ACLU Supporter –

With November's election only four months away and state primaries coming to a close, we will also be dealing with a pandemic for the foreseeable future.

This is a fact we cannot overlook – particularly when the impact of this falls especially heavily on Black communities, who are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and have dealt with voter suppression for generations.

That's why the ACLU has been hard at work since the outbreak began to ensure that every eligible voter can vote by mail – and to protect their rights from anyone who would use this health crisis as an excuse for voter suppression.

Here is the very latest on our critical voting litigation efforts during the pandemic:

• Today, we sued in North Carolina to challenge the state's witness requirements. This requirement forces absentee voters to find a witness to sign their ballots – which potentially puts their health and the health of the witness at risk if forced to comply during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• On Tuesday, we joined a lawsuit in Alabama seeking to ensure all eligible Alabama voters can vote by mail during the COVID-19 pandemic – uniting with our partners the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), Southern Poverty Law Center, and Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program.
• We saw a victory that same day in our ongoing Montana litigation with ACLU of Montana, the Native American Rights Fund, Western Native Voice, Montana Native Vote, and five tribes, when a court blocked a state law that would severely restrict the right to vote for Native Americans – especially those on rural reservations.
• Last Thursday, we filed a federal lawsuit to expand absentee mail-in voting in the 2020 election for every eligible Connecticut voter during the pandemic. This case was filed on behalf of the Connecticut State Conference of NAACP Branches and the League of Women Voters of Connecticut, as well as a voter whose age places her at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

These are only the most recent developments in our legal efforts to safeguard the right to vote. We've filed 14 lawsuits and counting since the start of the COVID-19 crisis – all while our advocacy team pushes for vote by mail both in Congress and in states nationwide.

For weeks now, people have been taking to the streets and demanding justice from our nation and our leaders. Our ability to choose those leaders in the coming months will be just as important.

If we do not ensure every eligible voter's safety and rights before election day – lives and our democracy will be at risk. We cannot, and will not, let up. Together, we can make sure no one must choose between their health or their right to vote.

Thanks for being a part of this critical work,

Dale Ho
ACLU Attorney, fighting for voting rights

P.S. While voting by mail continues to be a focus of our litigation efforts right now, we have to make sure that voters with disabilities have equal access to the ballot, as required by law. As we look ahead, we must make this a priority beyond COVID-19 – while holding states accountable for more accessible and safe in-person voting as well. Learn more in our do's and don'ts guide to increasing accessibility for voters with disabilities.