Voting is the most basic right in our democracy — but far too many people have been locked out of the process.
Nearly six decades ago, the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) was signed into law, and provided sweeping new protections for voters, particularly Black voters who had been excluded from casting a ballot for years under Jim Crow.
Now in 2024, voting rights are under attack again, John — in a coordinated campaign by the GOP to roll back the clock on the progress that’s been made.
We’ll explain why in just a moment, but if you’re ready to fight back against the GOP’s war on voting rights, please split a donation of any amount today between these five organizations advocating to expand voting rights.
In short, Republicans are going after voting rights and our elections because they know they can’t win hearts and minds alone with policies that are vastly out of step with Americans.
But their efforts to tilt the scales in their favor have paid off, John. Through voting restrictions, coupled with built-in advantages like the Electoral College and gerrymandering, the GOP has had a disproportionate amount of influence on the national stage, even when they haven’t won the popular vote.
And with its 6-3 conservative supermajority, the Roberts Court has had a penchant for gutting and undermining significant components of the VRA using risible legal theories to do so.
More recently, after Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss, Republicans in states across the country began to advance new barriers to the ballot box. These bills have enacted strict voter ID laws, cut voting times, restricted registration, and purged voter rolls.1
John, this does real damage to our democracy. Our democracy works best when we all have the right to vote — anything less is unacceptable.
But it's not all bad news, John. Across the country, voting rights groups have developed bold solutions and in some cases have pushed states to pass laws to make voting more accessible for everyone.
Despite this limited progress, groups fighting for voting rights have their work cut out for them. It will take serious resources to effectively fight back against the GOP’s fascist attacks on our rights and democracy.
If there’s anything we can learn from the VRA, it’s that progress is not linear — and in some cases, progress can be reversed by reactionary forces. But that’s not a reason to give up the good fight, in fact we think it’s even more of a motivating factor to carry on until we win.
Voting matters. Elections matter. Our democracy matters, John.
In an election year like no other, every vote and every fight to ensure fair access to the ballot box will be crucial. Please consider chipping in a contribution of any amount today to be split between these voting rights organizations.
Pitch in to protect 🗳️ rights →
As always, thank you for reading.
In solidarity,
— LeftNet
