Why We're Fighting Back
Recent studies reveal that voter suppression laws and manipulations in over 30 states could stop up to 3 million people from accessing the ballot in competitive states in the general election.
This affects mostly communities of color, students, seniors, women, people with disabilities, and low income citizens. In seventeen states these tactics will first take effect in the 2016 elections. Disturbing trends—from five hour lines in Arizona’s Maricopa County to denied ballot access in Wisconsin and North Carolina—are already evident.
Additionally, authorities nationwide are tabulating election results on insecure, decades-old voting machines. These malfunctioning machines are often placed in minority districts, creating long waiting lines and forcing use of provisional ballots. In key states – including Florida, Ohio and North Carolina - paperless voting machines pose extreme accountability risks.
Read: How Old, Faulty Voting Machines Undermine American Democracy by Representative Hank Johnson
While the threats to democracy this year are more serious than ever, people of conscience—in Congress and in communities around the country—are mobilizing for unprecedented action inside and outside of government.
The stakes in 2016 are higher than ever. With the issues of mass incarceration, poverty, immigration reform, social, gender, economic and environmental justice in balance, the consequences of electoral malfeasance are incalculable.