The United States has a long history of denying voting rights to its citizens, including people of color, women and young people. While we have seen gains in voting rights and access in recent decades, we also have witnessed a wave of efforts to deny voting rights through state actions such as instituting onerous voter ID laws, limiting access to voting by mail, purging voter rolls, restricting voting rights of returning citizens and other measures. In a number of Southern states, the massive turnout among voters of color in the November 2020 election has prompted a resurgence of efforts to create barriers to voting.

Securing full access to voting and robust voter participation requires a multi-pronged approach entailing voter registration and mobilization, voter protection, the enactment of fair election laws, equitable redistricting and litigation.

The Vote Your Voice initiative will provide two-year grants to organizations in five Southern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi) to work on a range of activities to secure full voter participation and achieve equitable representation.