The Movement for Voting Rights Is a Movement for a Better Future

Illustration by Alyssa Etoile

Rashad Robinson, Executive Director, ColorOfChange wrote this article on HUFFPOST BLACK VOICES.

Shortly after the tremendous voter turnout in 2008, we saw a rise in voter suppression attempts fueled by right-wing organizations like the American Legislative Exchange Council and True the Vote. Discriminatory voter ID laws were introduced throughout the country and right-wing election officials used dirty tricks to make it harder for Black folks to reach the polls. Yet Black voters continued to fight back and turned out at higher rates in 2012, higher than any other group.

Make no mistake, we cannot simply call out the dirty tricks, we must mobilize to confront proponents of voter suppression head-on. To keep rising, we need to convert the mass outrage fueled by voter suppression not just into voter turnout but into mass strategic action that's outcomes-driven and focused on political accountability and legislative change. Action that translates into an expanded freedom to vote and the type of culture change around voting that changes the written and unwritten rules of elections. Changes that expand voter registration, end the disenfranchisement of people with felony convictions, increase innovations like early voting and end the bullying of discriminatory voter ID laws. We cannot simply be on the defense when it comes to our right to vote, we must be on the offense - advancing our freedom to vote.

CLICK HERE to read Rashad's article.











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