august 2023: voting rights

Most Americans, no matter our background or political leanings, value our freedom to vote. We know that having free, fair, and secure elections is the only way to preserve our democracy.

Republicans are now rolling back this freedom by making it harder to vote because they know they can't win with their unpopular ideas. To stay in power, they are silencing voters' voices by limiting how, when, and where we can vote. These changes especially impact Black and Brown communities, as well as poor, rural, elderly, disabled, and young new voters.

As of August 1, Republicans on the NC Supreme Court and in the NC General Assembly ordered, passed, or proposed changes that include:

• Requiring state-approved picture voter ID

Making it harder to vote by mail-in ballot

• Drawing district voting maps that favor Republicans

• Removing people from voter rolls, such as people on parole

• Reducing early voting days, hours, and locations

Meanwhile, Democrats filed bills to increase access to free, fair, and secure elections and to create an independent redistricting commission. Republicans refused to allow a vote on these bills.

Democrats filed the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act that include:

• Setting national standards to increase voting access

• Requiring voting districts to be created by independent commissions

• Limiting large campaign donations

• Making election day a federal holiday

Republicans blocked both bills with filibusters.