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Hi friend — This week all of us at LCV have been commemorating the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act by fighting to build a more just and equitable democracy to protect people and the planet.
This landmark legislation was a historic victory that came after decades of struggle during the Civil Rights Movement. Enacted to put an end to discriminatory voting laws and to protect the right to vote for Black, Latinx, and other communities of color, the Voting Rights Act was a powerful legislative equalizer. However, the Supreme Court's 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder stripped important protections from this law, allowing states to reinstitute disenfranchising voters. And now, our voting system is in jeopardy as the COVID-19 crisis continues to devastate our nation.
This pandemic is creating serious challenges to holding safe, in-person elections — threatening our ability to make progress on critical public health and climate justice issues this year. These challenges won't impact all communities the same way — communities of color and young people are likely to be disproportionately impacted by the double suppression of restrictive voting laws and pandemic challenges if we don't act now to protect our voting system.
We must ensure that all voters can safely participate in the 2020 elections. Forcing people to line up for hours to vote in-person during a pandemic threatens the health of voters and poll workers, undermines the public confidence in elections, delays results, and suppresses voter participation. That's why we're calling on LCV supporters like you to urge Congress to allocate at least $4 billion to state and local governments to fully fund and administer a safe, secure, and accessible 2020 election.
We're introducing "A Time for HEROES" — our series of stories from conservation advocates across the country sharing why we must protect access to the ballot box by urging Congress to pass the election provisions of the HEROES Act, as well as provide immediate support for our communities and sustainably invest in our clean energy economy. Below are stories that underscore just how important it is that we invest now in protecting our 2020 elections.
Thank you for all that you do.
Justin Kwasa
Voting Rights Program Director
League of Conservation Voters
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| Protecting the Voting Environment: A Discussion with Former Attorney General Eric Holder and Stacey Abrams |
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This week, LCV was honored to commemorate the past, present, and future of voting rights with former Attorney General Eric Holder, Fair Fight's Stacey Abrams, Georgia Conservation Voters' Gayla Tillman, and our own Voting Rights Program Director Justin Kawasa. Together, they covered the last 55 years of voting from the VRA to the Shelby v Holder decision to the current debate regarding election funding in the COVID-19 stimulus packages.
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| Fighting for Others' Privilege to Vote |
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Nicole Morales, the civic engagement director at Chispa Arizona, shares her story about why she's fighting for a fair and representative democracy, even though she can't vote. Although she's lived in Arizona her entire life, as a DACAmented Latina, she can't cast her vote for the pro-environment candidates she believes in. Yet she's still organizing her community to have the tools they need to make their voices heard in the voting booth and beyond. Protecting our democracy is critical in the fight to protect our Madre Tierra.
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| As the Pandemic Rages, Voters Struggle to Access the Ballot Box in Wisconsin |
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Amanda Urmanski, a Green Bay Wisconsin, voter, shared her story of the difficulties she faced voting in the Wisconsin primary on April 7th with our friends at Wisconsin Conservation Voters. The obstacles Amanda faced include never receiving her mail-in ballot — despite requesting it weeks in advance, having to wait in crowded lines amidst a pandemic, and the limited number of polling centers in the Green Bay area. A combination of these and other factors led to incredibly long lines. Her experiences highlight multiple reasons why it is so important we must act now to implement necessary voter protections across the county this November.
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| Voting During COVID-19 and Curfews in Washington D.C. |
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Despite the numerous barriers faced during the Washington D.C. primary on June 2nd, four of our LCV colleagues were determined to have their voices heard and cast their ballot. Their experiences highlight multiple reasons why the Senate MUST pass the election provisions of the Heroes Act, which will provide funding to implement necessary voter protections across the county this November. Check out their interweaving stories!
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