Like How Winning Feels? Support These Voting Rights and Get-Out-the-Vote Organizations

Alabama, in an amazing upset, elected Democrat Doug Jones instead of alleged pedophile and confessed homophobe Roy Moore last night. This victory was powered by black voters, in particular black women, who showed up in force to fight for progress in an off-year special election.

It’s fair to say that most American progressives are riding high off this victory. It feels awesome to win, and it’s inspiring to see the progressives in a deep-red state fight back against the Trump administration’s vile agenda. But this victory was made possible by black women, and Republicans know it. They have historically designed their so-called “voter ID” laws to decrease black and youth voter turnout, and if you think this election isn’t going to inspire some serious voter suppression, you haven’t been paying much attention.

So if you love how this feels, and if you’re excited to win again, you have to protect the voting rights of black women. The organizations below work to protect voter rights and mobilize get-out-the-vote campaigns, and they all offer a great way to get involved with voter turnout, whether it’s through volunteering, calling your reps, or donating to help out.

As always, I’d love to hear about your favorite voting rights organizations in the comments!

• NAACP Legal Defense Fund
  The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Legal Defense Fund works on a number of issues, including education and criminal justice, and they have a long history of protecting voting rights in the courts and at the polls. They had volunteers at the ready all day during yesterday’s Alabama Senate vote, and they’ve argued against vote-suppressing ID laws across the country. They’re also running a holiday donation match through December 20, so your donations could make double the impact.
• Your Local NAACP
  If your state, in particular, has issues with voting rights, donating to or volunteering with your local NAACP is a great way to fight back. They’ll know the specific needs of your area, and they almost always run get-out-the-vote campaigns you can help with.
• Let America Vote
  This organization uses a proactive, “boots on the ground” model to knock on doors and get the vote out. They also invest in earned media and advertisements that will “create political consequences” for politicians who propose or support voter suppression laws. “If someone makes it harder to vote,” they say, “we’re going to make it harder for them to win reelection.”
• Spread the Vote
  This organization helps to fight voter suppression by helping voters to get the IDs they need to vote. As they argue on their site, “voter ID laws are modern poll taxes. They have the intent and effect of suppressing the vote by people of color, poor people, and young people.” They focus on providing four key services: money, time, transportation, and bureaucracy. Through their site, you can either donate to help people get IDs or volunteer your time and transportation to get people to the polls.
• Indivisible
  The online tools at Indivisible make it easy for you to help get out the vote. You can easily text or call voters in key swing elections – even if you’re not in that state – to remind them to vote. (This is an especially helpful tool for blue-staters who want to do something active to support their red-state fellow progressives.) They also have tools to help you organize locally for your own elections.
• Voto Latino
  Voto Latino has evolved to focus on a host of issues, including BLAH and BLAH, but they began as a voter registration group and that’s remained their primary focus. They’ve registered more than 300,000 young voters, many of whom they reached by launching the country’s first text-to-register voter registration campaign. They’re also the minds behind National Voter Registration Day.

(Featured image via Shutterstock)

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