Friend –

Over the past week, we've told you about the dangers inherent in the redistricting process – stripping away resources and representation from Black and Brown communities through race-based gerrymandering and brazenly abusing power to manipulate elections and establish a lasting and disproportionate advantage for one party.

Today, I want to recap and tell you a little more about what the ACLU is doing to confront these assaults and ensure that every vote counts – and remind you that your generous support in this fight today is crucial to making that happen.

Right now, our teams of litigators, experts, and advocates are:

• Identifying Target States. We're especially concerned with underrepresentation of Black communities in states in the South, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. With our strong affiliate presence in these states, our combined advocacy and litigation efforts can ensure substantial improvements on existing maps.
• Building Advocacy Coalitions. We're building a strong coalition of national and state partners, including civil rights and good government organizations; Black, Latinx, and Asian legislative caucuses; and other stakeholders to partner with us and build local support for a fair redistricting process.
• Monitoring State Legislatures and Advocating for Fair Representation. Because so many civil liberties issues are decided at the state level – from abortion access to transgender rights to voting rights – we are largely targeting where many organizations are not: on state legislative maps. We're advocating for fair maps at this level with state officials and redistricting commissions across the country to ensure they heed the fundamental principles of democracy, representation, and equality.
• Challenging Unfair Redistricting Plans. In target states where our advocacy efforts have not resulted in fair maps, the ACLU will challenge the unfair redistricting plans in court. Between 2021 and 2023, we expect to litigate in numerous states to challenge unfair maps that fail to provide adequate representation to communities of color or skew partisan outcomes.

The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy. Now is the time to defend it.

Make your immediate donation to the ACLU to challenge gerrymandering, ensure fair and just elections, and protect people's fundamental freedoms.

Thank you for helping us meet this moment. And for all you do to protect and defend civil liberties.

For democracy,

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