Dear MoveOn member,
The coronavirus pandemic is not only a public health crisis and economic calamity, it is also a grave threat to our elections and our democracy.
With the coronavirus ravaging our communities, and public health officials predicting that a second wave of infections will be even more deadly in the fall, we simply cannot afford to have tens of millions of Americans leave their homes to stand in long lines at crowded polling stations on Election Day.1
That's why Congress must immediately pass legislation to protect voting rights and ensure every single voter can cast their ballot safely and securely—even as this pandemic drags on.
But there's a big obstacle in our way: Donald Trump and the Republican Senate led by Mitch McConnell. Trump knows that protecting the right to vote hurts his chances of being re-elected. Trump said so himself: If voting is protected, made easier, and turnout is increased, "you'd never have a Republican elected in this country again."2 That's why Trump is relying on disgusting voter suppression tactics to propel him to a second term. And McConnell has repeatedly shown he has no interest in protecting our elections or strengthening the ability of Americans to vote.
Mar, we can't let Trump exploit the coronavirus pandemic, suppress votes, and cheat his way to victory. But we may not have much time to save voting rights for this November's election. As one New York magazine headline put it: "The Next Coronavirus Bill Is Democrats' Last Chance to Ensure a Fair Election."3
That's why MoveOn is launching an urgent campaign to protect voting rights in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic by flooding Congress with calls and placing ads in key districts and states demanding that Congress include in the next coronavirus bill measures to ensure that every single voter can cast their ballot safely and securely and that Trump and the Republicans don't try any dirty tricks to suppress the vote between now and Election Day.
On average, MoveOn's monthly donors chip in about $12 a month. Can you chip in $12 a month to help keep this campaign going for as long as it takes?
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Here are some of the critical provisions, put forward in a bold plan by Senator Elizabeth Warren, that your contribution will help fight for.4 Together, we will demand that Congress take these steps:
- Give every single American the option to securely vote by mail, so that voters can cast their vote from home and not risk getting sick traveling to and from polling places.
- Ensure that all Americans can register to vote safely and easily, including online.
- Ban states from purging their voter rolls and disenfranchising voters, especially voters of color.
- Expand early voting to help prevent overcrowding and promote physical distancing.
- Safeguard the integrity of our elections by requiring that states put in place robust ballot-tracking tools to ensure voters can follow their ballot at every step.
Mar, if we don't act now to protect voting rights, Trump and the GOP will have free rein to exploit the coronavirus pandemic, disenfranchise voters, and steal the November elections.
We simply cannot allow that to happen.
Can you chip in $12 a month to help flood Congress with calls and place ads in key districts and states demanding that Congress protect the right to vote and ensure that every single voter can cast their ballot safely and securely in November? (The average gift from a MoveOn monthly donor is about $12 a month, but whatever you can afford will go a long way.)
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Mar, if Congress fails to do its job and protect the vote, the consequences will be deadly.
Just two weeks ago, conservatives forced Wisconsin to hold in-person elections—even while the coronavirus ravaged the state. Tens of thousands of voters in Wisconsin were forced to choose between risking their life in order to vote or being shut out of our democratic process.
As a result of holding in-person elections, Wisconsin public health officials say at least 19 people—both voters and poll workers—became infected with the coronavirus.5
Imagine what could happen when hundreds of millions of us go to the polls this November if we don't take action.
That is unacceptable. And it is exactly why we must do everything in our power to pressure Congress to pass legislation to protect voting rights and ensure every single voter can cast their ballot safely and securely.
Voting safely and securely isn't just a Democratic issue. Many Republican voters and independents and many residents of "red" states are eager to cast their ballot and will be rightfully scared of what that may mean in the midst of a pandemic. Ensuring the ability to vote from home, vote early, and avoid crowded polling places—while ensuring that polling places are adequately staffed to reduce lines—is critical to all Americans. That's why there is a chance to pressure Republicans to act—because many of their constituents risk disenfranchisement because of the pandemic if Congress doesn't take action.
Will you chip in $12 a month to help to pressure Congress to protect voting rights in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic? (The average gift from a MoveOn monthly donor is about $12 a month, but whatever you can afford will go a long way.)
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Thanks for all you do.
–Chris, Cheryl, Olga, Emma, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "CDC director warns second wave of coronavirus is likely to be even more devastating," The Washington Post, April 21, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/120064?t=8&akid=262430%2E10220574%2EyINHBJ
2. "Trump says Republicans would 'never' be elected again if it was easier to vote," The Guardian, March 30, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/119515?t=10&akid=262430%2E10220574%2EyINHBJ
3. "Next Coronavirus Bill Is Last Chance to Save the Election," New York, April 7, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/120065?t=12&akid=262430%2E10220574%2EyINHBJ
4. "Warren releases plan to secure elections during coronavirus pandemic," The Hill, April 7, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/120066?t=14&akid=262430%2E10220574%2EyINHBJ
5. "19 new cases of coronavirus in Wisconsin linked to election activities: State health officials," ABC News, April 21, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/120067?t=16&akid=262430%2E10220574%2EyINHBJ
Want to support our work? The MoveOn community will work every moment, day by day and year by year, to resist Trump's agenda, contain the damage, defeat hate with love, and begin the process of swinging the nation's pendulum back toward sanity, decency, and the kind of future that we must never give up on. And to do it we need your ongoing support, now more than ever. Will you stand with us?
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
PAID FOR BY MOVEON
This email was sent to Mar Alfaro on April 23, 2020. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.
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