Hi,

The New York Times just reported that a "network of right-wing activists
and allies of Donald J. Trump is quietly challenging thousands of voter
registrations in critical presidential battleground states."^1

The Times' report warned that this dark money-funded effort has already
purged enough voters from the rolls to "have an impact in a close or
contentious election."

But previous research by the think tank Demos shows that the Times report
might be dramatically underestimating the threat, given that more than 19
million voter registrations were deleted in the two years following the
2020 presidential election, in some cases simply because voters had failed
to turn out to vote in recent cycles.^2

We must take action now to protect our elections from partisan sabotage.
Will you make a donation to help turn up the heat before it's too late?

[ [link removed]- ]Yes, I'll chip in to help Demand Progress Action build support for the
Freedom to Vote Act, and other key reforms.

[ [link removed]- ]Donate $10

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[ [link removed]- ]Or, donate another amount

The new voter-purge efforts uncovered by the New York Times is being led
by Cleta Mitchell, an attorney who participated in the phone call during
which President Trump pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad
Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes" in order to reverse the election
result in the state.^3

Despite overwhelming evidence that voter impersonation rarely happens and
zero evidence of the kind of widespread fraud that might affect the
outcome of an election, these groups are having success in pressuring
local town clerks to delete voters from the rolls in large numbers by
citing arcane legal loopholes and threatening lawsuits.^4

In the Democratic-leaning Detroit suburb of Waterford, 1,000 voters were
stripped of their registrations, including at least one voter who is in
active service in the military.^5 (It's legal in many jurisdictions for a
voter to retain their home voter registration while temporarily residing
elsewhere as a student or in the military.^6)

These threats to our democracy are why Demand Progress Action is urging
Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, which would prevent partisan
election sabotage and safeguard voting rights by:^7

* Creating a national baseline for voting access, preempting many of the
most onerous restrictions that have been passed or proposed at the
state level in recent years.
* Requiring two weeks of early voting so people who have to work or
travel on Election Day can still vote.
* Implementing automatic and same-day voter registration nationwide.
* Requiring states to ensure that no voter is required to stand in line
longer than 30 minutes to vote.
* Cracking down on dark money by requiring anyone who spends over
$10,000 to influence an election to report their donors.

Both political parties have been known to engage in voter suppression, and
the Freedom to Vote Act would protect all voters from these kinds of
undemocratic tactics. Demand Progress Action is a nonpartisan
organization. We never, ever endorse candidates or engage in any actions
aimed at influencing the outcome of elections.

But in the face of this newly uncovered, dark money-funded voter-purge
campaign, it's even more urgent to pass this critical legislation.

[ [link removed]- ]Will you make a donation to Demand Progress Action and support our
work, including fighting to protect voting rights and passing the Freedom
to Vote Act?

With gratitude for all that you do,

The team at Demand Progress Action

[ [link removed]- ]DONATE

Sources:
1. The New York Times, "Trump's Allies Ramp Up Campaign Targeting Voter
Rolls," [ [link removed]- ]March 6, 2024.
2. Demos, "Protecting Voter Registration: An Assessment of Voter Purge
Policies in Ten States," [ [link removed]- ]August 10, 2023.
3. The New York Times, "Trump, in Taped Call, Pressured Georgia Official
to ‘Find’ Votes to Overturn Election," [ [link removed]- ]May 26, 2021.
4. The Washington Post, "A comprehensive investigation of voter
impersonation finds 31 credible incidents out of one billion ballots
cast," [ [link removed]- ]August 6, 2014.
5. The New York Times, "Trump's Allies Ramp Up Campaign Targeting Voter
Rolls," [ [link removed]- ]March 6, 2024.
6. USA.gov, "Absentee voting and voting by mail," [ [link removed]- ]March 12, 2024.
7. Brennan Center for Justice, "What the Freedom to Vote Act Would Do,"
[ [link removed]- ]July 13, 2023.
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