Friend –

Everything you and the ACLU have fought so hard for – from protecting abortion rights to ensuring LGBTQ equality to advancing racial equity and justice – is at risk if we do not bring everything we've got to the redistricting process right now.

In a minute, I'll lay out exactly what we're up against in this once-in-a-decade fight – but first I'm asking you to consider making a gift upfront to help us defend our democracy at every level in the urgent work ahead.

Here's why – and where – your support will be crucial:

The new district maps drawn during redistricting determine the allocation of political power and representation at every level of government for the next 10 years. And the people elected to represent us get to set the policies that will affect every issue that we care about – criminal justice reform, inclusive immigration policies, you name it.

When conducted fairly, these maps should accurately reflect population changes and racial diversity, but when politicians use redistricting to manipulate the outcome of elections, it's called gerrymandering. And that is where the ACLU – and you, ACLU Supporter – come into the picture.

In the months to come, our team is laser-focused on ensuring maps are fair and equitable. We'll be monitoring state legislatures – the same areas where we've been fighting a wave of anti-civil liberties bills this year. And building our legal power up in key states in the South – particularly against race-based gerrymandering that aims to minimize the voting power of Black and Brown communities. All while we continue to protect civil liberties across the board in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

ACLU Supporter, we're going to do everything possible to prevent politicians from taking power away from our communities – in fact, we've already filed our first two legal challenges this redistricting cycle against gerrymandering in Ohio and, most recently, against the unfair redistricting process in South Carolina.

But litigation of this kind is complex and resource-intensive. And because the Census data that redistricting relies upon was released late this year – from delays caused by the Trump administration and the pandemic – there's even less time to do this critical work.

That's why your support right now is going to be more imperative than ever in the urgent fights ahead of us. So please, donate now to help ACLU lawyers and advocates prevent gerrymandering and protect people's rights and freedoms.

Thanks for all you do,

Sophia Lin Lakin
Pronouns: She, her, hers
Deputy Director, Voting Rights Project, ACLU