After President Obama’s election in 2008, some state legislatures responded to the increased turnout among young people and people of color by attempting to curb voting rights.
The wave of voter suppression measures accelerated after the 2010 elections, with politicians enacting new laws that made it more difficult to register to vote and curtailed access to the ballot box. This effort got a boost from the Trump administration, which launched its own attacks on voting rights. Following President Trump’s baseless claim that 3 to 5 million people committed voter fraud during the 2016 election, the administration created the sham Pence-Kobach commission to push for restrictive voting laws.
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Voting restrictions disproportionately affect the elderly, low-income voters, young people, people with disabilities and communities of color. Many places that have imposed such restrictions also have a long and shameful history of racial discrimination. In the face of these growing attacks on constitutional rights, it is time to go on offense.
The ACLU’s Let People Vote campaign intends to ensure that every American's right to vote is protected.
This 50-state movement will work to strengthen our democracy by lengthening early voting periods, making voter registration more accessible, establishing independent and nonpartisan redistricting commissions, restoring voting rights for disenfranchised communities and continuing to combat attempts at voter suppression, such as discriminatory voter ID requirements and voter purges.
In order to expand access to the ballot, activists across the country will work on a range of issues as part of this campaign:
Election reform
One way to make sure that everyone can exercise the right to cast a ballot is by passing common sense proposals like allowing early voting, permitting all voters to use absentee ballots without having to provide a justification, Election Day voter registration, online voter registration and automatic voter registration.
Such measures increase turnout by removing unnecessary obstacles. For example, states that allow citizens to register to vote on Election Day have seen higher voter turnouts than states which prohibit it.
Voting rights restoration
More than 6 million people can’t vote because of past criminal convictions. These individuals often have little or no way to restore their voting rights. Many voter disenfranchisement laws are carryovers from the post-Civil War “Black Codes,” which sharply curtailed the ability of African Americans to participate in public life.
When Florida decided to ban people who had felony convictions from voting in 1868, it also enacted draconian laws that sent many black people into the prison system simply for being poor or not having a job and heightened the penalties for petty crimes.
Today, disenfranchisement laws continue to fuel racial disparities in voting by disproportionally affecting African Americans, and all but two states have some form of such laws on the books.
In Florida, People Power activists are working with Floridians for a Fair Democracy to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to end Florida’s lifetime prohibition on voting for people with certain felony convictions, which bars 1.5 million Floridians — 10 percent of Florida’s adults and a quarter of the nation’s disenfranchised population — from voting. In addition to Florida, we will be working in nine other states to restore voting rights.
Redistricting reform
One way politicians have been able to reshape the electorate to their liking is through the redistricting process. Gerrymandering is done to protect incumbent lawmakers, especially when they are members of the party in power. This practice creates legislative districts that are so uncompetitive that it discourages voter participation.
Redistricting practices often harm minority voters by diluting their vote and carving up urban areas. In May, the Supreme Court knocked down two congressional district maps in North Carolina that revealed racial gerrymandering that weakened Black representation.
The drawing of district maps should be done by transparent entities that prioritize community input over undue partisanship. Such a change would go a long way in making sure that all people are fairly represented in government.
Combating voter suppression
State lawmakers have used a wide variety of tactics to curtail voting, including improper purges of voter rolls, cuts to early voting periods and the number of polling places, and imposing arbitrary photo ID requirements.
African Americans, Latinos, young people, the elderly, people who live in cities and people with disabilities are much more likely to be harmed by such policies, which are typically designed to suppress their vote. To ensure that every eligible voter can cast a ballot, the Let People Vote campaign will work in every state to expand voting rights.
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News & CommentaryDec 2024
Voting Rights
Election Day is Over. Why is the Electoral College Voting Now?Election Day is Over. Why is the Electoral College Voting Now?
