Is your fundamental right to vote explicitly guaranteed under the federal Constitution?

Not quite. But, soon.

At the 1964 Democratic National Convention, a reporter asked Fannie Lou Hamer if she was seeking equality with the white man.  “No,” she said. “What would I look like fighting for equality with the white man? I don't want to go down that low. I want the true democracy that'll raise me and that white man up . . . raise America up.'" 

We believe the “true democracy” Hamer envisioned is a just, multiracial society where the fundamental human rights of all, including formerly incarcerated individuals and returning citizens, are secured in the federal constitution.

Today, Advancement Project National Office endorsed a proposed amendment to the constitution enshrining an affirmative right to vote for all people. The amendment, introduced by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), guarantees the fundamental right to vote of every citizen of the United States of legal voting age and requires courts to treat it as such.

The Durbin-Warren Right To Vote Amendment is a historic step towards Hamer’s “true democracy.”

The lack of an affirmative right to vote in the U.S. Constitution is inextricably tied to the history of racism in America, as the founders compromised on this right to accommodate slave states. Hundreds of years after the founding of the United States, we are still fighting this original sin. 

For decades, civil rights giants, like members of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), including Fannie Lou Hamer, Bob Moses, and John Lewis, have fought for the right to vote. 

For 20 years, Advancement Project National Office has worked with leaders from SNCC and many others to foster a pro-democracy movement that uplifts the fundamental right to vote. 

Sign our petition and stay tuned as we build a national campaign to win this #RightToVote Amendment!

To learn more about the proposed amendment, and about our work leading up to this moment, click here.

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