DirecTV, DISH Network, and Roku can end Bakker's deceptions once and for all by taking away his public platform. Help make that happen by sharing our petition with friends and family today.

Thank you for everything you do to love your neighbor, including taking action to protect them from con-men and the coronavirus.

In peace,
Rev. Nathan and the Faithful America team

Nearly 12,000 Faithful America members have signed our petition calling on Roku, DirecTV, and DISH to drop right-wing televangelist Jim Bakker for peddling a phony coronavirus "cure." Thank you for adding your name!

Here are three quick updates about this campaign:

1) We tried to spread the word with a Facebook ad -- but Facebook rejected it for making "misleading claims." What an outrageous statement: We're trying to stop misleading claims from Bakker! If Facebook is going to censor our ad, we need to find another way to spread the word. Will you share this petition with friends and family by posting it to your own Facebook profile today?

(If you've already shared the petition, it's okay to share it again -- different friends might see it this time. If you're not on Facebook, that's great too: Please email your friends and family a link to the petition, and ask them to join you in signing!)

2) The Springfield News-Leader, part of the USA Today network, published a big article about our campaign this morning -- right in Bakker's southwestern Missouri backyard! Read it here: "Liberal Christian group calls on TV networks and Roku to drop Bakker show."

3) Last week, New York Attorney General Letitia James sent Bakker a cease-and-desist letter. This Monday, both the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) told him to stop. Then yesterday, he was sued by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt. As of this email, the coronavirus snake oil no longer appears in Bakker's online store.

All of that is welcome news, but more is still needed. DirecTV, DISH Network, and Roku can end Bakker's deceptions once and for all by taking away his public platform. Help make that happen by sharing our petition with friends and family today.

Thank you for everything you do to love your neighbor, including taking action to protect them from con-men and the coronavirus.

In peace,
Rev. Nathan and the Faithful America team