In 2015, we’ve all seen the fight for social justice catch fire across the nation, and nothing is more vital to that struggle than the right to vote. This year, Project Vote was meeting the movement on every front, and laying the foundations for a landmark year in 2016.
On the Ground
In 2015, the people took to the streets in the name of protecting our civil rights, and Project Vote was there:
- This year, Project Vote commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches, and we joined voters and advocates in Roanoke, Va. to pressure Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act.
- We marched with citizens on Moral Monday in North Carolina to challenge the state’s monster voter suppression law.
- And we joined the NAACP and other civil rights leaders in a national call for justice for “our lives, our votes, our jobs, [and] our schools,” at the conclusion of a 1,000-mile march from Selma, Ala. to D.C.
In the Legislatures
In 2015, Project Vote led the fight for policies that remove barriers to the voting booth:
- Through our efforts, we helped pass online registration in Florida and New Mexico, and we joined with allies to advocate for modernizing Pennsylvania elections with same day registration, early voting, and preregistration.
- We urged Congress to protect against discriminatory practices in voting and reinstate important elements of the VRA by passing the Voting Rights Advancement Act.
- We pushed for the passage of the federal Voter Empowerment Act, an omnibus bill that would update the voter registration and voting process.
In the Courts
In 2015, Project Vote attorneys continued the fight to protect Americans from voter suppression, and worked to enforce federal laws to give our most vulnerable citizens a chance to participate in American democracy:
- Project Vote helped lead the battle against onerous proof-of-citizenship requirements being pushed by Arizona and Kansas. In June, we won a major victory against this form of suppression when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from those states.
- Project Vote is leading the fight to make sure President Obama enforces the NVRA at federal health exchanges established under the Affordable Care Act. As many as 1.7 million voter registrations have been lost as a result of noncompliance.
- We pushed back against the threat of illegal voter purges, fighting against states conducting secretive voter list maintenance, and closely monitoring efforts by suppression groups like “True the Vote” to force unlawful purges.
- We reached settlement agreements in our lawsuits in Massachusetts and Oklahoma, ensuring that low-income citizens in those states will be provided the voter registration opportunities the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) requires.
- In Nevada, we won a victory for voting rights when a federal court reinstated a lawsuit brought by Project Vote and our partners over the state’s failure to provide voter registration services.
- We’re leading the fight to enforce “motor voter,” as we sent a pre-litigation notice letter to California officials demanding that DMVs fulfill their voter registration obligations.
- And, just this month, Project Vote and partners sued the state of North Carolina for neglecting voter registration services at motor vehicle agencies and public assistance offices.
In Our Communities
Voter registration is a critical foundation of the civil rights movement, but that foundation is under increasing attack. Organizations conducting VR drives need access to the right skills, tools, and technology to run effective, efficient programs. This year, Project Vote put our 20 years of field experience to work to strengthen and empower the VR field, in preparation for what we expect to be the largest nationwide voter registration effort since 2008:
- Project Vote is preparing to offer voter registration training and comprehensive technical assistance to trusted allies across the nation. Work is already underway with major partners like Mi Familia Vota, which in 2016 will conduct a large registration drive focused on engaging America’s underrepresented Latino population.
- Project Vote is now home to the Data Entry Consolidation Center (DECC), an essential data management tool that civic engagement and community organizing groups use to manage effective, efficient voter registration drives.
- This year, Project Vote’s Nonprofit Partners Initiative offered training and technical assistance to frontline service providers, teaching them to assist their clients in registering to vote.
- And, just in time for state and local elections in November, Project Vote launched a revamped version of Electionary, a multi-state guide to election law. The online tool is still in progress and will have more updates into the 2016 election cycle.
On the Shelf
Project Vote is a preeminent source of information on election and voting issues that affect underrepresented Americans. In 2015, we released several important tools and reports to assist the voting rights community in advocacy and voter engagement efforts.
- Representational Bias in the 2012 Electorate presents a comprehensive picture of continuing disparities in the changing American electorate, providing hard data on where there is still much work to be done.
- Americans with Photo ID: A Breakdown of Demographic Characteristics is a study that examines who has ID, in response to the ongoing debate over restrictive and discriminatory voter ID laws.
- Automatic Voter Registration: Best Practices provides guidelines for incorporating the increasingly popular automatic voter registration policy trend within the existing requirements of the National Voter Registration Act.
- And, to assist in advocacy efforts, Project Vote closely monitored election legislation in all 50 states, tracking over 300 bills that could either help or hinder voting in America in 2016 and beyond. Through reports and up-to-the-minute bill alerts, we kept the voting rights community informed of threats and opportunities across the country.
In the Future
There was a lot to celebrate in 2015, but there’s still a lot of work ahead of us. The nationwide movement for social justice is garnering strength and speed, and Project Vote is working to meet that movement where it matters, and empower all Americans to achieve lasting change through voting. Today we celebrate the accomplishments of our team and our allies this year, and we recommit ourselves to continuing the fight against inequality.
We’re looking forward to 2016, and we hope you will join us in this fight. Sign up for updates from Project Vote today.