September 17, 2012

Voter Suppression: Coming to a State Near You?

If you’re planning on voting in November, here’s a few things you should know.

<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=84813442&src=id">Lisa S.</a>/Shutterstock

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Since the start of 2011, more than 180 bills have been introduced in 41 states (and counting) that could make it harder for you to register to vote, prove that you’re eligible to vote, vote early, or vote by mail. In fact, the Brennan Center for Justice estimates that at least 5 million voters nationwide could be affected by these bills. Thanks, local legislators!

To find out how new restrictions might affect your vote, click on the hypothetical profiles we’ve created below. You can also track where your state’s restrictions currently stand at our database, powered by research from the Brennan Center for Justice, National Conference of State Legislatures, and ProCon.org, which are monitoring these bills.

Block The Vote

Choose a voter to see how these laws could affect someone like you.
 

Additional research by Maya Dusenbery and Ryan Jacobs

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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