Voter Rights
Our Mission
In this time of resistance, with citizens taking up masks and protest signs nationwide to declare that “Black Lives Matter,” there is an outburst of dedication towards gaining social justice. We believe it is crucial to harness this passion and send it from the streets today to the polls in November. For civic engagement, too, is a form of activism. Our voices matter. Our votes matter. Your vote matters.
Just as Civil Rights leaders fought to protect their right to vote with the Civil Rights Act of 1965, we must continue the fight to ensure that every citizen has equal access to this right. While the Voting Rights Act was passed 55 years ago, policies implemented in the present day threaten its very principles of non-discriminatory voting procedures. We aim to secure the right of every individual to safeguard their health and right to vote amidst the COVID-19 pandemic with a national “vote-by-mail” law. Additionally, we hope to provide the resources necessary for others to advocate against COVID-19 voting measures that exclude people of color and low-income voters. Through a nationwide voting-by-mail policy, citizens will be more inclined to exercise their Constitutional right to vote without the threat of discriminatory barriers.
We hope that you’ll continue using your voice to advocate for justice in the form of a national vote by mail policy and build upon the efforts of those who fought for this very right 55 years ago.
Why Does Vote-By-Mail Matter?
Nahla Owens
Vote-by-mail matters to me because I believe that no one should be forced to choose between their health and expressing their right to vote. As an African-American I know that those in generations before me fought and died for the very right that politicians have attempted to suppress. COVID-19 has a disproportionate impact on the Black community and so to will the lack of safe voting options.
Noam Bellin-Schonfeld
Over the last 3.5 years, I have watched, horrified, as Donald Trump has committed terrible action after terrible action. I have watched him make racist, sexist, xenophobic, or homophobic comments. I have watched him destroy America’s standing on the world stage. I have watched him roll back environmental standards necessary to both keep residents of the US healthy and prevent climate change. Worst of all, I have watched him handle the pandemic we now face so irresponsibly that over 130,000 Americans are dead, cases are skyrocketing, and states are shutting down again. We cannot spend another four years under Donald Trump; our country cannot afford it. The next election will be critical in deciding the future of our county. The next election will determine the fate of our planet. Who we vote into the Oval Office this November will determine whether or not we will leave a world for our children and grandchildren to enjoy or whether we will leave them an uninhabitable planet drained of resources. The next election will decide how many more Americans will die from COVID-19 before doctors create a vaccine. The next election will determine whether America will remain a leader on the world stage. The next election will determine the character of our country. It will decide whether we will be the land of freedom and justice for all or just for the few. Our nation cannot afford another four years of Donald Trump.
Due to the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States caused by the Trump administration’s decision to ignore the guidance of the CDC and Dr. Fauci blatantly, many citizens of the United States are afraid to go out and vote for fear that they will contract the Coronavirus. As such, the United States needs an alternative method that will allow citizens to vote safely from their homes for the upcoming election. Vote-By-Mail has proven to be the most effective method of accomplishing this goal. As we can see from the primaries this June and July, Vote-By-Mail can enfranchise even more voters than in a regular election season. We need a National Vote-By-Mail Option to vote safely in this time of crisis. Donald Trump is trying to gut vote-by-Mail because he claims it is “corrupt.” He is even going so far as to try to shut down the United States Postal Service to prevent Americans from voting by mail. In reality, Donald Trump wants to prevent Americans from voting by mail because Donald Trump knows that if all Americans can vote safely, then he will be voted out of office. Americans have a right to vote without fear of contracting COVID-19, and Donald Trump is willing to throw away that right to save himself. I know we need a National Vote-By-Mail Option this election season because we cannot afford another four years of Donald Trump, for the sake of our liberty, our country, and our planet. Through a National Vote-By-Mail option, we as Americans would have the opportunity not only to vote safely but also to remove the worst president in our country’s history. That is why I hope you will join me in petitioning our government for a National Vote-By-Mail option.
Faith Lanham
Vote-By-Mail is important to me because in past elections people of color have been discriminated against in elections. I think that it is incredibly important that no matter your race, sex, or health condition you should be able to exercise the right to vote. As a young person of color it would be a shame to see in yet another election people of color faced discrimination.
Shams Ahson
During this difficult time of social injustice, police brutality and the COVID-19 pandemic, voting is essential to ensure hardworking representatives that will work to resolve these problems are elected. A national vote-by-mail policy is crucial because each and every person deserves an equal right to vote. It is what makes our governmental democracy preach the values of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. However, I believe no one should be forced to choose between their health and their right to vote, therefore voting in person is an unacceptable obstacle. Thus, a vote-by-mail policy is a safer and allows people to speak up!
Aubrey Ross
Vote-By-Mail is important to me because my ancestors fought for years to be able to vote. It is important that when I'm old enough to vote, I am able to contribute to the election of leaders that care abiut the issues I care about. Even though I am not able to vote yet, my family wants to vote. I want them to be able to vote and to be able to do so safely.
Kiera Zager
Our country was founded on the belief that the people should have a say in how their government runs. For years, we've achieved this by voting. Voting is how citizens are able to express themselves and make sure that their voice is heard. To take away people's freedom and voice in the government is unfair and goes against the democracy we have worked so hard to build. That's why I think Vote by Mail is so important; no one should have to put their health at stake in order to exercise their right to vote.
Emma Levi
Without a free, fair and safe election, democracy fails to be democratic. Both the integrity of the system and the course of the next four years are at stake. Vote by Mail is important to me because casting a ballot is the most basic element of democracy, and I believe we should do everything in our power to be as representative as possible. Yet still it fails to adequately represent our population. Vast numbers of people remain silenced by barriers such as gerrymandering, and without a vote by mail option these barriers will continue to exist, only to be amplified by the coronavirus crisis. We CAN change this, and we must.
Vynateya Purimetla
A bedrock principle of democracy is the right to voice your concerns and values at the ballot box. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans have already had to sacrifice so much. Therefore, they should not have to also choose between their health and their voice.
Voting by mail should not be a partisan issue as a republic functions best when all voices are heard. Restricting vote-by-mail is akin to voter suppression, gerrymandering and even olden poll taxes and Jim Crow laws. It is a thinly-veiled effort to silence the voices of the working class, minorities, and urban voters. If a candidate can not win without circumventing the will of their constituency, they do not deserve to win at all.