As we recognize the Voting Rights Act being signed 58 years ago today, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is trying to purge 191,000 voters from the rolls. Read our note below on today’s historic anniversary, and if you’re able, please donate $20 or anything you can to ensure GA voters can maintain their registrations >> [[link removed]] Today marks 58 years since the signing of the Voting Rights Act.
The 1965 Voting Rights Act was a hard-fought victory owed to years of tireless activism and unyielding bravery by Civil Rights leaders determined to put an end to Jim Crow voter suppression and the centuries-long disenfranchisement of Black voters in the United States. Its passage ensured that our nation’s democracy improved, and led to a significant increase in Black voter registration and political representation, including over 250,000 new registrations by the end of 1965.
The VRA permanently altered the course of history and gave a voice to millions of Americans after generations of being silenced. But over the past decade, anti-democracy politicians at all levels of government have worked to dismantle the VRA’s protections. We’ll give you the brief version:
In 2013, the Supreme Court’s Shelby County v. Holder decision gutted one of the most crucial provisions of the VRA, which required states and localities with a history of voting discrimination to get pre-approval for changes to their voting process. This ruling paved the way for stricter voter ID laws, more polling place closures, and increased proof of citizenship requirements.
In 2021, another notable Supreme Court decision upheld Arizona anti-voter restrictions and created new barriers to prevent lawsuits brought against racially-discriminatory voting laws.
Meanwhile, Congressional bills that would fix the Supreme Court’s damage and protect voting rights at the federal level — the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act — have not passed due to continued Congressional obstruction on filibuster reform.
In 2021 and 2022, over 500 voter suppression bills were introduced in states across the country — and 2023 has seen a near-record number of restrictive voting bills so far.
This influx of voter suppression laws in the past decade includes several mass voter purges in Georgia. In fact, as you read this, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is working to purge over 191,000 "inactive" voters from the rolls.
To help voters get back on the rolls before the August 13 deadline, Fair Fight has launched calling, texting, and social media outreach efforts to ensure voters have the information they need to maintain their registrations. We also launched a special Prevent the Purge Fund to keep our efforts going strong ahead of the deadline.
So, in honor of the VRA anniversary, will you please rush a contribution of $20 or anything you can to Fair Fight’s Prevent the Purge fund to ensure we can mitigate the damage of this purge — which disproportionately affects voters of color in Georgia — by the August 13 deadline? [[link removed]]
DONATE TO PREVENT THE PURGE [[link removed]]
Thank you,
The Fair Fight Team
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