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This year is one of the most important elections in recent history. More than 100 million Americans will cast a ballot in November. Yet many voters continue to face obstacles to the ballot box.
In 2016, 16 states have restrictive voting rules in place for the first time in a presidential election. This is part of the biggest voting rights rollback since the Jim Crow era.
The primaries have already seen higher-than-average turnout -- and real voting problems in places like Arizona. But the real concern is how many could be impacted in November.
That's because these restrictions are more likely to affect minorities, lower-income voters, students, and the elderly -- who are more likely to vote in high-turnout races, like in November.
To make matters worse, states with higher African American turnout and larger Hispanic population growth were more likely to pass voting restrictions in the first place. Many of these restrictions were implemented after the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013, which previously required certain jurisdictions to gain prior approval before changing voting rules that could affect minorities.

Instead of making it harder to vote, we should ensure every eligible American is able to cast a ballot that counts this November.
Along with craigconnects, we polled 1,006 adults about their perception of voting in America. We found some surprising statistics -- most importantly, that 69 percent want to see voting reforms.
By automatically and securely registering every eligible citizen, the United States could add up to 50 million new voters nationwide, increase the accuracy of our rolls, cut costs, and curb the potential for fraud.

Legislators on both sides of the aisle have supported automatic registration bills, and 60 percent of Americans support the proposal.
Here's how it works: When eligible voters interact with the DMV, they are automatically and securely added to the voter rolls.
Every voter would be given a chance to opt out (no one would be registered against their will). Since Oregon implemented automatic registration earlier this year, their voter registration rate has quadrupled.
You can join us and tell Congress it's time for automatic registration nationwide.

By modernizing our voting system, we can ensure that our democracy works the way our Founders intended -- an equal vote, and voice, for every citizen.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
This year is one of the most important elections in recent history. More than 100 million Americans will cast a ballot in November. Yet many voters continue to face obstacles to the ballot box.
In 2016, 16 states have restrictive voting rules in place for the first time in a presidential election. This is part of the biggest voting rights rollback since the Jim Crow era.
The primaries have already seen higher-than-average turnout -- and real voting problems in places like Arizona. But the real concern is how many could be impacted in November.
That's because these restrictions are more likely to affect minorities, lower-income voters, students, and the elderly -- who are more likely to vote in high-turnout races, like in November.
To make matters worse, states with higher African American turnout and larger Hispanic population growth were more likely to pass voting restrictions in the first place. Many of these restrictions were implemented after the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013, which previously required certain jurisdictions to gain prior approval before changing voting rules that could affect minorities.

Instead of making it harder to vote, we should ensure every eligible American is able to cast a ballot that counts this November.
Along with craigconnects, we polled 1,006 adults about their perception of voting in America. We found some surprising statistics -- most importantly, that 69 percent want to see voting reforms.
By automatically and securely registering every eligible citizen, the United States could add up to 50 million new voters nationwide, increase the accuracy of our rolls, cut costs, and curb the potential for fraud.

Legislators on both sides of the aisle have supported automatic registration bills, and 60 percent of Americans support the proposal.
Here's how it works: When eligible voters interact with the DMV, they are automatically and securely added to the voter rolls.
Every voter would be given a chance to opt out (no one would be registered against their will). Since Oregon implemented automatic registration earlier this year, their voter registration rate has quadrupled.
You can join us and tell Congress it's time for automatic registration nationwide.

By modernizing our voting system, we can ensure that our democracy works the way our Founders intended -- an equal vote, and voice, for every citizen.
This year is one of the most important elections in recent history. More than 100 million Americans will cast a ballot in November. Yet many voters continue to face obstacles to the ballot box.
In 2016, 16 states have restrictive voting rules in place for the first time in a presidential election. This is part of the biggest voting rights rollback since the Jim Crow era.
The primaries have already seen higher-than-average turnout -- and real voting problems in places like Arizona. But the real concern is how many could be impacted in November.
That's because these restrictions are more likely to affect minorities, lower-income voters, students, and the elderly -- who are more likely to vote in high-turnout races, like in November.
To make matters worse, states with higher African American turnout and larger Hispanic population growth were more likely to pass voting restrictions in the first place. Many of these restrictions were implemented after the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013, which previously required certain jurisdictions to gain prior approval before changing voting rules that could affect minorities.

Instead of making it harder to vote, we should ensure every eligible American is able to cast a ballot that counts this November.
Along with craigconnects, we polled 1,006 adults about their perception of voting in America. We found some surprising statistics -- most importantly, that 69 percent want to see voting reforms.
By automatically and securely registering every eligible citizen, the United States could add up to 50 million new voters nationwide, increase the accuracy of our rolls, cut costs, and curb the potential for fraud.

Legislators on both sides of the aisle have supported automatic registration bills, and 60 percent of Americans support the proposal.
Here's how it works: When eligible voters interact with the DMV, they are automatically and securely added to the voter rolls.
Every voter would be given a chance to opt out (no one would be registered against their will). Since Oregon implemented automatic registration earlier this year, their voter registration rate has quadrupled.
You can join us and tell Congress it's time for automatic registration nationwide.

By modernizing our voting system, we can ensure that our democracy works the way our Founders intended -- an equal vote, and voice, for every citizen.