Protect Our Democracy
How You Can Help Save the Democratic Process
Across the country, Republican-controlled state legislatures are eroding our democracy. They are using a range of tactics including undermining faith in our election system, introducing hundreds of bills aimed at suppressing voting rights, and installing election officials in key positions to overturn legitimate election results. Simultaneously, the redistricting process is underway and some will attempt to use gerrymandering to further rig the system in their favor.
Here’s what you can do about it.
Pass the Freedom to Vote Act
Federal legislation is necessary to end rampant voter suppression, combat corruption, and ensure our right to participate in democracy.
Earlier this year, Democrats attempted to pass the For the People Act - a landmark democracy reform bill that addresses years of erosion of our democracy. The House of Representatives passed the bill on March 3, 2021, advancing it to the Senate. On June 22, 2021, the Senate held a vote on whether to begin debate on the bill. All 50 Republican Senators voted against the measure. In response, Senate Democrats released a new bill, the Freedom to Vote Act. The bill is a compromise between progressives and moderates to protect access to the ballot box by:
Banning partisan gerrymandering.
Requiring automatic voter registration.
Making Election Day a federal holiday.
Expanding mail-in voting to every eligible citizen.
Restoring voting rights to formerly incarcerated people.
Protecting disenfranchised communities.
Reducing the influence of “dark money” by wealthy special interests by making political spending more transparent and modernizing campaign finance reforms.
Contact your Senators
Sign this petition by Indivisible and demand your Senators pass the Freedom to Vote Act.
Write a letter to the editor
Show your support for the Freedom to Vote Act and make sure your community understands the importance of what’s at stake. Visit Common Cause for step-by-step assistance. They help identify your local papers, provide talking points, and offer tips on how to structure your letter.
Talk to your friends and family
Reject bogus “election integrity” narratives and help ensure that friends and family are well-informed when confronting misinformation. Need some talking points? Learn more at Indivisible and Represent Us.
Restore the Voting Rights Act
While the Freedom to Vote Act is meant to expand voting rights across the board, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act will help to stop voter suppression in places where there is a history of suppression and disenfranchisement of marginalized groups (think: Black, Indigenous, and other voters of color).
We need both laws to ensure our right to participate in democracy.
In 2013, the Supreme Court gutted parts of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), allowing states to make changes to their election laws, voting processes, and rules without approval from the Department of Justice. The decision effectively stated that racial minorities no longer faced barriers to voting in states with a history of discrimination (think: southern states) and, therefore, no longer needed special protections. As a result, this year’s redistricting process will take place without the full protections of the VRA and could lead to further disenfranchisement of traditionally marginalized voters.
The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would fix the gaps left by the Supreme Court decision.
On October 5, 2021, the Senate introduced a modified John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (S.4), which now incorporates the Native American Voting Rights Act (NAVRA) as part of the bill. This is an important step forward for Native Americans who continue to face unique challenges when exercising their right to vote.
Sign this petition from the ACLU to demand your Members of Congress pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Join a local Indivisible chapter so you can track progress on the bill and know when the best time to contact your Senators is in order to increase your impact.
Join the movement to Stop Jim Crow 2
Stacey Abrams and Fair Fight have launched #StopJimCrow2 to pressure the Senate to pass both laws.
Learn more and join the fight at StopJimCrow2.com.
Check on your state’s voting rights record
The Brennan Center reports that as of July 14, 2021, more than 400 bills with restrictive provisions have been introduced by legislators in 49 states. And, 30 laws in 18 states have already been enacted.
Find out what’s happening in your state using the Brennan Center’s State Voting Bills Tracker 2021.
Vote! And support a democratic voting process for all
Your vote is one of the most powerful tools to make your voice heard and hold elected officials accountable. Yet new voter suppression laws are being enacted across the country. And supporters of the debunked Stop the Steal movement are taking over positions in election administration, particularly in swing states, in an effort to overturn legitimate election results. Learn more and take action with our Voting Matters guide.
Increase your civic engagement
Civic engagement (aka civic participation) is about being involved in and caring about your community. Civic participation is core to democracy. Democracy only works when citizens are well informed and actively engaged. And not just on election day. Yet, civic engagement and trust in the federal government have been declining in the United States for decades. Learn more and get involved with our How To Increase Civic Engagement guide.
Contact your elected officials
You can use the power of your voice to protect democracy by contacting elected officials directly, organizing with fellow members of your community, putting public pressure on elected officials to meet your demands, and holding them accountable when they don’t. Learn more in our How To Contact Your Reps guide. Not sure who your reps are? We break down positions at the local, state, and federal level in our Who Are My Reps guide.
Run for office!
In many smaller communities, candidates often run unopposed. This is also true for more obscure positions in larger cities. We need people who believe in election integrity and the democratic process to run for office. Learn more at Run for Something.
