Advance the Freedom to Vote
Background
No matter our race, background, or zip code, most Americans believe that for democracy to work for everyone, it must include everyone. Yet the question of which Americans are granted the fundamental right to vote has been up for debate by politicians and others since the very foundation of the country, with the Constitution only granting the franchise to property-owning white men. Strong social movements in the nearly 250 years since have dramatically expanded who has the right to vote, but much work remains.
Bolstered by the rise in global fascist rhetoric, legislators in states across the country, have passed laws that intentionally make it harder to vote,[1] which particularly impact Black voters, Tribal communities and other voters of color, young voters, and rural voters. These antidemocratic tactics divide and distract communities while making it harder to pass laws that a majority of Americans favor. Laws that restrict voting have no place in a democracy and must be blocked at every opportunity.
At the same time, legislators in states around the country have used many strategies to make voting accessible, including for rural voters and members of Indigenous tribes that live on rural reservations. Rural voters face particular challenges: they are more likely to live far from their local elections office and their polling place and to have limited internet access, and they may not have an official post office address. Rural communities also often struggle for resources and to hire election and poll workers.[2]
To address these issues, first and foremost, state legislators can expand, rather than restrict, the freedom to vote. Policymakers can ensure that all Americans (regardless of physical abilities, criminal records, and language) can cast ballots in accessible and safe elections to make the promise of our democracy real for all. Restoring felon voting rights[3], creating transparent and multilingual voting information, updating voting information websites to be accessible for people with disabilities[4] and allowing alternative ID documentation[5] for folks in long-term care facilities are types of policies that expand the freedom to vote.
Other specific strategies to make voting more accessible are working well across the nation. Same-day registration allows voters to register or update their records up to or on Election Day. Automatic voter registration allows voters to register and keep their records updated during regular transactions with government agencies like the Department of Motor Vehicles. Voters in 21 states and Washington, DC, have access to these commonsense provisions.[6] Prepaid postage for mail ballots, accessible drop boxes,[7] and ballot tracking can help rural voters cast ballots conveniently and ensure their ballot is counted. Expanded mail voting, early in-person voting, no-excuse absentee ballots, coupled with accessible in-person voting options like countywide vote centers, can give rural voters, including those in rural Tribal Nations, the flexibility to cast a ballot on their own schedule.[8]
Legislators can address funding needs for local election offices by connecting with election administrators in rural communities, assessing resource needs, and striving to meet these needs in the state budget.
[1] Kramer Jenning, Linda. “How Young Voters Are Fighting Back against Voter Suppression.” YES! Magazine, 19 Aug. 2021, https://www.yesmagazine.org/democracy/2021/08/19/young-voters-push-back-voter-suppression.
[2] Rebala, Pratheek, et al. “How One Rural County Struggles to Find Polling Places.” Center for Public Integrity, 28 Dec. 2021, https://publicintegrity.org/politics/elections/ballotboxbarriers/rural-county-struggles-to-find-polling-places/.
[3] National Conference of State Legislators. “Brief Felon Voting Rights.” National Conference of State Legislatures, www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/felon-voting-rights. Accessed 23 Oct. 2024.
[4] National Conference of State Legislators. “Voters with Disabilities.” National Conference of State Legislatures, www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/voters-with-disabilities. Accessed 23 Oct. 2024.
[5] National Conference of State Legislators. “Voters in Long-Term Care Facilities.” National Conference of State Legislatures, www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/voters-in-long-term-care-facilities. Accessed 23 Oct. 2024.
[6] National Conference of State Legislatures. “Automatic Voter Registration.” National Conference of State Legislatures, https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/automatic-voter-registration
[7] BeMiller, Haley. “Report: Rural Voters Want More Drop Boxes, Early Voting as Ohio Republicans Aim to Limit Both.” The Columbus Dispatch, 17 Sept. 2021, https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2021/09/17/ohio-elections-rural-voters-want-more-drop-boxes-early-voting/8349314002/.
[8] National Conference of State Legislators. “Voting for All Americans.” National Conference of State Legislatures, www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/voting-for-all-americans. Accessed 23 Oct. 2024.
Policy Priorities
- Federal: The For the People Act would expand Americans’ access to the ballot box, reduce the influence of big money in politics, strengthen ethics rules for public servants, and implement other anti-corruption measures.
- Federal: Support bills like the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would advance voting access, curb partisan gerrymandering, improve our campaign finance system, defend against election sabotage, and restore protections against racially discriminatory voting laws.
- Federal: Pass the Vote at Home Act and allow all American voters to vote at home, provide pre-paid envelopes to return ballots, and automatically register citizens to vote at DMVs.
- Federal: Rural areas are home to many prisons and formerly incarcerated people. Laws preventing the formerly incarcerated from voting — holdovers from the Jim Crow era — disproportionately impact people of color and unjustly strip people of their most fundamental democratic rights. Restore the voting rights of formerly incarcerated people by passing the Democracy Restoration Act.
- State: Expand safe and accessible elections and the freedom to vote for all.
- State: Restore felon voting rights
- State: Establish same-day registration and automatic voter registration.
- State: Expand vote by mail and provide convenient ballot return options.
- State: Provide for convenient and accessible in-person voting locations and accessible voting information.
- State: Fund local rural election offices.
State Examples
- Minnesota (MN Statutes § 201.061) is one state with same-day registration and Colorado (2019 CO SB 235) has automatic voter registration
- Missouri (2024 MO HB 2243) considered a bill that would have repealed the deadline to register to vote and established same-day voter registration.
- In eight states, all registered voters automatically receive ballots in the mail and can return them by drop box,[9] mail, or in person at a polling location. Oregon (OR Rev. Stat. 254.470) is one of these.[10]
- Washington (WA Code § 29A.40.091) provides prepaid postage for mail ballots.
- Colorado (R.S. 1-5-102.9) requires accessible voting centers in addition to expansive mail voting options.
- California (2023 CA AB 544) introduced a bill to create a pilot program to enhance voting access for eligible incarcerated individuals.
- Hawaii (2024 HI HB 1879) passed a law to create a digital and physical voter guide accessible to disability screen readers and translated into the Native Hawaiian language.
- Nevada (2023 NV SB 216) allows enrolled tribal members to use the online voting system reserved for overseas troops and voters with disabilities and (2023 NV SB 327) built on previous bills addressing reservation-based polling and eliminating population requirements for reservation polling places.
- New Hampshire (2024 NH HB 1098) passed a law to allow county clerks to deliver to and process absentee ballots from assisted care and nursing homes.
.org/issues/21VBMElections.
Toolkits
Inspired? Ready to dig in on these issues with your rural neighbors? Our practical communications toolkits will help you connect with new communities through common values. The toolkits provide examples on narrative framing, press release templates, sample talking points, and more.
Click here for the communications toolkit on Advancing Rural America’s Freedom To Vote.