Dear Friend,

I feel ashamed. Today marks the 55th anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act. August, 6th, 1965 saw the culmination of decades of courageous, strategic and relentless organizing and direct action against white supremacist power structures. The Voting Rights Act served to outlaw Jim Crow tactics used to block and intimidate Black people from exercising their right to vote.

I would love to celebrate this anniversary. But I feel little but shame because this country, under the Two Parties of War and Wall Street, has nearly wasted the legacy of those who fought, bled and, in many cases, died in the struggle for a “Freedom Politics” that understood Election Justice as a first step toward what Greens recognize as Grassroots Democracy.

The Supreme Court gutted many Voting Rights Act protections in 2013. Greens and allies have exposed the modern “Electoral Jim Crow” pattern of under-funding — and therefore undermining — elections in low-income communities across the country. And this year we’ve witnessed state governments recklessly endanger the lives of Green candidates and the communities they hope to serve by enforcing ridiculous petitioning rules in the middle of a global pandemic.

And so that’s why I’m asking you to give to the Green Party today, because this is the only party committed to empowering every person’s vote and their right to run for office, regardless of the candidates favored by the corporate power structure. The Republican Party doesn’t want you to vote at all and the Democratic Party believes your vote belongs to them, no matter how many times they sell you out.

Some ultra-Leftists like to say “If voting made a difference they’d make it illegal.” I say if voting made no difference they’d make it a heckuva lot easier! The Green Party is a champion in the way-too-often neglected movement to make your vote mean more through transformative measures like Ranked Choice Voting, Proportional Representation and Fully-Public Campaign Finance.

The struggle toward “Freedom Politics” has been constant throughout history. This country has seen many victories, from Reconstruction, to women winning the right to vote, to the Voting Rights Act. Your donation to the Green Party will help your Green candidates and organizers win elections and change the system. Let’s honor the legacy of the Voting Rights Act by democratizing elections in ways that will be commemorated in the years to come.

In Solidarity,
Tamar Yager
Green Party Co-Chair

P.S. To remember 55 years since the passage of the Voting Rights Act, can you give $55 today so we can win this century’s breakthroughs for Grassroots Democracy? Or become a Green Party Sustainer by giving $5.50 per month. Either way, your contribution makes a big difference and we thank you.