Read a PDF of our statement here.
LDF Launches National “Reclaim Your Vote” Campaign to Combat Voter Suppression
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is launching Reclaim Your Vote, a national voter education and registration campaign in direct response to voter suppression tactics designed to disenfranchise voters of color.
“Never has there been a more important time for LDF to confront voter suppression, one of the most damaging vestiges of discrimination,” said Sherrilyn Ifill, LDF’s President and Director-Counsel. “Fear has no place in our democracy. Reclaim Your Vote is about reclaiming the long-fought-for principles of the Voting Rights Act – equity, representation and justice for all.”
The campaign seeks to expand on the work LDF is already doing to provide accurate information about voting in the face of misinformation and fear, including a web page providing resources to help people register to reclaim their right to vote. It also seeks to stop voters from deregistering out of fear of President Trump’s so-called Voter Integrity Commission, a thinly veiled attempt to undermine the democratic process and intimidate communities of color. Since the creation of the commission, election officials and organizations dedicated to registering voters are reporting a disturbing number of voters canceling the registration and unregistered voters deciding not to register.
“Our democracy thrives when all voters have their say at the polls,” said Janai Nelson, LDF Associate Director-Counsel. “We are proud to protect voters of color from attacks on their rights.”
As part of the campaign, Voto Latino will join LDF for a #ReclaimYourVote tweetstorm on Wednesday, Oct. 11 using multilingual content and graphics to encourage voter registration and help voters understand their rights.
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Founded in 1940, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the nation’s first civil and human rights law organization and has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund or LDF.
