Hello,

Happy Fourth of July! Today we celebrate the founding of our great nation. The ability of Americans to choose their representatives is the foundation of our democracy -- and yet many are still struggling to fully exercise this right.

The problem is further compounded by the unique set of circumstances America finds itself in now as a result of COVID-19. Because of the continued spread of this deadly virus and the lack of testing in many areas nationwide, voting by mail may be the only safe way to vote for many people. And yet Donald Trump and many of his Republican allies are actively trying to prevent mail-in voting, perpetuating the lie that voting by mail will result in voter fraud. They know that many Americans will not want to go to crowded polling places on Election Day, so if they can eliminate the option of voting by mail, they can effectively suppress millions of votes.

This is especially true for Black Americans, who have been disproportionately impacted by this pandemic, and who have been denied the right to vote for generations. Literacy tests, poll taxes and voter purges -- often violently enforced -- were used to keep Black citizens from voting in the aftermath of the Civil War. Even after the Voting Rights Act of 1965, efforts to deny their right to vote continued. And in too many states, they persist to this day.

I am fully committed to guaranteeing every American in every state the right to vote by mail, to preventing discrimination at the ballot box by restoring the Voting Rights Act, to making same-day registration the law of the land and to automatically registering every American to vote as soon as they turn 18.

I am so thankful for your ongoing support of this important work. I hope you enjoy your Fourth of July. And please, stay safe!

-- Amy