Friend –

It should be simple: In a democracy, voters choose the person they want to elect. Politicians don't choose who gets to vote for or against them.

But, time and time again in redistricting, bad actors slice and dice our communities through gerrymandering and other tactics to suppress our voting power and manipulate future elections.

Ohio and South Carolina right now are blatant examples.

The Ohio Redistricting Commission recently approved new maps that give an extreme and unfair advantage to the Republican Party. The ACLU, in partnership with our Ohio affiliate, immediately sued against this brazen attempt at partisan gerrymandering, as part of the first litigation in the country to challenge a passed statewide map for this cycle.

This was quickly followed by our lawsuit in South Carolina – filed alongside our affiliate and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund – over the state's redistricting process, which largely avoided public input and left electoral districts wildly out of proportion months before election season.

And as states continue determining new district maps in this once-in-a-decade process, you can be sure these will not be the last of our lawsuits and we need to be ready. That's why I'm reaching out today.

ACLU Supporter – make your immediate donation to the ACLU right now and together, we'll make sure that everyone's votes are represented and freedoms defended.

Following a 2019 Supreme Court ruling that blocked partisan gerrymandering lawsuits from federal courts, the potential for abuse is even higher. That's why we all must be on high alert right now.

Because the fact is, maps aren't solely gerrymandered based on political affiliation.

The stark underrepresentation of Black and Brown communities in our country right now is exactly why our teams are dedicated to fighting race-based gerrymandering – particularly in targeted states in the South.

State legislatures have repeatedly drawn maps that relegate voters of color into districts that minimize their political power, fracturing communities across multiple districts or improperly concentrating them together in a single district. And that's why we're pushing back.

With litigators and lobbyists in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, the ACLU is equipped to lead these redistricting fights in states across the country. But this work is resource-intensive and we'll need as much support as possible as we move ahead swiftly.

So please rush a donation today, and protect our democracy and people's fundamental right to fair representation in this country.

Thanks for your continued support,

Alora Thomas-Lundborg
Pronouns: She, her, hers
Senior Staff Attorney, Voting Rights Project, ACLU

P.S. ACLU Supporter, the latest Census data has confirmed that nearly all of the country's growth over the past decade is attributable to the growth in our nation's communities of color. Fair maps must adequately reflect that reality. And with your support today, we'll make sure they do.