The fight for free and fair access to the ballot in America never truly ended, but today the NAACP says that it is more urgent than at any other time in the last half century.
This year alone, according to the NAACP, more than 400 bills have been proposed in state houses across this country that seek to restrict the fight to vote and make it harder for Americans to cast their ballots. That’s why the NAACP has joined forces with the ACLU and four of the country’s largest labor unions to mobilize our combined 10 million members to beat back this assault on our democracy and preserve access to the ballot in America.
“What we’ve seen over the last three months, in the voter suppression efforts from Georgia and now Texas and many others, is an effort by elected officials seeking to choose their voters instead of voters electing elected officials,” said Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP. “That is not a democracy. That is not what we have fought for in this nation.”
This new multicultural coalition, called Fighting for Our Vote, will launch its first phase this weekend, Aug. 21 and 22, with mobilization efforts in four cities: Detroit, MI; Milwaukee, WI; Columbus, OH; and Washington, D.C. Members will be working on the ground to mobilize, organize and educate voters about these unprecedented threats to our democracy.
“We will build a diverse group of voters and volunteers and activists to become voting rights champions and advocates,” said Bishop Leah Daughtry, campaign manager for Fight for Our Vote. “We will advocate — advocate for comprehensive voting rights at the national and state level that will allow access to the ballot in all communities. And we will impact — impact voting rights legislation in specific states where voter suppression efforts have been identified.
The coalition is calling on lawmakers to take immediate action in six areas:
• Pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to protect against racial discrimination and voter suppression
• Make mail-in voting and ballot drop boxes widely available in every state
• Assure that there is enough ballot-counting machines, poll workers and polling locations in every community so no American is forced to wait in unreasonably long lines to exercise their democratic right
• Require at least two weeks of early voting in each state, along with expanded weekend hours, curbside voting, and election day voting hours.
• Protect poll workers by providing personal protective equipment, hazard pay and medical coverage if needed
• And assure that safety and health practices continue during the COVID-19 pandemic so no voter has to risk their life to cast a ballot.
“The NAACP, along with all of our partners, are all in to assure that voting rights are passed this year to assure that we have comprehensive voting rights for every American to participate in our democracy and vote,” said Dominik Whitehead, vice president for campaigns at the NAACP.
Locally, the Seattle King County NAACP will host a series of free events, including:
• Saturday, Aug. 21, 12 p.m. – Tobacco Awareness: Mental Health & Smoking, a free public health webinar
• Monday, Aug. 23, 6:30 p.m. – Monthly General Membership Meeting, featuring a conversation with special guest, Brandon K. Hersey, vice president of the Seattle School Board.
• Saturday, Aug. 28, 12 p.m. -Tobacco Awareness: Anti-tobacco Campaigns & Quitting Resources, a free public health webinar.
• Sunday, Aug. 29, 3 p.m. – An Afternoon with the Great Grandson of W.E.B. DuBois, hosted by the Northwest African American Museum in Seattle.
To learn more about this movement, go to www.fightingforourvote.org. For more information on upcoming local NAACP events, please visit www.seattlekingcountynaacp.org/upcoming-events.
