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Voting registration advocates grapple with new election laws
Even though 2021 is an odd year, it certainly hasn't been an off year for voter registration efforts.
Last year's presidential election saw record-high turnout, despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and voting rights advocates say they have seen that enthusiasm for civic engagement carry through 2021. For National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday, it's all hands on deck to keep the momentum going.
However, the biggest challenge for voting rights advocates has been helping voters, both new and returning, navigate the large number of election laws that have been enacted across the country this year. While some of the laws ease access to the ballot box, others impose new limits or tighter rules around voting.
Debate
Register young folks to vote. It's for the (political) culture.
Getting the younger generation civically engaged may actually be the key to defeating toxic polarization from which our nation is suffering, writes Layla Zaidane, president and CEO of Millennial Action Project.
Voter registration volunteers are crucial for democracy. They shouldn't be threatened with fines or felonies.
On National Voter Registration Day last year, community volunteers across the country helped 1.5 million voters get registered in the span of just 24 hours. But today, those same volunteers are being targeted by extreme, partisan anti-voting measures around the country, writes Robert Brandon, president and CEO of the Fair Elections Center, a nonpartisan voting rights and election reform organization.
Video
Video: National Voter Registration Day
National Voter Registration Day is celebrated annually on the fourth Tuesday in September to encourage citizens to register to vote.