John, In 2021, we witnessed one of the largest voter suppression campaigns in the post-Jim Crow era. Republican state legislators, driven by the false narrative that the 2020 presidential election was fraught with voter fraud, introduced over 400 bills designed to make voting more difficult. Many of these bills took aim at voting by mail, imposing strict signature requirements and making ballot corrections less feasible. This legislation particularly impacts voters of color in numerous ways, including taking aim at voting by mail, reducing polling locations, and imposing strict voter ID requirements. This fight is far from over. According to the National Urban League’s annual State of Black America report, 18 states have already carried over at least 152 of these restrictive bills from the previous legislative session. "If we don't have the right to vote for officials who share the concerns of our community, we have no voice," said Marc Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League. "We have no say and American democracy is undermined." This voter suppression legislation is unconstitutional. It is in direct violation of the First, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution, as well as the Voting Rights Act of 1965. While Congress fails to protect our most basic democratic rights, we must do everything in our power to block these laws in court. Donate today to help Free Speech For People continue to protect every American’s constitutional right to vote. If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: Express Donate: $250 Express Donate: $100 Express Donate: $50 Express Donate: $25 Express Donate: $10 Or, donate another amount Free Speech For People remains committed to protecting a democracy that provides every American with an equal voice and an equal vote. In Arizona, we have filed a lawsuit to challenge two voter suppression laws recently passed by the legislature that will disproportionately disenfranchise Black, Native American, and Latino voters by removing 150,000 people from the state’s Permanent Early Voting List and by drastically reducing the time available for voters to fix a mail-in ballot that is missing a signature. In Texas, we have filed a federal lawsuit to challenge SB 1, a massive voter suppression bill that entails wide-sweeping voting restrictions and greenlights methods of voter intimidation. And, in Colorado, we have filed a federal lawsuit to stop illegal voter intimidation being carried out by an extremist group with ties to QAnon and the January 6 insurrection. We have spent the last twelve years fighting to restore our democracy to we, the people, and we’ll keep fighting for as long as it takes. Thank you for continuing to stand with us. In solidarity, Kristin Barrali
Director of Advancement, Free Speech For People | 
