CREDO Tip: Incredible voter resources from the ACLU

Next Tuesday is National Voter Registration Day, and we’re working hard to ensure our members are registered to vote and that everyone can participate in the most important election in generations. We’re building voter resources and guides to help you vote, while funding great progressive groups working to defend our voting rights.

One of our incredible allies in this fight is the American Civil Liberties Union, who are experts on voting laws and protecting our rights at the ballot box. Over the years, thanks to our members, CREDO has donated nearly $1.4 million to the ACLU, and the group is up for a share of our monthly donation this September.

This year, the ACLU has developed comprehensive voter resources to help you and others vote safely and navigate the troubles you might face during this unprecedented election. We’ve compiled some of these resources in a quick blog post so you know your voting rights and learn how to register, get your ballot, and vote safely by mail or in person.

Visit the ACLU’s “Let People Vote” resource

The ACLU’s “Let People Vote” website is a one-stop resource to find all the information you need to vote by mail in this election. Visit the site and choose your state, where you’ll find important deadlines for requesting and mailing your absentee ballot as well as links to check your voter registration and helpful tips to ensure your ballot is delivered correctly. 

The ACLU also includes additional state-specific information, like voter eligibility (Yes, you can vote in Indiana if you’ve been previously incarcerated) and action the ACLU is taking in the courts right now to protect your vote.

Visit the ACLU’s “Let People Vote” website.

Learn about your voting rights 

Many people will face significant challenges accessing their right to vote this year because of a fundamentally unequal process that is rigged against people of color, seniors, immigrants and other marginalized communities. It will become that much more difficult amid a pandemic as some states and local governments will force voters to choose between their health and exercising their right to cast a ballot, while Trump and others in his administration are actively working to spread misinformation and reduce public confidence in the postal service and our election systems.

The ACLU has compiled a great guide for knowing your voting rights, including what you’ll need to register to vote, documentation you may need on Election Day, and what to do if a poll worker says you’re not registered to vote. Here are some quick links to the topics they cover:

• I need to register to vote
• I need to find my polling place
• I’m not sure what to bring to the polls
• I want to vote before Election Day
• What are my general rights on Election Day?
• The poll worker says my name is not on the list of registered voters
• I am a voter with a disability
• I speak English less than “very well”
• Someone is interfering with my right to vote

Subscribe to the ACLU’s “At the Polls” podcast series

If you’re like many of us here at CREDO, you can’t get enough election news and information. The ACLU just launched “At the Polls”, a weekly mini-series on this election and all things voting. 

The first episode, “What Will Election Night Look Like in a Global Pandemic?,” features host and ACLU voting rights lawyer and organizer Molly McGrath who talks to election law scholar Rick Hasen and election administrator Rachel Rodriguez about what to expect in this year’s election. 

Listen to the “At the Polls” podcast mini-series here.

Watch: CREDO Votes 2020 Live with the ACLU’s Cecillia Wang

This August, we hosted a livestream discussion with Cecillia Wang, the ACLU’s Deputy Legal Director and Director of the Center for Democracy, who gave a very important presentation on voting rights, voter suppression and the ways the ACLU has been working to fight for everyone’s right to vote, particularly in the upcoming election.

If you missed it, you can watch the discussion here:

Vote for the ACLU on CREDO’s donations ballot

As you may know, CREDO sets aside funds each month — at no extra cost to our customers — to donate to three organizations making positive change. This September, the ACLU joins Color of Change and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund to receive a portion of our monthly donations to progressive nonprofits.

Click here to vote and help us distribute these funds among these three great organizations.