MAKE SURE YOUR VOTE IS COUNTED IN THIS CRITICAL ELECTION
QUICK READ: Given the unpopularity of MAGA Republican policies, their only way to win in November is by making voting difficult, or even impossible, for people they believe will vote Democratic. To prevent last minute voter purges from succeeding, voters need to be alerted to check their registration status immediately, so they can reregister in time to vote in this most important election of our lifetime.
CONTENTS:
BACKGROUND
MAGA Republicans, knowing the unpopularity of their policies, are trying to make voting difficult, or even impossible, for those leaning Democratic—including imposing voter IDs and proof of citizenship, criminalizing voter assistance, limiting early, absentee and mail-in voting, and expanding unlawful voter purges, which takes various forms:
Partisan election vigilantes demanding election boards remove their list of challenged voters or sue states who refuse to do so;
Last minute state purges of thousands of alleged non-citizens, violating the National Voter Registration Act’s prohibition against removing voters less than 90 days before an election.
Despite the requirement that voters be notified whenever purged, many never receive such letters and only learn of their ineligibility when they go to vote.
But there are ways to restore voter eligibility:
Checking their registration status online at Vote.0rg, Can I Vote, or Vote411.org;
Same-day registration, available in 28 states and DC, allowing them to re-register to vote when they cast their ballot;
Casting a provisional ballot on Election Day, if living in one of the 20 states requiring registration more than 21 days before the election.
Given the critical nature of this election and the closeness of the polls, voters must be informed of this problem and how to overcome it.
What better messenger than our congressional representatives—who can also stress how same-day voter registration would have solved this problem had the Voting Rights Act been enacted.
ACTION One: Call the Senate.
Script for Oregon Senators
SEN. MERKLEY: Portland office: 503-326-3386 | D.C. office: 202-224-3753
My name is [--] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Between now and the election, you must regularly stress to your constituents that, to ensure their vote is counted on Election Day, they need to know how to check their voter registration, how to determine the deadline for re-registering and how to re-register, if necessary. You must also remind them that, had the Voting Rights Act been enacted, its requirement that all states offer same day voter registration, both during its mandated early voting period and on Election Day, would have defanged these illegal, partisan voter purges.
SEN. WYDEN:
Portland office: 503-326-7525 | D.C. office: 202-224-5244
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Between now and the election, you must regularly stress to your constituents that, to ensure their vote is counted on Election Day, they need to know how to check their voter registration, how to determine the deadline for re-registering and how to re-register, if necessary. You must also remind them that, had the Voting Rights Act been enacted, its requirement that all states offer same day voter registration, both during its mandated early voting period and on Election Day, would have defanged these illegal, partisan voter purges.
Script for Republican Senators
D.C switchboard: 202-224-3121
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], [state], [zip code].
Between now and the election, you must regularly stress to your constituents that, to ensure their vote is counted on Election Day, they need to know how to check their voter registration, how to determine the deadline for re-registering and how to re-register, if necessary. You must also remind them that, had the Voting Rights Act been enacted, its requirement that all states offer same day voter registration, both during its mandated early voting period and on Election Day, would have defanged these illegal, partisan voter purges.
ACTION TWO: Call the House.
Script for Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01)
Oregon office: 503-469-6010 | DC office: 202-225-0855
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Between now and the election, you must regularly stress to your constituents that, to ensure their vote is counted on Election Day, they need to know how to check their voter registration, how to determine the deadline for re-registering and how to re-register, if necessary. You must also remind them that, had the Voting Rights Act been enacted, its requirement that all states offer same day voter registration, both during its mandated early voting period and on Election Day, would have defanged these illegal, partisan voter purges.
Script for Cliff Bentz (OR-02)
Medford office: 541-776-4646 | DC office: 202-225-6730
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Between now and the election, you must regularly stress to your constituents that, to ensure their vote is counted on Election Day, they need to know how to check their voter registration, how to determine the deadline for re-registering and how to re-register, if necessary. You must also remind them that, had the Voting Rights Act been enacted, its requirement that all states offer same day voter registration, both during its mandated early voting period and on Election Day, would have defanged these illegal, partisan voter purges.
Script for Earl Blumenauer (OR-03)
Oregon office: 503-231-2300 | DC office: 202-225-4811
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Between now and the election, you must regularly stress to your constituents that, to ensure their vote is counted on Election Day, they need to know how to check their voter registration, how to determine the deadline for re-registering and how to re-register, if necessary. You must also remind them that, had the Voting Rights Act been enacted, its requirement that all states offer same day voter registration, both during its mandated early voting period and on Election Day, would have defanged these illegal, partisan voter purges.
Script for Val Hoyle (OR-04)
Eugene office: 541-465-6732 | DC office: 202-225-6416
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Between now and the election, you must regularly stress to your constituents that, to ensure their vote is counted on Election Day, they need to know how to check their voter registration, how to determine the deadline for re-registering and how to re-register, if necessary. You must also remind them that, had the Voting Rights Act been enacted, its requirement that all states offer same day voter registration, both during its mandated early voting period and on Election Day, would have defanged these illegal, partisan voter purges.
SCRIPT FOR LORI CHAVEZ-DEREMER (OR-05)
Salem office: 503-588-9100 | DC office: 202-225-5711
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Between now and the election, you must regularly stress to your constituents that, to ensure their vote is counted on Election Day, they need to know how to check their voter registration, how to determine the deadline for re-registering and how to re-register, if necessary. You must also remind them that, had the Voting Rights Act been enacted, its requirement that all states offer same day voter registration, both during its mandated early voting period and on Election Day, would have defanged these illegal, partisan voter purges.
Script for Andrea Salinas (OR-06)
Salem office: 503-385-0906 | DC office: 202-225-5643
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Between now and the election, you must regularly stress to your constituents that, to ensure their vote is counted on Election Day, they need to know how to check their voter registration, how to determine the deadline for re-registering and how to re-register, if necessary. You must also remind them that, had the Voting Rights Act been enacted, its requirement that all states offer same day voter registration, both during its mandated early voting period and on Election Day, would have defanged these illegal, partisan voter purges.
ACTION THREE: Good Trouble.
Below are opportunities to fight for our democracy. As John Lewis said, go make some “good trouble.”
PARTICIPATE IN LETTER WRITING AND CANVASSING WITH INDIVISIBLE OREGON. RSVP here.
ATTEND FRIDAY’S AT 4 AND MORE - ONLINE LETTERS AND POSTCARD WRITING EVERY FRIDAY - RSVP Here.
Help educate your friends and family about the dangers of Project 2025, since “to know it, is to hate it” Check out these resources:
FURTHER READING
Pass the Freedom to Vote Act: How Elections Would Look Different This Year and in the Future
Hordes of Americans Are Being Blocked From Voting—Here’s Why
The Damage from Conspiracy Theories About Noncitizen Voting
Warning: The Great GOP Voter Purge of 2024 Is Underway
The Growing Threat of Republican Election Vigilantes
The Purge is real: inside the GOP’s 2024 playbook to disenfranchise voters
‘The chilling effect’; behind GOP-led states’ efforts to purge some voters from the rolls
Worried You Were Purged From Voter Rolls? What to Know About Looking up Your Registration
Republicans are suing more election officials over voter rolls in several battleground states
Texas voter purge may be sending a chilling message, lawmakers and advocates warn
Younkin stokes fear of vast noncitizen voting in Virginia. Records don’t show it.
