Dear Friend,
Yesterday's primary election in Georgia was a disaster -- a completely avoidable one. And, it’s a stark reminder of why this work is so important.
Imagine being a voter in Georgia yesterday. You wanted to follow social distancing guidelines, so you requested your absentee ballot weeks or even months in advance to vote by mail.
But one week goes by, then two, then three -- and your ballot never arrives. So first thing in the morning on Election Day, you go to your polling place after looking it up one more time -- and good thing you did, because you found out it was moved to a new location at the last minute.
Then, your polling place isn’t open when you get there. You wait in line for hours -- maybe a machine breaks, or there are too few poll workers -- or too many voters in the same boat as you. Then finally, after all of that, you might even be told you won’t be able to vote at all.
This is what happened to far, far too many Georgia voters yesterday. Despite the best efforts of poll workers and volunteers, many eligible voters -- particularly in Black and Brown communities -- were left behind. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Friend, we absolutely cannot allow this to happen again in November.
That’s why I am extremely thankful for Common Cause advocates like you -- who are working every day to protect voters, hold vote suppressors accountable, and make sure every eligible American can be heard this year.
Common Cause Georgia warned Gov. Kemp and Secretary of State Raffensperger all the way back in February [5] -- warning them they’d need paper ballots as a backup for the state’s new voting machines (many of which failed yesterday.) And, we reiterated our warnings as the COVID-19 pandemic increased the chances of an Election Day meltdown.
On Election Day and throughout early voting, we mobilized our team -- working from the safety of their vehicles or the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline to identify voters in need of assistance. And, our social media monitoring team watchdogged for any efforts to discourage or confuse voters with online disinformation.
We were able to help thousands of Georgia voters navigate problems they shouldn’t have to face in a 21st century democracy -- and I’m glad we were there. But this is just a preview of what’s to come in November -- unless we immediately step up our efforts.
After all, we’re up against politicians and operatives who see more people voting as a threat to their power. And, they’re backed up by the RNC’s $20 million voting litigation budget -- to block our efforts at reform, and defend vote suppression from legal challenges.
Common Cause is ready to fight back. We don’t have $20 million to spend in states like Georgia, Wisconsin, or Pennsylvania, or dozens of lawyers to fight it out in court.
But, we do have you -- and 1.2 million other concerned Americans nationwide -- willing to fight for what they believe in. And in just the past few months, we’ve seen Common Cause members like you find new ways to engage in civic life -- texting voters in Georgia to make sure they know their rights, joining webinars, contacting officials by phone or online, and maintaining the community bonds that are even more vital in this time of social isolation.
I’m writing to ask for your help to fight back against vote suppression in all its forms -- and ensure every eligible voter can be heard in 2020. I know many of our members are facing difficult financial circumstances right now -- so please only give if you are able to. But if you can, you’ll be making an immediate impact for voters.
Voting rights shouldn’t be a partisan issue. But instead of bringing people together to protect one of the cornerstones of society -- free and fair democratic elections -- President Trump and too many others in his party are looking only at their own short-term political gain.
Common Cause won’t stand by and let that happen. We have decades of experience with protecting voters under difficult circumstances -- against natural disasters, computer failures, and everything in between.
So, while we’ve never seen anything like this pandemic, I’m confident we’ll be able to find the best solutions to stop these vote suppression schemes and protect every single voter’s right to be heard.
This means establishing or expanding vote-by-mail (or absentee voting) in every state where it’s viable for the November elections. It also means ensuring accessibility for people who can’t vote by mail -- like people with disabilities or living on Native reservations -- by keeping sufficient in-person voting locations on Election Day, alongside reforms like early voting and online registration.
The truth is, Common Cause’s work to protect voters in 2020 has grown more necessary in the past few weeks. That’s why we’re counting on you, if you’re able, to step up with the resources to make it possible. Please chip in $3 or more today.
We’ve fought for half a century to protect every American’s right to vote -- and that fight has taken on new importance now. I’m glad we can continue to count on your support.
Thanks for all you do,
Karen Hobert Flynn, President
and the team at Common Cause
P.S. Can't make a donation today? You can still make an impact by joining me in telling the U.S. Senate to take the necessary steps to protect our democracy -- including fully funding mail-in voting and other reforms, as well as defending the U.S. Postal Service.
[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/voting-june-9-primaries/2020/06/09/df6b8aa2-a9e7-11ea-a9d9-a81c1a491c52_story.html
[2] https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-a-warning-for-november-voters-endure-long-lines-in-georgias-primary-election-11591733287
[3] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/us/politics/georgia-primary-election-senate-race-jon-ossoff.html
[4] https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/akzv5p/georgias-elections-just-melted-down-again-and-could-get-worse-come-november
[5] https://twitter.com/JayRiestenberg/status/1270420662423883776
