Welcome to the August edition of The Lever. This November will mark the first federal general election since 2020. In just two short years, much has changed about the ways our elections are run and the ways that voters are able to cast their ballots in states around the country.
In some states, measures expanding voting access that were implemented in 2020 have been codified into law, or even further expanded. In other states, however, the 2020 election – and the subsequent rise of the Big Lie – have cast a long, dark shadow, driving significant voting restrictions and fueling attacks on election officials and election workers. In this month’s Hot Policy Take, we take a look at changes to voter registration, voter list maintenance, and mail ballot application processes that voters will experience this year as a direct result of the 2020 election and the many false claims made about it.
We also recognize some great work from the Washington Voting Rights Restoration Coalition to build a Credible Messenger Program, which led to the placement of these powerful op-eds on the importance of voting rights restoration from Julian Saucier and Willie Nobles. And we’re highlighting our latest research on how to talk to voters about election manipulation, which was recently covered in NPR. Let’s get started!
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In the lead up to the 2020 election and the months that followed, former President Trump and his allies began spreading dangerous lies about the 2020 election results, sowing doubt in the integrity of our elections in the minds of millions of Americans – including false claims linking mail voting to fraud. For the next two years, these claims would shape legislative agendas in key swing states such as Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin, and other states like Florida and Texas. Many of the bills inspired by these claims have since become law.
This November will be the first federal election with those laws in effect. In recognition of National Voter Registration Day on September 20, and as voters begin to check their status and register for the November election, we will be reviewing post-2020 changes to election law. Learn more in this month's Hot Policy Take, “The Lasting Impacts of the 2020 Election: Voter Registration, Voter List Maintenance, and Mail Ballot Applications.”
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BY THE NUMBERS
340,000 Arizonans
According to a new study from Brennan Center for Justice, nearly 340,000 Arizona voters are in danger of being removed from the state’s mail-in ballot list due to a new law enacted last year. S.B. 1485 changed Arizona’s previous “permanent early voter list” to an “active early voter list.” Voters who fail to cast ballots in each election for two consecutive election cycles now face removal from the list.
Almost half of the voters in danger of removal are nonwhite, primarily Latino and Indigenous voters. Indigenous voters are about twice as likely to be removed compared to early voters statewide.
According to KNAU, “If a voter is dropped from the mail-in list they’ll receive a notice and can either re-join or vote in person. But mail delivery can be unreliable, especially on Indigenous lands, and the Brennan study says people could miss the notifications.”
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WHAT WE'RE READING
It's hard – if not impossible – to talk about elections in 2022 without considering the impact of disinformation. From harassment and threats directed at election officials, to ongoing efforts to interfere with vote certification, to candidates and lawmakers continuing to advance the Big Lie, disinformation poses a real danger to our legacy of fair and free elections in America.
New research from Voting Rights Lab may just offer a path toward repairing trust and restoring confidence in our elections – even among those harboring the most doubt. Our research shows affirmative messaging centered on core American values like freedom and fairness can lead to remarkable gains in trust among even the greatest skeptics of our democratic process. NPR dug into the research earlier this month:
"They found that while more than a third of voters said they don't trust the process for counting votes in the U.S., after people were shown affirmative but nonpartisan messaging about democratic systems persevering, that number significantly improved…. Notably, the share of voters identified as people who already believe election misinformation improved the most after reading the affirmative messaging."
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FROM OUR PARTNERS
Our friends in Washington state have been hard at work making sure that folks with past felony convictions are aware of the restoration of their voting rights and their resulting eligibility to participate in the elections this year. As part of their outreach program, the Washington Voting Rights Restoration Coalition has established a Credible Messenger Program, through which they can recruit, support, and compensate impacted individuals to do outreach to their own communities and other impacted people to encourage them to get registered.
The Credible Messenger Program got off to a great start this month, with messenger Julian Saucier getting an op-ed on the value of restoration published in the Kitsap Sun, and messenger Willie Nobles having his op-ed published in the Tacoma News Tribune. Julian and Willie’s stories show how affected Washingtonians can make their voices heard this fall, and what it means for folks with past convictions to finally have a say:
“Impacted people like us should be excited this year because we can finally be involved in the process. We’ll be able to see what it’s like when people are held accountable, to see how they will treat people who are engaged instead of overlooked. We’re a healthier community when more people have a say and when people are paying attention. We are your voters; we are your citizens.” - Julian Saucier
“Change starts right here, right now, with us. A lot of people may not be planning on voting or might not know about the new law, so let’s talk about it and bring it to the communities, especially our Black and minority communities. Word of mouth is a beautiful tool.” - Willie Nobles
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THE MARKUP
The Markup is VRL’s weekly legislative update for voting rights insiders. Here’s a snippet from yesterday’s edition – a sample of what you can expect each week:
Federal appeals court allows Mississippi to continue to permanently disenfranchise citizens based on past felony convictions. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a district court ruling upholding Mississippi’s permanent disenfranchisement of individuals convicted of certain felonies, including forgery, perjury, and obtaining money or goods under false pretense. The policy, which dates back to 1890 and is enshrined in the state’s constitution, was established as part of an effort to prevent Black citizens from voting after the Civil War. Experts estimate that nearly 16% of voting-age Black Misssissipians are disenfranchised by this law.
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