A Critical Time for America’s Democracy
America Votes is leading comprehensive efforts to expand access to the ballot box and protect the right to vote. Our work is focused on ensuring that America’s elections are truly accessible to all of our country’s diverse voices and defends against alarming and systematic attempts to undermine our democracy. This work is more important than ever.
A Proven Record of Success for Voters
- America Votes’ network of local partners are a vital asset in pushing back against the coordinated campaign to create new barriers designed to disenfranchise voters.
- In Colorado, America Votes led successful efforts to revamp elections access after uncovering illegal voter roll purges in the state. America Votes partners also helped implement crucial voting rights legislation that ultimately lowered election costs while increasing in-person turnout.
- In Florida, America Votes pushed the legislature to implement election reforms that simplified the ballot and reinstated early voting. America Votes partners also played a key role in passing Amendment Four in 2018, which restored voting rights for hundreds of thousands of Floridians.
- In New Mexico, the America Votes coalition worked tirelessly to pass Automatic Voter Registration and Same-Day registration. Efforts are still underway in the state to advance more inclusive access to voting by restoring rights to individuals who have been in the criminal justice system and to establish consistent polling locations on Tribal lands.
- In Michigan, America Votes’ partners helped deliver no-reason absentee voting and same-day voter registration to voters through successful ballot initiatives and are continuing to push for the protection of voting rights in the state.
- In Nevada, America Votes and our allies advanced Automatic Voter Registration through the state legislature for approval by voters in 2018.
Ensuring Everyone Could Vote Safely During the Pandemic
In 2020, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, America Votes’ programming focused on helping millions of people enroll to vote by mail for the first time and providing them with information about the process in their state for completing and returning their mail ballot. We also helped educate people on how to safely vote in person and on the “rules of the road,” like bringing masks and pens to the polls.
- Our coalition engaged 21 million voters – including voters of color and younger voters – with mail, text messages, and calls with tips to enroll and reminders for completing mail-in ballots.
- Since millions of voters encountered vote by mail for the very first time when states changed their voting policies due to the pandemic, w a non-partisan, education-focused communications program which targeted 6.2 million first-time mail voters through mail, phones, and texts to make sure they felt confident and informed about the process for completing and returning their mail ballots. Messages were tailored to each state, with additional focus on signature or witness requirements, use of drop boxes and postage, and the phone number/website for additional questions.
- America Votes also saw the need for enhanced voter education on how voters could safely make their voices heard in-person early or on Election Day. Amid an alarming spike in COVID-19 cases across the country, America Votes armed voters with the information needed to make their voices heard safely, including the “rules of the road” specific to each state’s election administration and practical needs like bringing masks and pens to the polls.
Support Our Work
Join our efforts to protect the right to vote in more than 20 states. Your generous gift to America Votes will bolster our critical year-round work across the country.