The Electoral College meets December 17th to certify the results of the 2024 election, but why? The ACLU breaks down if the process is worth keeping. -
ArizonaNov 2024
Voting Rights
American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona v. RicherAmerican Civil Liberties Union of Arizona v. Richer
We sued elections officials in Arizona to extend the mail ballot “cure” deadline after ballot processing delays threatened to disenfranchise thousands of voters without notice. -
Press ReleaseNov 2024
Voting Rights
Civil Rights Groups Respond to Flawed Trial Court Opinion on New York Voting Rights ActCivil Rights Groups Respond to Flawed Trial Court Opinion on New York Voting Rights Act
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — On November 7, a New York State Supreme Court trial judge issued an opinion striking down the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York (NYVRA). Today, the Legal Defense Fund, American Civil Liberties Union, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, New York American Civil Liberties Union, and Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law issued the following statement in response to the ruling: “The NYVRA is unquestionably constitutional, and protects the freedom to vote for all New Yorkers by helping to ensure voters are not subjected to discrimination when participating in the political process. “The Nov. 7 decision by a state trial judge is deeply flawed and plainly incorrect. We fully expect the decision to be reversed on appeal. It flies in the face of basic legal principles and constitutes a stunning overreach in striking down the entire law, including provisions that are not at issue in the case. “To put it simply, the NYVRA does not discriminate, it bans discrimination – and in doing so protects New Yorkers’ most fundamental right. “New York is stronger when everyone has an equal opportunity to vote.” -
Press ReleaseNov 2024
Voting Rights
Court Restores Relief to Cobb County Absentee Voters, Ensures Ballots will be CountedCourt Restores Relief to Cobb County Absentee Voters, Ensures Ballots will be Counted
ATLANTA — On Wednesday, the Georgia Supreme Court restored relief for Cobb County voters who requested absentee ballots before the deadline but did not receive them on time due to the county’s failure to mail them promptly. The Court asked the parties to brief whether the case was still relevant, given the fact that the election contests had already been decided. In response, the groups that filed the appeal, the RNC and Republican Party of Georgia, moved to dismiss their appeal. But the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Georgia, and Southern Poverty Law Center explained that, regardless of the election results, without an extension of the absentee receipt deadline, the right to vote of their clients and other affected Cobb voters will still be violated. They emphasized that the right to vote is fundamental, and it is not about which candidate wins or loses, but instead about the ability for every eligible individual to cast a ballot that is counted. Following the briefing, the Georgia Supreme Court dismissed the appeal and dissolved its earlier order that had put a hold on the counting of the affected voters’ ballots. Affected voters in Cobb County will have their absentee ballots counted per the initial lower court order. For these voters, ballots that were postmarked by 7 p.m. on November 5 will be counted as long as they are received by 5 p.m. on November 8. “This change means that plaintiffs in the lawsuit, including many first-time voters, will have their voices recorded in this election,” said Andrea Young, executive director of the ACLU of Georgia. “Our fight for democracy will never stop.” “Because of the unreasonable timelines imposed by Georgia’s SB 202, this is not the first time the system has failed absentee voters, nor is it the first time we have had to intervene to remedy these failures. We cannot let this pattern continue.” said Theresa J. Lee, senior staff attorney at the ACLU Voting Rights Project. “At the end of the day, it is not about outcomes, it is about ensuring that anyone who requested a ballot by the deadline has their vote counted. As we celebrate today’s form of justice, we’re also looking ahead to prevent these kinds of unacceptable errors in future elections.” “It should not take lawsuits and post-election rulings to ensure that voters can participate in democracy,” said Poy Winichakul, senior staff attorney for voting rights at the SPLC. “But whatever it takes, we will do. The freedom to vote is the most sacred right we have in America — and we are pleased that right will be honored for our clients and many other Cobb County residents who voted absentee.” The ACLU, ACLU of Georgia, and Southern Poverty Law Center filed an emergency lawsuit on November 1, 2024, to ensure that Cobb County voters had enough time to cast their absentee ballots.