Don’t just sit there, do something

Since the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013, there has been a resurgence of state-sponsored voter suppression that is targeting communities of color “with almost surgical precision.” Already this year, states have purged their voter rolls, blocked rights restoration efforts, slashed polling place numbers, restricted early voting, allowed discriminatory voter ID laws and limited access to voting by mail. There’s no question that these unjust voter suppression tactics are successful. Black and brown people, women and young people have historically been denied access to the ballot box, and this crucial election year is no exception. In response to the heightened need to ensure voting is safe and accessible for all people, especially in the Deep South, we launched the SPLC’s Vote Your Voice initiative to help support voter registration and mobilization efforts in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.  Today, the Southern Poverty Law Center announced the first round of Vote Your Voice grants to 12 voter outreach organizations across the Deep South as part of the $30 million voter mobilization initiative. Each organization submitted an innovative and exhaustive proposal to boost voter registration, education and mobilization in the midst of a once-in-a-century pandemic. The organizations announced below have records of achievement in their communities registering, educating and mobilizing voters of color, young people, low-income people and returning citizens, and we are thrilled to support their work and engage more people in civil participation in the South. Black Voters Matter  Dream Defenders Florida Rights Restoration Coalition New Florida Majority Education Fund, Inc Organize Florida  Georgia Coalition for the Peoples’ Agenda The New Georgia Project ProGeorgia  Power Coalition for Equity and Justice Voice of the Experienced  Mississippi Votes One Voice Click here to read more about the 12 Vote Your Voice grantee organizations who will be working to empower voters of color and ensure more voters in the Deep South will have a say in the direction of our country as we deal with the pandemic fallout and reckon with injustices. We are also excited to announce that the SPLC and the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta opened the application process today for a second round of grants across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. The magnitude of social justice problems facing communities of color, especially in the Deep South, can often feel overwhelming. We are proud to support trusted and successful community organizations in a serious effort to leverage political power through the ballot box to promote community empowerment and self-determination in a way that leads to a more equitable and just society. Thank you for your commitment to this work — your dedication to fighting voter suppression and white supremacy helped make the Vote Your Voice initiative possible. In solidarity, Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center