QUARTERLY DISPATCH | Sept 2025

As we enter election season, thousands of key state and local races are being contested this fall. I'm excited to share the latest updates from our work across the country, which provides critical ID assistance to at-risk voters, meeting them where they are with everything they need to cast a ballot that counts.

– Lauren Kunis

VoteRiders is Making a Difference

Documentary Proof of Citizenship and Voter ID Laws: Different Policies, Both Bad for Democracy

VoteRiders and the Movement Advancement Project detail how documentary proof of citizenship and voter ID laws are two distinct policies that are put in place to intentionally prevent specific groups of eligible Americans from exercising their right to vote. Learn more about the differences and why they’re both bad for our democracy ➡️

The Anti-Voter Referendum on the Ballot in Maine this November Would Be Disastrous for Voters 

Maine has long been known for its accessible elections — but that could soon change. A question will be on the ballot in Maine’s upcoming election on November 4, 2025, that attacks the state’s longstanding voting system. If adopted by voters, it would severely restrict voting access for voting-eligible Mainers across the state. See what’s at stake and what you can do to protect voting rights in Maine and beyond ➡️

VoteRiders on the Ground

PENNSYLVANIA

This summer, our Pennsylvania State Director joined the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh and the John Lewis Transformative Justice Coalition to show Pittsburgh that “Good Trouble Lives On.” Alongside our partners, we’re pushing back against targeted attacks on our freedom to vote by sharing the free voter ID information and resources all voters need to use their power at the ballot box.

FLORIDA

On the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), our Florida State Director co-hosted a “People Power Block Party” with our friends at Common Cause Florida. Between good music, good food, and even greater company, VoteRiders celebrated the VRA while speaking with community members about the many ways they can join VoteRiders in our fight to protect and build our democracy.

GEORGIA

Team Georgia marked National Voter Registration Day with a letter-writing party at Oxford College. Our State Director reminded students that registering is just the first step — every voter also needs to make sure they have the right ID to make their ballot count. Students wrote letters to voters across the state with key election dates, a list of acceptable IDs for voting in Georgia, details about VoteRiders’ free ID resources, and a non-partisan handwritten note on the power of voting.

VoteRiders in the News

TIME: Trump Says He Will Sign Executive Order on Voter ID. Here's What to Know.

Democracy Docket: States Investigated Noncitizen Voting. Big Surprise — The Results Don’t Match the Right’s Rhetoric.

Voter ID Laws Across America

NATIONAL: Earlier this year, the US House of Representatives passed the so-called “SAVE Act,” which is now being considered in the Senate. This voter suppression bill would force all Americans to show a document — such as a birth certificate or passport — proving their US citizenship to register or re-register to vote (e.g., to update their address). If the SAVE Act were to be enacted, over 21 million US citizens who don’t have easy access to documents proving their citizenship could be blocked from voting. It would also disproportionately impact Americans whose names on their ID documents don’t match their current legal name or the name they registered to vote with, like millions of married women. Tell your Senators to STOP the SAVE Act. 

NEW HAMPSHIRE: New Hampshire made its voter ID law even stricter by passing HB 287, which now requires absentee voters to show a photo ID when requesting their ballot. New Hampshire voters are already required to show a photo ID at the polls. 

NORTH CAROLINA: Over 80,000 North Carolinians received letters from the State Board of Elections saying they must update their voter registration with an ID or Social Security number to ensure they can vote without issue. Voters can check if they’re on the list and repair their registration here.

Voter Spotlight: Davia's Story

Davia’s heart sank when she heard the news that, after January 20, 2025, trans and nonbinary Americans could no longer get a passport with their correct gender marker. She had applied for a new passport card just six days before the news broke. After years of struggling with her identity, Davia was finally ready to be seen for who she truly is. Now she was terrified she’d missed her chance.

And then, it arrived. Inside an envelope she’d received in the mail was her passport card featuring the letter “F” under gender. She sighed in relief.

For Davia, getting a new identification was not just about validation, but it was also about survival. When she first connected with VoteRiders, she was facing a crisis — she was about to lose her home because she didn’t have an acceptable ID. Her driver’s license was missing, her birth certificate was too old and damaged to use, and she had never even seen her Social Security card. Without an ID, Davia couldn’t prove her identity or keep her home. And, given Georgia’s strict photo ID law, she couldn’t cast a ballot either.

In Georgia, VoteRiders and TransSocial co-hosted a Passport Clinic to help LGBTQIA+ voters legally update their name, gender marker, and ID documents. When a TransSocial employee learned about Davia’s dire situation, they knew exactly where she could get free help fast.

Thanks to their recommendation, Davia attended the next Passport Clinic and was connected with a trained VoteRiders volunteer. Together, they made a plan that would get Davia the ID she needed to keep her home and vote with confidence.

“People don’t realize that their vote matters,” she emphasized. “That train of thought — not believing they have a voice — is going to hold them back.”

Read Davia’s story to learn how she finally got the ID she needed to live and vote with pride.

VoteRiders is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan nonprofit organization registered in the US under EIN 45-5081831. 

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