What You Need to Know
Voter disenfranchisement primarily targets people of color, disabled people, incarcerated and previously incarcerated people, and students through hurdles like gerrymandering, voter ID laws, voter roll purges, ballot inaccessibility, and voter intimidation. We won’t be able to see ourselves accurately represented in halls of power so long as our voices are stifled.
Your Vote Matters
It’s easy to feel like your vote is only a small drop in the bucket, but young people have the potential to change our political landscape, especially through state, county, and municipal races, which are determined by much smaller vote margins. In 2014, the attorney general’s race in Virginia-a state once plagued by anti-abortion TRAP laws-was decided by only 11 votes. As a result, the AG worked with the governor to prevent the closure of reproductive health clinics. In 2019, a wave of young people elected the most progressive body of Virginia state legislators in at least 20 years, which has since led to legislation that strengthens abortion access, re-enfranchises voters, protects LGBTQ+ Virginians, restricts access to guns, and promotes clean energy, as well as Virginia’s passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (becoming the 38th and final state needed to ratify!)