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Voter Purge Watch
Recent and attempted voter purges in Georgia, Wisconsin, and Ohio have created confusion and could disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters. And Black voters are disproportionately likely to be affected. But we can’t let the anti-democratic forces behind these purges stop us from organizing for our communities. If you live in these states, check your voter registration status today and register to vote if you’ve moved or been taken off the rolls.
Of course, voter suppression is not unique to Georgia, Wisconsin, or Ohio. No matter where you live, sign up to receive election reminders, get registered to vote, check your voter registration status, & apply for your absentee ballot!
Not sure if you’re registered or not? Find out here.
Georgia
Georgia has a longstanding voter suppression problem, and has purged over 1.4 million voters since 2012. Recently, Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger removed another 309,000 people from the state’s voter rolls. After lawyers for Fair Fight Action found errors in the state’s voter purge list, Raffensperger had to go back and restore the registrations of around 22,000 voters. According to Fair Fight, there are still over 120,000 people on the purge list who should have their registrations restored.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s state Election Commission had planned to purge voters in April of 2021. But after a lawsuit filed by a right-wing advocacy group, a judge ruled that the state must start immediately purging 234,000 voters who didn’t respond to a mailing from election officials. The state’s Attorney General is appealing the decision, and the state’s League of Women Voters has filed a federal lawsuit. Voters living in places like Milwaukee and Madison, cities with high concentrations of Black voters and students, are disproportionately at risk of being removed.
Ohio
Ohio was set to purge 235,000 voters from its rolls in Fall 2019 until advocacy groups discovered that nearly 40,000 people shouldn’t have been added to the list. Ohio has also denied thousands of absentee ballot requests, potentially disenfranchising or creating hardships for voters with disabilities and other people who have difficulty voting in person.
Support Color of Change
With social, economic, and environmental justice hanging in the balance, we simply refuse to let anti-democratic politicians get away with suppressing the vote. We’re fighting back by targeting digital ads and doing outreach to voters in affected areas to help them get back on the rolls in time to be heard in critical upcoming elections.
The people and policies we choose at the ballot box impact our daily lives in countless ways, and they determine how easy — or how difficult — it is to organize and win our other fights for justice. If we want to build lasting power in this country, we have to protect our ability to vote for people and policies that are responsive to our needs. It’s critical that we help each other overcome barriers to voting so we can flex our full political power. Please help fund this important work!