ACLU plans new push for voting rights after Trump sparks a fundraising surge

[UCmeNdc]

● American Civil Liberties Union: The American Civil Liberties Union is perhaps best known for its storied efforts at litigation to protect the rights of Americans to free speech and other guarantees in the Constitution, no matter how popular those crucial rights may be. However, Donald Trump's victory has helped the ACLU to quadruple its membership and raise a staggering $83 million online since last year’s election compared to a more typical $3 million to $5 million. The advocacy group is now looking to flex its newfound muscles by expanding the scope of its fight to advance voting rights.​


​With recalcitrant Republicans firmly in control of Congress, the ACLU plans on launching a new effort in October called "Let People Vote" that will take a 50-state approach toward preserving and expanding the right to vote at the state level. Not only will they still back litigation against repressive voting laws, but they plan on funding and organizing for reforms tailor-made for each state. Those measures include establishing independent redistricting commissions, restoring voting rights for citizens with past felony convictions, repealing voter ID laws, and allowing voters to register and cast a ballot on the same day.

This latest news follows on the heels of the ACLU's announcement in August that it is putting at least $5 million toward a 2018 ballot initiative campaign to restore the voting rights of those with past felony convictions in Florida. If this measure makes it onto the ballot and passes (the yes side would need to take at least 60 percent of the vote to prevail), it could have a major impact, since Florida's lifetime ban means it disenfranchises more of its citizens than any other state. These planned reform efforts won't just target states where largely Republican legislators have actively tried to suppress voters, but also Democratic-run states where legislators simply aren't doing nearly enough to expand access to the franchise.

Ballot measures can be particularly costly to fund for nonpartisan advocacy groups with more limited budgets and donor bases than political parties have access to.


https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/9/22/1699886/-Voting-Rights-Roundup-ACLU-plans-new-push-for-voting-rights-after-Trump-sparks-a-fundraising-surge

[safeinOhio]

1. Let's make every state

A Right to Vote State.

[Gothmog]

2. I am going to an ACLU voting rights event on October 1