NOW is the time to SPEAK UP FOR VOTING RIGHTS!

Thursday marked the 50th anniversary of the passage of the 26th Amendment, expanding democracy by lowering the voting age from 21 to 18. So, it was a fitting day for You Can Vote to send off our 2021 Civic Fellows. These 38 diverse student leaders represent 19 North Carolina college campuses. They came together to learn non-profit leadership skills, become savvy citizens, and educate voters. I was blown away by their passion for making change and eagerness to learn effective strategies for advancing the right to vote. 

Also on Thursday, the US Supreme Court delivered another blow to the Voting Rights Act (VRA). It brought back memories of the 2013 Shelby v. Holder decision which dismantled key protections in the VRA. Following that decision, a bill introduced by North Carolina lawmakers that enacted major restrictions to voting became law. 

In 2016, despite being implemented, the US Supreme Court ruled the NC law unconstitutional for targeting African American citizens' votes with “surgical precision.” The law also targeted student voters, eliminating same-day voter registration at early voting sites and adding a strict photo ID requirement that excluded student IDs. It was because of that 2013 law that I founded You Can Vote to help citizens navigate the consequences of dismantling protections of the VRA. Since then, every election cycle has seen new changes to election laws aimed at limiting participation. 

Understandably, students questioned the efficacy of lobbying to ensure their path to voting. What could I say? I believe the intent of our democracy was for lawmakers to respond to the biggest issues of our time. In North Carolina, we passed that point when the state was racially gerrymandered after the 2010 census. It became a slippery slope that has led us to where we are today: people ruled by lawmakers immune to accountability and intent on dismantling the right to vote. I’m grateful these students have beat the odds and voted once or more despite these conditions.

Back to Thursday. I gave my best wishes to and encouraged our students to continue empowering others. How do you inspire future leaders when the vote and democracy itself are being eroded? How do they inspire their peers to participate in a system that doesn’t listen, doesn’t act, and fails to protect our most fundamental rights? 

So my message to our 2021 Civic Fellows is...it’s time to SPEAK UP. 

Congress must act NOW to protect the right to vote and secure our democracy.  We cannot wait for another election. Democracy delayed is democracy denied, and for the citizens of North Carolina, it’s gone on long enough. 

Use your voice. Speak out NOW using all of the platforms and networks at your disposal. Personally ask everyone you know to speak up too. With one voice, we must demand Congress act now to preserve and protect our right to vote. And don’t stop asking. I hope John Lewis inspires and guides you with his words and work that you should be proud to carry on, with discipline and persistence. “If not us, then who? If not now, then when?” - John Lewis