Tag: State of the Union

For Immediate Release

Feb. 7, 2023

WASHINGTON – On the eve of President Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address, advocates from Ohio, Florida, and Louisiana hope Biden will announce plans to strengthen the right to vote, and the ability of Black and brown people to elect candidates of choice. The advocates released the following statement:

“The recent attempts to restrict voting rights in America are a threat to the very foundation of our democracy,” said Anneshia Hardy, executive director of Alabama Values Progress. “Voting is a critical component of a functioning democracy, and any attempt to restrict access to it is a direct attack on the principles of equality and representation. These restrictions take many forms, such as racial gerrymandering, strict voter identification laws, purges of voter rolls, and limiting early voting. Each of these tactics disproportionately impact communities of color, elderly people, and low-income voters. In Alabama and Louisiana,  communities are fighting for fair maps and equitable representations for black voters in Milligan v Merrill and Ardoin v Robinson. It’s not enough to have the right to vote, every vote should carry equal power. The right to vote is a fundamental part of what it means to be an American. Let us not surrender it without a fight. Advocates across the country are calling on the Biden Administration to put forth and promote policies that protect and uphold voting rights, particularly for communities that have  been historically  impacted by unfair maps and discriminatory practices.”

“People across the country are hurting and Black Americans especially want President Biden to continue investing in communities of color and implementing policies that help the average person get ahead,” said Prentiss Haney, co-director of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative. “In Ohio, where I live, it is increasingly difficult for Black and brown people to vote, have their votes counted and elect candidates of choice. We need President Biden to continue fighting for communities like ours.”

“President Biden’s 2023 State of the Union comes at a time when Floridians are experiencing intense attack by a governor intent on discrediting, diminishing and denying people who look differently from him,” said Jasmine Burney-Clark, president of Equal Ground in Florida. “From his efforts to erase Black history, restrict discussions of race, to his campaign to make it harder for Floridians to vote, Florida is at ground zero when it comes to the attacks leveled against Black and brown people. It is imperative that President Biden continue using his authority to help not only communities in Florida, but the nation.”

“We have several major cases at the Supreme Court – including Alabama and North Carolina – that will determine Black voters’ abilities to elect candidates of choice,” said Ashley K. Shelton, president and founder of the Power Coalition in Louisiana. “We also have pending lawsuits – such as the Power Coalition’s challenge to Louisiana’s redistricting maps, which will impact Louisiana’s case once it goes to the Supreme Court. In this moment, advocates need to hear how the Biden administration will protect voting rights, not just for voters of today, but for future generations. Everything that we hold dear can be taken away without better protections, including laws that restrict gerrymandered and racially discriminatory legislative maps which is why we must pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.”

###