Friend –

We want to end this week by checking in. No doubt, all of us have been coping over the past two months in small and large ways to COVID-19. But at the ACLU, we find comfort in the fact that our time can be marked by the continued fight to defend and expand civil liberties for all.

And because you're imperative to all we do, we'd like to share our latest developments surrounding the pandemic:

• We're calling on Congress to include everyone in the next COVID-19 relief package as discussions begin. Our attorneys and organizers are working nationwide to demand that this next bill: ensure safe voting for every eligible voter, expand access to care to include tens of millions of immigrants, and protect the most vulnerable to COVID-19, including incarcerated people.
• We're protecting access to the ballot. On Tuesday, a court approved a partial settlement with the state of Virginia in our lawsuit. Now, Virginia voters in the June 23 primary will no longer need a witness to sign their absentee ballot during the pandemic, if they don't believe they can safely find one.
• We're blocking attempts at restricting abortion access. Recently, we won a court decision blocking Tennessee's attempt to restrict abortion access during the COVID-19 crisis. Along with our state affiliates, we have sued in seven states to fight back against politicians cutting off access to abortion during the pandemic.
• We're protecting the rights of essential workers. On May Day, the ACLU launched an advocacy campaign in support of McDonald's workers, pressuring the company to mandate paid sick and family leave for all of its employees working on the frontlines – the majority of whom are people of color and women.
• We're guarding against unjustified government surveillance efforts. We rolled out a set of technology principles calling on any tech-assisted contact tracing proposal to be private, voluntary, and limited to the duration of this crisis. We're also keeping guard against privacy-invading companies. (Please note that this link will take you to a third-party website, twitter.com.)

Through these efforts – and all our efforts – you have been with us: contacting your representatives, signing petitions, getting the word out. Activists like you ensured time in this pandemic is marked by progress. Look at what we've made possible together in the midst of this health crisis:

We hope this gives you something to be proud of as you begin your weekend. And know we at the ACLU will not stop fighting for all of us, during this emergency and well beyond.

Thank you for being a part of our most critical work.

Sincerely,

The ACLU Team