For the past half century, the Christian Right has been mastering the tools of electoral democracy in order to erode and end it. The methods and the players have evolved over time, but the goal of societal dominion has not. (I rcently wrote about that here.)
But I come bearing good news. As alarming as the Christian Right can be, voters can use the tools of electoral democracy to counter their plans.
It can be hard to get the whole story about voting, and people’s needs and circumstances cdertainly vary. The opportunity here is that people can act without having to wait for permission or leadership from political parties or interest groups.
Its a tricky world out there these days marked by voter suppression, criminal scams, and deliberate misinformation. Here is a short guide to some reliable voter resources.
- The United States Election Assistance Commission links to official state and county election sites, which in turn provide comprehensive information about such matters as voter eligibility, registration, absentee ballots, and early voting. You can also find out about how to become an election worker.
- The National Conference of State Legislatures has resources on online voter registration, the state by state rules for in person early voting and drop boxes.
- Vote411.org, a project of the League of Women Voters, has a state by state chart of the rules on voter eligibility, registration, absentee ballots, and early voting. It does not have this information on ballot harvesting—but Ballotpedia does.
- Campus Vote Project has a guide for student voters.
- VoteRider helps eligible voters to get the appropriate ID they need to vote.
- The National Coalition for the Homeless explains how you do not have to be housed to be able to vote.
- The Federal Voter Assistance program assists overseas citizens and military service members and their families.
- Accessible Voting is an excellent and reliable non-partisans resource intended to aid people with disabilities find accessible voting options. U.S. Vote Foundation also has a guide to voting access for people with disabilities.
- NonProfit Votes has the do’s and don’ts for non-profit tax-exempt organizations that want to engage in voter education and mobilization.
- The National Council of Churches has published a Voting Matters 2024 Empowerment Guide. The guide includes theological grounds for voting, scriptures, critical IRS information for churches, outreach activities and tips for navigating conversations about elections.
This resource list is part of my larger story at Barn Raiser, published on the occasion of Democracy Day: The Christian Right’s Playbook to Elect Donald Trump in November: And how voters can use the tools of democracy to counter their plans
Barn Raiser is a newish, progressive publication that seeks to “support diverse, civically engaged and dynamically connected rural and small town communities.” Follow them on Twitter, or X
I was honored to contribute this article as part of U.S. Democracy Day, a nationwide collaborative on Sept. 15, the International Day of Democracy, in which news organizations cover how democracy works and the threats it faces.
