- What we’re monitoring as voters start voting!
- Big wins in AZ, PA, and WI
- Spotlight on Pennsylvania United
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With the 2024 general election just over a week away, All Voting is Local has been working around the clock to fight aggressive attacks on our democracy. Anti-voter extremists have their eyes set on threatening and weaponizing voter eligibility, popular methods of voting (especially vote-by-mail), and the counting of our votes and the process of certifying them. These threats are not abstract – they are real, targeted, and happening in our communities, especially communities of color. We spoke to The New York Timeslast month about how lies about immigrants and voting hurt real people and real communities – and how these lies falsely legitimize conspiracy theories throughout this election cycle.
Yet, amid these threats, there are victories to celebrate.
In Georgia, our team has been on the front lines of one of this cycle’s other most pressing threats: interference with election certification. Since the summer, All Voting is Local Action has been working with state and national partners to oppose extreme anti-voter rules passed by the State Election Board (SEB), including a controversial hand-counting rule that, in a major win, was blocked by a judge earlier this month. Our team has spent months both testifying and framing the media narrative, including being expert advisers for and featured on “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.” In just the last two weeks, a judge has ruled that county board members must certify election results, and in a pivotal win, the state’s Supreme Court ruled that all of the anti-voter rules passed by the SEB, which would have potentially delayed the certification of election results and fueled disinformation narratives, will not be reinstated before election day. I hope you’ll read on below for more wins in Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Wisconsin.
As I shared with ABC News and Stateline, the landscape is constantly shifting. Our teams are responding in real-time to the ever-evolving threats. Throughout it all, we remain focused on one thing: ensuring every eligible voter has the opportunity to make their voice heard.
In these final days before Election Day, I offer a reminder to us all: The future of our democracy depends on the actions we take today to safeguard the freedom to vote for this election and the elections to come. As I shared with The Atlantic, voters have power. Make a plan to vote now and ensure your voice is heard. Thank you for being with us.
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Hannah K. Fried
Co-founder and Executive Director
All Voting is Local and All Voting is Local Action
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Supporting Voter Registration in AZ
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In August, the U.S. Supreme Court released a decisionthat allowed stringent voter registration requirements to take effect for the first time in Arizona, causing confusion and disagreements about how to handle affected voters and make it so they can still cast a ballot. Our team and partners advocated for protocols, released by Arizona’s secretary of state and attorney general, that help mitigate the harm caused by these bizarre and stringent requirements. We’re continuing to work to make sure these protocols are implemented uniformly and that voters impacted by these changes are properly informed.
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Protecting Pittsburgh Voters from Purges
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In August, thousands of voters in Allegheny County – home to Pittsburgh – started receiving notifications that their voter registration was being challenged for a variety of baseless reasons. Along with our partners, we mobilized against these challenges, including signing onto a letter to county officials with 17 other organizations. The following day, we received the commitment from county officials that they would be protecting the voters’ right to cast a ballot and would not remove them from the rolls.
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Defending Wisconsin’s Dropboxes
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After the mayor of Wausau, Wisconsin, removed a ballot drop box, All Voting Wisconsin jumped into action and mobilized a diverse coalition to push back – and ultimately got the drop box re-installed. We were on the ground holding press conferences and meeting with legal experts. All of this is part of our recent efforts to get drop boxes installed across the state after a recent court ruling overturned the ban on them.
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U.S. Department of Justice Releases Mass Voter Challenges Guidelines
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Mass voter challenges are being filed across the country, damaging our democracy. In Ohio, for example, Secretary of State Frank LaRose has warned election officials to root out supposed “noncitizen” voters – an inflammatory and baseless claim based on a single voter registration form being translated to Haitian Creole. Our team has been pushing back on these challenges for years and was excited to see the U.S. Department of Justice release new guidance that protects voters and deters extremists from overwhelming local election offices. It’s already making an impact: Just days after the guidelines’ release, DeKalb County, GA, passed a resolution extending a moratorium on mass voter challenges.
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Pennsylvania United is a grassroots organization that empowers working-class families in Western PA through member-led chapters. Part of their mission is to “reject attempts to divide us based on what we look like or what part of the Commonwealth we call home, and we hold all political leaders accountable to meet the needs of communities of color and white working-class families in rural and urban areas.” Pennsylvania United was instrumental in our work to keep Allegheny County voters on the rolls, and we look forward to our continued partnership!
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©2024 All Voting is Local
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