Time is ??? ?? ?? ???running out to make sure everyone is registered to vote in the United States presidential election on Nov. 3. The stakes have heightened even further given the recent death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which leaves five conservative-leaning judges and three liberal ones. Her passing has inspired a surge in voter registration across the country.
Besides voting and encouraging others to vote, what you can do to ensure as many people as possible head to the polls this year, whether in person or by mail?
Well, you can donate to organizations that register voters, help educate people about their voting options, and rally them to cast their ballot. These efforts are nonpartisan, meaning groups don't tell people who to vote for, but rather, remind them that they shouldvote and how they can go about it.
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Mashable reached out to the American Civil Liberties Union for recommendations of organizations that are doing meaningful work in this area. One of these organizations is the ACLU themselves: The group has dedicated resources to educating and empowering Americans to vote since the founding of its Voting Rights Project in 1965
You can help each organization advance voter engagement and feel assured that your dollars are going toward strengthening our democracy.
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union has been at the forefront, defending Americans' constitutional rights since 1920 with its team of attorneys. The nonpartisan nonprofit has filed more than 20 lawsuits in states across the country so people living there can safely vote. In addition to its litigation efforts, it's launched the Let People Vote campaign to inform people on their voting rights and how to vote by mail in their state, and to notify them of election deadlines along with voting tips.
The ACLU has also released its inaugural episode of its mini-series podcast "At the Polls," an offshoot of its "At Liberty" podcast, to answer top questions about the 2020 election — like, how long will it take for election results to be revealed? (Hint: The final count will likely come after election night.) The podcast will offer new episodes every Tuesday through election day.
Donate here to support the ACLU's legal and advocacy efforts. Some of your money will also go toward its get-out-the-vote work.
When We All Vote
When We All Vote was started in 2018 by former First Lady Michelle Obama, actor Tom Hanks, playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, singer and actor Janelle Monáe, and others in an effort to get more people to vote.
Some of the nonpartisan group's initiatives to get out the vote include:
Texting teams: Every Tuesday and Thursday thousands of volunteers join When We All Vote to text eligible voters to help them get registered and make a plan to vote.
Fuel the Vote: On Sept. 19, the nonprofit started hosting in-person, socially-distanced voter registration and food drive events in nine cities across the U.S.
My School Votes: With this program, schools become hubs to sign up students to vote and educate them about the process.
Donate to When We All Vote's Registered and Ready fund here to support its work to get people to vote and recruiting and managing volunteers and poll workers.
Florida Rights Restoration Coalition
The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition works to ensure the voting rights of formerly incarcerated people, or "returning citizens," in Florida. In 2018, Floridians overwhelmingly voted "yes" on Amendment 4 to restore voting rights to residents who had felony convictions. This returned voting rights to about 1.2 million people. Later, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law which requires the enfranchised voters to pay off all their court debts or they can't vote.
The coalition pays for the fines, fees, and court costs for returning citizens so they can vote. The average amount is $1,500 for each person. You can donate to its fines and fees fund here; 100 percent of it goes to this cause.
Formerly incarcerated Floridians can also check their voting rights status on the coalition's website. The grassroots group works to inform this population about their right to vote, with dedicated staff members who go out in the community to speak face-to-face with them. During the pandemic, the organization relies less on in-person contact and more on tools like phone banking to reach people.
You can donate money directly to the coalition here; some of the donations help register formerly incarcerated Floridians to vote. However, the coalition is heavily encouraging people to donate to its fines and fees fund as this directly removes barriers to voting.
"The first time I had the experience of having someone break down crying because we told them some information like that [that they could vote under Amendment 4], it was phenomenal, and it kept happening," said Brandon Walthour, a communications fellow with the coalition.
League of Women Voters
Leaders of the suffrage movement started the League of Women Voters six months before the 19th amendment was ratified in 1920. Its education fund was created in 1957 to work on issues like voter registration for all people. Today its online voter education tool, vote 411, informs people of their voting options as well as voting requirements, election registration deadlines, polling locations, and other important information. This is especially important for this upcoming election, in which many states have adapted the rules so people may vote by mail during the pandemic.
Donate here and click "Support LWVEF (C3)" to give money to help the League of Women Voters register voters and inform them about voting (including candidate forums and debates).
Rock the Vote
Rock the Vote taps into the power of young people to build their political power through voter registration efforts, providing information about elections, and reducing barriers to vote. The nonpartisan group was started in 1990 by music executives in response to the censorship of hip-hop music.
Here are some of its get-out-the-vote efforts:
Mobilizing volunteers to inspire young people to vote
Offering a nonpartisan high school curriculum about the importance of voting and the history of voting rights in America that also pre-registers and registers students to vote
Providing an online hub with voting information for every state
Sharing ideas for how people can get their family, friends, and community to vote
Offering a voter registration event toolkit, so anyone can sign up people to vote virtually or in-person (socially distanced)
Donate here to help support Rock the Voter's get out the vote efforts.
HeadCount
HeadCount registers people to vote at concerts and online. Since 2004, the nonpartisan nonprofit says it's signed up over 600,000 voters at concerts featuring artists like Ariana Grande and Beyoncé and through large-scale music events like Lollapalooza.
Now with the pandemic and fewer opportunities for people to gather in person to hear their favorite musicians, HeadCount and the advocacy organization Global Citizen have launched the Just Vote campaign. When people check their voter registration status, they have the chance to win prizes, like a virtual dance lesson with the performer Usher and his choreographer, or a virtual hangout session with singer Meghan Trainor.
People can get involved with HeadCount's Text Out the Vote program, where volunteers text new voters and those unlikely to vote.
HeadCount also released a toolkit so anyone can register voters wherever they are through QR codes and texts. They also have a voting guide that provides details on voting in every state.
Donate here, and your money will go to support HeadCount's Text Out the Vote program.
Topics Activism Social Good