Voting rights activists say Democrats in Washington need to do their job

Enlarge this image

Activists have held rallies near the White House to put pressure on President Biden to do more to protect voting rights.

Alex Wong/Getty Images

hide caption

toggle caption

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Enlarge this image

Vice President Harris speaks to reporters after Republican senators voted to block debate on another major voting rights bill pushed by congressional Democrats.

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images

hide caption

toggle caption

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images

Politics
Republicans want more eyes on election workers. Experts worry about their intent

Politics
After attacks on the 2020 election, secretary of state races take on new urgency

For his part, Biden has said he would be open to a move to «fundamentally alter» the filibuster, but not until his spending bills passed in Congress.

The White House says the administration is pursuing a multipronged approach to protecting voting rights that includes calling on Congress to pass legislation and executive actions, but also organizing and other tools.

The White House points to the executive order that Biden signed in March to promote voting rights. And Harris announced a $25 million expansion of the Democratic National Committee’s «I Will Vote» program, which focuses on voter protection, education and registration.

Democrats lean on tech for voter rolls

DNC Chair Jaime Harrison described this as a «break the glass» moment in which the party must be more «proactive» about protecting the right to vote.

He pointed to one way Democrats are using technology to combat what they label voter suppression efforts.

«Somebody could have voted in the last few elections, but because they miss one election, they get a postcard sent in by the Republican Election Commission in some state. and if they don’t turn that postcard in, then they are purged from the voter rolls,» Harrison said by way of example.

«We’re able to get their contact information to have our canvassers and our organizers get in contact with them,» he continued. «We are even able to match them up to social media data so that we can get in contact with them and say, ‘Hey, listen, you have just been purged from the Georgia voter rolls. Do you want to register to vote again?’ «

But when it comes to federal legislation, Harrison also said he believes Congress must move as quickly as possible.

«It’s important that we accelerate the pace here in order to really have an impact, particularly on the 2022 election cycle, to make sure that not one American is prohibited from exercising the right to vote,» he said.

The Justice Department has also doubled its voting rights enforcement staff, and sued Georgia and, just Thursday, Texas over voting restrictions.

Politics
The Biden administration is suing Texas over its new voting law

New concerns in Virginia

Frustration among activists isn’t limited to states where ballot access has been restricted. There are also fears of what could come in the future.

In Virginia, ballot access has been expanded under Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam. But some activists worry that the state could veer back to its long-held restrictions on voting rights.

«The way that I voted when I first moved here is not the same way that I can vote now. It is so much easier. There is a 45-day early voting period. People no longer need their photo ID to vote,» said Maya Castillo, the political director of New Virginia Majority. «I don’t want to lose all that.»

Castillo was helping to organize a group of canvassers in her Fairfax, Va., neighborhood a little more than a week before Republican Glenn Youngkin won that state’s governor’s race, though the party does not control the state General Assembly.

Now, many activists warn that if Democrats in Washington can’t do more to protect the right to vote, losses could be on the horizon in 2022 and beyond.

• 2021 Voting Series