Learn the difference between redistricting and gerrymandering
We must keep pressure on states to end gerrymandering through fair and transparent redistricting as we work to pass federal legislation.
Redistricting takes place every ten years after census data is received. Since 2020 was a census year, redistricting is currently underway. Under normal circumstances, states should have received census data by the end of March 2021 and completed their redistricting by the end of summer 2021. Due to the pandemic and several census-related controversies, the process has been delayed and is still ongoing.
In the absence of federal legislation, this means that there is still time to take action to end gerrymandering and demand that fair redistricting maps are drawn at the state level. Check on your state’s timeline at Common Cause.
Redistricting
The process of adjusting how congressional and legislative maps are drawn. When redistricting is implemented correctly, it ensures that representatives across a state have equal numbers of constituents, that voter blocks have fair representation, and that no one political party unfairly benefits over another.
Gerrymandering
The manipulation of electoral district boundaries to consolidate blocks of voters sympathetic to the party in power and isolate those in opposition to the party. When districts are gerrymandered, they are drawn in ways that can make races less competitive, ignore the will of the voters, and further marginalize under-represented communities. It undermines our democracy, robbing people of the power of their vote. Gerrymandering generally happens one of two ways:
Cracking. This technique splits voters who are likely to vote the same way across districts. Cracking helps to ensure that voters of the opposing party’s voices are diluted by reducing the chances of getting their preferred candidate into office.
Packing. This technique does the opposite to get the same results. Packing crams as people as many people as possible from specific demographics (think: Black voters) into one (or a few) districts. When diverse voters are not spread out across the state, it allows candidates or parties who do not support their interests to win more easily.
End gerrymandering at the state level
Without federal legislation, here are a few ways you can take action to end gerrymandering in your state:
Demand fair, transparent, and accountable redistricting
It just takes a few minutes to contact your state legislators to let them know you want:
Redistricting committee meetings to have advance notice and be open to the public.
Maps and census data provided for public comment and input.
Maps to be evaluated against impartial criteria.
Pro tip: do an internet search for a fair redistricting petition in your state to use as your template and for location-specific talking points.
Join in collective action with fellow community members
Join a local Indivisible chapter.
Get involved with the League of Women Voters’ People Powered Fair Maps Campaign.
Become a redistricting advocate using Common Cause’s handbook on redistricting reform.
Volunteer with All On The Line.
You’ll learn to advocate for redistricting reform by attending events and trainings, contacting your reps, writing a letter to the editor, or hosting a Q&A event, among others. Reform demands include:
Install independent commissions in charge of drawing districts (as is currently the case in Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Montana, Washington).
Require commissions to draw districts that are composed of reasonably equal numbers of people, and with district boundaries that are sensibly shaped.
Ensure districts maximize representation for “communities of interest” including racial, ethnic, and language communities, among others, who are drastically underrepresented in Congress and state legislatures.
Select a computer-generated map that meets the above goals, complies with the Voting Rights Act, and does not favor or discriminate against incumbents, candidates, or parties.
When the time comes: Elect state legislators who support redistricting reform
Search for voter guides that provide candidates’ positions on redistricting and gerrymandering.
Ask their stance on redistricting reform and stopping gerrymandering (via social media, letters to the editor, and at town halls, etc.).
Need talking points? Learn more at Indivisible. They break down how redistricting works, how to find out about the redistricting laws in your state, and how to become a redistricting advocate.
Advocate for a fair, accurate, and inclusive census
Every ten years, census data is used to redraw district boundaries, affecting which party controls Congress, state, and local governments. The census determines the number of seats each state has in the House of Representatives and Electoral College. Some states may lose seats, while others may gain seats. State legislators and many county and municipal officials are also elected by district. Districting also determines which candidates appear on the ballot, impacting whether or not your elected officials are responsive to your needs as a constituent.
Historically, Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) and immigrant communities are undercounted by the national census. This has long-lasting consequences in addition to gerrymandering. Census data determines where and how billions of tax dollars are distributed (think: schools, government programs, infrastructure projects) and when communities are undercounted they are underfunded.
Although the 2020 Census is complete, advocates are still working to make sure that data is tallied accurately. Look for upcoming opportunities to advocate for a fair, accurate, and inclusive census and ensure all communities are counted.
Donate | Follow | Amplify
These national groups are leading efforts to defend the democratic process. Donate to support their work. Follow for updates and urgent action alerts. Amplify their messages to raise awareness.
Or dig deeper and learn more about what local grassroots groups are doing on the frontlines to defend voting rights and protect democracy. Learn from, take action with, and donate to grassroots organizations in your area.
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Learn more in our How To Be An Everyday Activist guide.
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Updated October 5, 2021.
Guides identify both fast actions that you can take in under five minutes and more time-intensive actions that deepen your engagement. Our fast actions tend to be time-bound, as a result, some posts in the archive may contain expired links. Not to fret, we also recommend anytime actions that never go out of date.
