As tomorrow marks this year’s National Voter Registration Day, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee) – which convenes the nationwide nonpartisan Election Protection coalition – urges all voters to register to vote or verify their voter registration. National Voter Registration Day highlights the pivotal role that voter registration plays in ensuring access to the ballot. In most states, to vote, voters must affirmatively register. Each state has its own deadline and means to register. National Voter Registration Day reminds us of the ways in which the National Voter Registration Act has opened the door to the vote for millions of Americans. This is not a process we can take for granted.
“It is always disheartening when we get calls to the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline from voters who were unaware of a registration deadline or realized that they needed to update their voter registration in order for their vote to count,” said Marcia Johnson, co-director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Voting Rights Project. “Therefore, any opportunity that casts a spotlight on voter registration must be seized. As we have learned through calls to the hotline, voters are hungry for this information.”
“The right to vote has been under sustained attack in recent elections creating barriers for Black communities and other communities of color to access the ballot box,” said Camille Wimbish, national director of Campaigns and Field Programs. “These obstacles threaten to silence the voices of people who need to be heard. One meaningful way to empower our communities is to be sure you and your neighbors are registered to vote in your state.”
Election Protection urges all voters to celebrate National Voters Registration Day by calling the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline to learn the deadlines in their state and to verify their registration. Verifying voter registration is ever more critical at a time when challenges to voter registration are on the rise. In this climate, voters can avoid unpleasant and disappointing surprises when casting a ballot and ensure that their votes will be counted.
