Dear John,
60 years ago today, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act and transformed elections in this country. Millions of Americans, many of them Black, were newly empowered to exercise their right to vote and have a real say in our democracy.
The Voting Rights Act strengthened our democracy by removing significant barriers to the ballot box. Today, a growing wave of laws requiring an ID to vote — including both voter ID laws and harmful documentary proof of citizenship laws — have created new and challenging barriers.
VoteRiders is laser-focused on removing these barriers through legislative advocacy, voter education, and free help for any voter who needs an ID.
Year in and year out since 2012, we reach millions of voters online and in their communities with critical information about confusing voter ID rules. If a voter doesn’t have the ID they need, we work with them one-on-one to secure their ID. It’s a process that can sometimes take months and hundreds of dollars, including securing missing documents like birth certificates and making follow-up appointments at ID-issuing offices.
As long as there are voter ID laws, our work is necessary to ensure these voters can participate in our democracy. And today, more states than ever before have voter ID laws in place.
Today, on this momentous anniversary for voting rights, I want to thank you for being an important part of our movement to ensure all eligible voters can participate. 60 years in and the fight continues.
In solidarity,
Lauren Kunis
CEO and Executive Director
VoteRiders
P.S. So long as voter ID laws remain in place, the freedom to vote is not secure for all eligible voters. Make a gift to VoteRiders to support our voter advocacy, education, and free help.
