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Friend, Eight years ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court seriously weakened the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 – and the negative impacts of that decision continue to multiply. The Court ruled in Shelby County v. Holder that states with histories of racial discrimination were no longer required to pre-clear changes in voting rules with the federal government before they went into effect. Unsurprisingly, that decision has led to the enactment of a host of voter suppression tactics such as purging voter rolls, restricting voting rights of returning citizens, instituting onerous voter ID laws, limited access to voting by mail, and other measures that disproportionately affect low-income and Black and brown voters. Voting Rights is one of our focus areas at the SPLC – and this work couldn’t be more relevant in the wake of the 2020 election cycle. Earlier this year, we published a sweeping report that found that the election systems in the Deep South in 2020 suffered from an array of shortcomings: the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, bureaucratic mismanagement, and systemic and well-organized efforts to suppress the vote, intimidate voters, and spread online disinformation. These obstacles made it harder for many voters – particularly from communities of color – to safely cast their ballots, posing a serious threat to the integrity of our overall democratic system. Fortunately, Deep South voters were resilient, turning out in record numbers in many parts of the region. But voting should not require resiliency. That’s why we continue to expand our Vote Your Voice initiative, which will invest up to $30 million from the SPLC endowment to support nonpartisan, nonprofit voter outreach organizations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. So far, more than $23 million has been distributed through the initiative. The seemingly endless attacks on voting rights in our country can be wearying, but we are as committed as ever to the fight – and grateful for supporters like you who keep us going. Thank you. In solidarity, Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center
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