Voting Principles Include Automatic Voter Registration, Ending Partisan Gerrymandering and DC Statehood
(Washington, D.C.): Today, former First Lady Michelle Obama’s nonpartisan voting initiative, When We All Vote, announced its voting principles in the fight for fair and accessible elections. The voting principles include: automatic voter registration, ending partisan gerrymandering and closing campaign finance loopholes, territorial voting rights and DC Statehood and restoring voting rights for Americans with past criminal convictions.
These principles will guide When We All Vote’s work as the initiative prepares for state and local elections, the 2022 midterms and beyond. This year, When We All Vote has expanded its efforts to include civic engagement education and advocacy work. Right now, it’s helping to lead advocacy and civic education efforts around the For the People Act, a landmark bill that would enact modern and national standards for voting to protect voters’ rights and end voter suppression. To date, more than 6,000 people have reached out to their senators through When We All Vote and 17,000 people have signed the initiative’s Change.org petition in support of the For The People Act.
“There are no more off years as voting in America continues to be under attack, and When We All Vote is at the forefront of the fight to make this democracy work for everyone,” said Stephanie L. Young, Executive Director of When We All Vote. “The rights of Black, Brown and young voters, and Americans with disabilities, continue to be threatened by racist and discriminatory voting restrictions and outdated rules that keep them from accessing the ballot box and making their voices heard. When We All Vote is renewing its commitment to fight those restrictions at every turn and remind every American of the power of their voice and their vote. These principles are our guiding light to who we are and what we believe in.”
When We All Vote’s new voting principles include:
- Ensure every American can easily register to vote through expanding online and automatic voter registration. If implemented, automatic voter registration could add as many as 50 million new eligible voters to the rolls – the largest group of new voters since the 19th Amendment was ratified over one hundred years ago.
- Expand access to voting through early, no-excuse in-person voting and vote by mail, and give Americans time off to vote so they don’t have to choose between a paycheck and casting their ballot.
- Make elections transparent and fair by ending partisan and racist gerrymandering and also putting an end to loopholes that allow big-money contributors and special interests to hide the true funding source of their political spending.
- Americans should be able to cast their ballots freely and equally. We will do whatever it takes to fight modern-day Jim Crow laws that make it harder for Black, Brown and young people to vote. This also includes boosting safeguards against unlawful interference with voter registration and casting a ballot.
- Give full representation in Congress to millions of Americans in D.C. and the territories — citizens who pay taxes, serve in the military and contribute to our economy.
- Restore voting rights for millions of Americans barred from voting because of criminal convictions in their past and who deserve to be heard.
When We All Vote encourages Americans to:
- Join the fight for a fair and accessible democracy for every American.
- Call or tweet their federal lawmakers, and tell them to support expanding voting rights for all Americans.
ABOUT When We All Vote:
When We All Vote is a leading national, nonpartisan initiative is on a mission to change the culture around voting and to increase participation in each and every election by helping to close the race and age gap. Created by Michelle Obama, When We All Vote brings together individuals, institutions, brands, and organizations to register new voters across the country and advance civic education for the entire family and voters of every age to build an informed and engaged electorate for today and generations to come. We empower our supporters and volunteers to take action through voting, advocating for their rights, and holding their elected officials accountable.
In 2020, When We All Vote ran a robust, multifaceted campaign and reached more than 100 million people to educate them about the voting process and get them registered and ready to vote. The initiative also led in voter education, registration, and volunteer engagement and as a result, 512,000 people started or completed the voter registration process, and nearly 500 media, corporate, and nonprofit partners joined its efforts.
Michelle Obama launched When We All Vote in 2018 and is joined by fellow Co-Chairs Tom Hanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Janelle Monáe, Chris Paul, Faith Hill, Selena Gomez, Liza Koshy, Megan Rapinoe, Shonda Rhimes, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kerry Washington, and Rita Wilson.
When We All Vote is a key initiative within Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) organization, and works with Civic Nation Action, a 501(c)(4). These organizations are homes for changemakers who inspire, educate, and activate people around the issues that will define this generation.
ABOUT Civic Nation:
Civic Nation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit home for changemakers who inspire, educate, and activate people around the issues that will define this generation. Civic Nation empowers and educates individuals, companies, institutions and organizations to drive culture, systems, and policy change, working towards a more inclusive and equitable America. Six initiatives are a part of the Civic Nation family: When We All Vote, United State of Women, ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, End Rape On Campus, It’s On Us and Made to Save. Learn more here.
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