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Protecting and Expanding Voting Rights Across the Nation

Idea Category: Defending Democracy

This week, NewDEALers across the country have made progress on protecting and expanding voting rights for all Americans, even as legislative attacks on these core rights continue. In Maine, NewDEAL Leader Speaker of the House Ryan Fecteau’s Act to Establish Ongoing Absentee Voting was passed by the house, and if made law, will establish a process for voters to request ongoing absentee voter status for all future elections. In Nevada, a bill co-sponsored by NewDEAL Leaders Speaker of the Assembly Jason Frierson and Assemblymember Teresa Benitez-Thompson aimed at expanding voting access was signed into law last week, making universal mail-in ballots permanent for both primary and general elections. But state action won’t be enough to withstand the assault on voter access, a key motivation behind NewDEAL Alumna Stacey Abrams’ new Hot Call Summer campaign to mobilize young voters of color around the federal For the People Act to protect voting rights. To track the state of legislative efforts to expand or restrict voting rights, check out the Brennan Center’s State Voting Bills Tracker for a list of efforts across the country and watch our Voting Rights in the States virtual program from earlier this spring.