Voting is one of the most fundamental rights we have as citizens. It allows us to express our choice for who we want to govern the country. In the United States, we generally vote in a national election, but local and small-scale elections can also be important to our daily lives. Regardless of the scope of an election, all voters deserve to have their voices heard.
The right to vote is protected under Article 2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which stipulates that “Everyone has the right to participate in the government of his or her country, freely and directly.” Unfortunately, this fundamental right continues to be challenged around the world. Many people are unable to exercise their voting rights because they live in countries that do not recognize the rights of all individuals to participate freely in elections. Others are impeded by state laws that make it difficult to register and vote, such as strict voter ID requirements or polling location restrictions. Those barriers are often discriminatory and have the effect of disenfranchising a group of people, such as those who are poor or members of minorities.
Some politicians try to win reelection by making it more difficult for certain groups to vote, such as reducing polling locations in African American and Lantinx neighborhoods or only having them open during business hours when most voters are working. The ACLU works to defend the rights of people to vote by exposing voter suppression efforts and advocating for laws that ensure everyone can cast a ballot.