Every time there is a long line at a polling place, a ballot isn’t counted, or voting is anything but a straightforward, simple process accessible to all citizens, it’s a threat to our democracy. In the midst of a global pandemic, it’s up to us to prevent a public health crisis from exacerbating a democratic one — and one solution is dramatically expanding and safeguarding vote by mail so that Americans can cast their ballots this November.
Elections matter, and all too often, small differences in voting totals can change the course of history. In 2018, the U.S. Senate race in Florida was decided by 10,033 votes and the gubernatorial race was decided by 32,463 votes. A study of more than 30,000 rejected mail ballots found that the rejection rate for vote by mail ballots for the youngest voters was nearly ten times the rejection rate for those over 65. Meanwhile, mail ballots cast by minority voters were more than twice as likely to be rejected than mail ballots cast by white absentee mail voters.
Similarly, a study of rejected mail ballots from Georgia’s closely contested 2018 election found that newly registered, young, female, and minority voters were more likely to have their ballots rejected.
We can protect our democracy from unfair, unequal laws — but we have to push election officials to do the right thing as soon as possible. If you’re able to, please make a contribution to fund this work:
Thank you, and onward,
Hillary
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Posts Tagged ‘Democracy Docket’
Hillary Clinton: 30,000 votes
Posted in Hillary Clinton, Onward Together, tagged Democracy Docket, Hillary Clinton, Onward Together on June 15, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Hillary Clinton: How we can protect access to the ballot
Posted in Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Onward Together, tagged Democracy Docket, Hillary Clinton, Onward Together on May 2, 2020| 2 Comments »
As the COVID-19 crisis continues, it is clear that the security of November’s elections will rely on ensuring that millions of Americans can vote by mail. For many of us, this is a shift in the way we make our voices heard, and state officials need to take action immediately to ensure that all Americans, no matter where they live, can safely cast their votes.
Onward Together is proud to partner with Democracy Docket, a new effort to proactively detect and combat suppressive voting laws and practices that could sway the outcome of the 2020 elections.
As with any method of voting, vote by mail is susceptible to the voter disenfranchisement that has plagued our country in recent elections. From Georgia to Wisconsin, we’ve seen the ways uneven access to the ballot can affect the outcome of critical races. Restrictions and voter purges disproportionately burden African Americans, Latinos, young and first-time voters, non-native English speakers, and voters with disabilities.
The team at Democracy Docket has identified more than a dozen specific laws in select states that they intend to challenge through litigation as we approach one of the most consequential elections of our lifetimes.
Now is when election officials must act, and it’s up to us to push them to do the right thing. Learn more at DemocracyDocket.com, then chip in to support this vital work:
Onward!
Hillary