Friend –

I wanted to make sure you saw yesterday's email about our most recent efforts to protect voting rights during the pandemic, and let you know that there's something you can do right now to help.

This fight isn't just happening in the courts. We're making sure our representatives feel the heat, too. Will you send an urgent message asking Congress to mandate no-excuse mail-in absentee voting and expanded early voting in all states?

Some politicians will stop at nothing to restrict voting access – even if it means putting people's health at risk. This is not only dangerous, it's an affront to our democracy. We cannot, and will not, let it happen. Congress must require that all states offer vote-by-mail to every eligible voter and expand early voting, and Congress needs to provide the funds so safe voting can be a reality across the country.

I hope you'll do your part to defend our fundamental right. Demand that Congress protect everyone's right to vote safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thanks for taking action,

Dale

We can't say it enough, ACLU Supporter: No one should have to choose between their vote and their health.

That's why we're in court defending our right to vote in Georgia, Texas, Montana, Virginia, Missouri, and most recently, South Carolina. Here's more on the latest:

South Carolina has failed to expand the right to vote during this public health crisis, even with its fast-approaching presidential primary on June 9. Not only does the state require you to have an "eligible excuse" to vote by mail, South Carolina also demands that you have a third-party witness signature on your ballot envelope – requiring the exact opposite of social distancing. That's why, last week, we filed a lawsuit against the state in partnership with our local affiliate and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Every South Carolinian should be able to exercise their fundamental right – without jeopardizing their health.

A few days before, we filed similar lawsuits in Virginia, which also requires a third-party witness to submit an absentee ballot, and Missouri, which requires an excuse to vote my mail and for the ballot to be notarized. And on Friday, we went to court (virtually) to strike down Georgia's poll tax, the state's unconstitutional move that requires voters to provide their own postage – and to pay to participate in our democracy.

The thing is, most states already allow voting by mail for all eligible voters. There's no reason that other states can't do the same. Restrictions like the ones in South Carolina, Virginia, Missouri, Georgia, and others are not worth the massive disenfranchisement they will almost certainly cause.

Exercising our fundamental right – and holding our elected leaders accountable – seems more important now than ever. In the courtrooms or in Congress, we won't stop fighting alongside activists like you to protect our democracy.

Thanks for your support,

Dale Ho
ACLU Voting Rights Project Director