150+ Groups: We Can Protect Democracy Even as We Safeguard Our Health

Congress must provide $4 billion to ensure that no voter is left out

WASHINGTON – The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, our Voting Rights Task Force co-chairs, and more than 150 organizations called on Congress to fully fund and direct states and counties to administer the 2020 elections in a safe, fair, and accessible manner. The groups advocated for the implementation of vote-by-mail, the expansion of early voting, and viable in-person voting options.

“Congress must provide states with at least $4 billion to prepare for the 2020 November and primary elections, and time is of the essence. In the last coronavirus response package, Congress provided only $400 million to states for election assistance. While a step in the right direction, that sum will defray only a fraction of the costs associated with implementing the necessary adjustments to safeguard the electoral process. In its next package, Congress must provide at least an additional $3.6 billion to help states prepare for 2020 elections amidst the COVID-19 crisis,” the groups wrote.

“Although large numbers of Americans will vote by mail this year, in-person voting options remain essential for the 2020 elections to be truly fair and accessible. In-person voting is still necessary, notwithstanding the challenges posed by COVID-19, because many communities in America simply will not have full and fair access to the election without in-person voting options and for others it is their preferred option,” said the groups. “Accordingly, we must provide safe and effective in-person voting options, in order to prevent disenfranchising any American. Unless we do so, marginalized communities will be locked out of this election.”

The letter is available here, and is signed by the following groups (this list will continue to be updated*):

• The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
• Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law**
• MALDEF**
• NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.**
• 9to5
• A. Philip Randolph Institute
• ACCESS
• ADL (Anti-Defamation League)
• Advancement Project National Office
• AFL-CIO
• African American Ministers In Action
• Alliance for Youth Action
• American Association of University Women (AAUW)
• American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
• American Federation of Teachers
• American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
• Andrew Goodman Foundation
• APIA Vote-MI
• Arab American Institute (AAI)
• Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC)
• Bend the Arc Jewish Action
• Brave New Films
• Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
• Campaign Legal Center
• Can’t Stop! Won’t Stop! Consulting
• Center for American Progress
• Center for Civic Policy
• Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice
• Center for Disability Rights
• Center for Independence of the Disabled, NY
• Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
• Center for Media and Democracy
• Center for Public Representation
• Center for Science and Democracy – Union of Concerned Scientists
• Central American Resource Center
• Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
• Clean Elections Texas
• Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy, & Research Organization (CLLARO)
• Common Cause
• Common Cause Florida
• Common Cause New Mexico
• Communications Workers of America
• Community Change Action
• Community Votes
• Council on American Islamic Relations Connecticut (CAIR CT)
• Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
• Courts Matter Illinois
• CPC – Chinese-American Planning Council
• Declaration for American Democracy
• Demand Justice
• Democracy 21
• Democracy Matters
• Democracy Nashville/Democratic Communities
• Demos
• Earthjustice
• Economic Policy Institute
• Education Advocacy Representation & Leadership for Youth – MO
• Equal Citizens
• Equality California
• Fair Elections Center
• Fair Fight Action
• FairVote
• Fix Democracy First
• Generation Progress
• Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda
• Greenpeace USA
• Hispanic Federation
• Human Rights Campaign
• Impact Fund
• In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda
• Indigenous Women Rising
• Indivisible
• Inspired by Common Cause
• Jewish Council for Public Affairs
• Labor Council for latin American Advancement
• Lambda Legal
• League of Conservation Voters
• League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
• League of Women Voters of the United States
• MapLight
• Maryland PIRG
• Matthew Shepard Foundation
• Minnesota Alliance for Democracy
• Missouri Voter Protection Coalition
• Muslim Advocates
• Muslim Public Affairs Council
• NAACP
• NALEO Educational Fund
• NARAL Pro-Choice America
• National Action Network
• National Association of Social Workers
• National Association of Social Workers, CT Chapter
• National Bar Association
• National Center for Learning Disabilities
• National Center for Transgender Equality
• National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA)
• National Disability Rights Network
• National Education Association
• National Employment Lawyers Association
• National Organization for Women
• National Partnership for Women & Families
• National Redistricting Foundation
• National Urban League Young Professionals
• Native American Rights Fund
• NCJW Chicago North Shore
• NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
• New American Welcome Center at the University YMCA
• New Mexicans for Money Out of Politics
• New Mexico Immigrant Law Center
• New Mexico Thrives
• New York Immigration Coalition
• North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT)
• Northeast Ohio Voter Advocates
• Northwest Kenyan Community Association
• NYS Elections Commissioner Association
• OCA – New York Chapter
• OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates
• Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund
• Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy
• OneAmerica
• Our Maryland
• Parents for Public Schools, Inc.
• Peace Action
• People For the American Way
• PFLAG National
• Phillips Temple CME Church
• Planned Parenthood Action Fund
• Progressive Turnout Project
• ProgressNow Education Fund
• Public Citizen
• Represent Maryland
• RepresentUs
• Rock the Vote
• SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center
• Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
• Sierra Club
• Sierra Club Maine
• Silver State Equality-Nevada
• SMART Elections
• Sojourners
• SPLC Action Fund
• Spread The Vote
• Stand Up America
• TASH, Inc.
• Texas Civil Rights Project
• Texas Progressive Action Network
• Transformative Justice Coalition
• UnidosUS
• Union for Reform Judaism
• United Mine Workers of America
• Verified Voting
• Voices for Progress
• Vote.org
• Voting Rights Lab
• When We All Vote
• YMCA of Greater New York
• YWCA USA

*List last updated April 13, 2020
**Co-chair of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Voting Rights Task Force

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 220 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.