This OTYCD entry originally posted in July 2017.
Support Spread the Vote, an organization that helps citizens access the ballot by obtaining IDs that their states require.
Republicans have noticed that they are more likely to win when fewer voters turn out. For this reason, they have embraced anti-democratic (small d) moves such as placing restrictions and qualifications on access to the ballot. Requiring prospective voters to present specific forms of identification is a favorite of theirs.
Voter ID laws suck, and they constitute the modern version of a poll tax. It hits the poor, the working class, the elderly, the young, and minorities particularly hard.
Some lack the documents they need to obtain ID, and cannot muster the money needed to hunt down those documents. Some can’t get the time off work to stand in line at City Hall or the DMV to straighten things out. Some are college students, whose college IDs are not generally accepted, and who receive conflicting information about where they can vote (home or on campus).
Enter Spread the Vote. Its mission is to help people get the documents they need to access the ballot. According to its numbers, 21 million people lack a government-issued photo ID, and 31 states require some form of ID to vote.
By helping Spread the Vote, you help expand the pool of eligible voters and defeat bullshit obstacles thrown up by Republicans who find it easier to frustrate citizens rather than develop ideas and policies that people would want to vote for.
Spread the Vote is and has conducted state-specific projects in Virginia and Georgia, but its scope is nation-wide. Please encourage their good work in whatever manner you can.
See Spread the Vote’s webpage:
Ask for its help with obtaining an ID so you can vote:
https://www.spreadthevote.org/vote/
Volunteer for Spread the Vote:
https://www.spreadthevote.org/volunteer/
Like it on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/SpreadTheVoteUS
Follow it on Twitter:
@SpreadTheVoteUS
Donate to Spread the Vote:
https://secure.squarespace.com/commerce/donate?donatePageId=58727f25f7e0ab8a674b88bb
Subscribe to One Thing You Can Do by clicking the blue button on the upper right or checking the About & Subscribe page. And tell your friends about the blog!
One Thing You Can Do 