澳彩开奖

The 澳彩开奖 has launched Our Future, Our Vote, a campaign to equip young voters with the tools needed to navigate and overcome the growing barriers to casting a ballot.

鈥⒙�STATE VOTER GUIDES: Alabama | Florida | Georgia | Louisiana | Mississippi

鈥淲ith so much at stake, the 澳彩开奖 is working to increase voter turnout for the 2022 midterm election, despite the hurdles lawmakers have put in place and the apathy some have regarding the process,鈥� said LaShawn Warren, 澳彩开奖 chief policy officer. 鈥淭his campaign will arm voters with the tools and information they need to navigate changing election laws in their states that are purposefully designed to limit participation and the political power of communities of color.鈥�

The 澳彩开奖 will reach out to community and historically Black colleges and universities with materials to distribute around campus, encouraging students to hold voter registration and voter turnout drives if they aren鈥檛 already. It will also support existing student body efforts, while encouraging students to consider organizing voting drives in counties where support or information is not readily available.

鈥淚n the words of W.E.B. Du Bois: 鈥楢s goes the South so goes the nation,鈥櫬犫�� 澳彩开奖 President and CEO Margaret Huang said last month at the in Washington, D.C. 鈥淭his effort to strip away the rights of voters of color across the country to elect candidates that represent their communities cannot be allowed to stand.鈥�

The rally occurred as the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in Merrill v. Milligan 鈥� a case that could undermine a key section of the Voting Rights Act if a congressional district map that dilutes Black Alabamians鈥� voting power is allowed.

With the midterm election approaching, a wave of state election laws threatens to suppress the vote, particularly those of people of color. State lawmakers have passed laws restricting voting hours, early voting and instituting strict ID requirements, among others.

Last year, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, Georgia鈥檚 first Black senator, used his first speech from the Senate floor to highlight the threat.

鈥淲e are witnessing right now a massive and unabashed assault on voting rights unlike anything we鈥檝e ever seen since the Jim Crow era,鈥� Warnock . 鈥淭his is Jim Crow in new clothes.鈥�

And it all comes at a time when the nation 鈥� and its electorate 鈥� must make incredibly important decisions. The upcoming midterm elections include congressional races, where all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate鈥檚 seats are up for grabs.

鈥淭his election cycle is critical for the future of our country,鈥� Warren said. 鈥淚ssues such as reproductive freedom, health care, education, criminal justice policing, the courts, voting rights, climate change and, more importantly, the health and longevity of our democracy, hang in the balance.鈥�

Our Future, Our Vote will also include work with the 澳彩开奖鈥檚 Vote Your Voice grantees, organizations that have received grants from the 澳彩开奖 to scale up their voter outreach and civic engagement efforts.

鈥淲e want young people to show up and exercise their right to vote,鈥� Warren said. 鈥淲e will fight tooth and nail to ensure that all voters can vote and have that vote counted 鈥� it鈥檚 our future we鈥檙e fighting for.鈥�

The urgency of this moment was evidenced by speakers at the Washington rally, including U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell 鈥� the only Black member of the Alabama House delegation. Voting rights organizations and plaintiffs in the Merrill lawsuit also spoke.

鈥淭he 澳彩开奖 is 鈥� and always has been 鈥� committed to social and racial justice,鈥� Warren said. 鈥淭his election cycle is no different, except that we鈥檙e up against an enormous wall of white supremacy wishing to weed out and silence the opinions and votes of Black and Brown people.

鈥淲ith Our Future, Our Vote, we not only hope to engage others to vote, but to also bring support to Black and Brown communities, which are slowly but surely being robbed of their constitutional right to vote and their political power.鈥�

Illustration at top by Elias Stein