"In a celebration of the tireless work of voting rights advocates across the country, the 2020 election saw record turnout. Minority voters in diverse urban and suburban regions and battleground states came out in force to make their voices heard."
WASHINGTON (PRWEB) November 13, 2020
The League of Minority Voters’ National Board congratulates President-elect Joe Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, and the winners of all federal, state, and local races on their successful elections. The Board also applauds both parties for running the most diverse candidate slates ever.
“In a celebration of the tireless work of voting rights advocates across the country, the 2020 election saw record turnout. Minority voters in diverse urban and suburban regions and battleground states came out in force to make their voices heard, overcoming perennial barriers to voting, exacerbated by the novel coronavirus pandemic,” said Promise King, President and Founder of the League of Minority Voters.
The immense power and diversity of the minority electorate was shown through Black voters in Pennsylvania and Georgia, Latinx voters in Nevada and Arizona, South and Central American voters in South Florida, Native American voters from tribes like the Hopi Tribe and Navajo in Arizona, Arab and Asian Americans in Michigan, and many other demographic groups across the U.S. In many states, record-high minority voter engagement and participation was even credited with determining the final outcome of the U.S. Presidential election and balance of power in the Senate.
“In an unprecedented election cycle that took place during a global pandemic, approximately 160 million Americans--a proportion not seen in more than a century--took their voices to the ballot box,” said Cristina Antelo, Chair of the League of Minority Voters. “In the coming months, these communities will look to the leaders they have elected for change and will feel empowered to hold them accountable now that they see what their numbers and determination can accomplish.”
While the general voter-turnout came in historic numbers, the fight to increase minority voter participation and access to the ballot box remains ongoing. The widespread existence of voter suppression tactics through voter ID laws, felony disenfranchisement, poll closures, and purging of voter rolls in some states are common barriers that quell minority voters' access to the ballot.
“This election will go down as a turning point in the fight to make voting accessible for every American. The pandemic forced states to give voting by mail a chance and I don’t believe people will be clamoring to go back to standing in line for hours to cast their votes,” said JP Bombardier, Co-Chair of the League of Minority Voters.
The League of Minority Voters remains committed to working with incoming elected officials at every level to remove barriers to voting and protect the sacred right to vote. The League endorses the passage of H.R.4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, to restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and H.R.1, the For The People Act, to expand voting rights, limit partisan gerrymandering, and address corruption in politics.
About the League of Minority Voters
The League of Minority Voters is an official 501c3 nonprofit that was founded in 2007 to fight for the advancement of minority voters through education and empowerment. In addition to the National Chapter, the LMV also operates local chapters in Oregon, Washington state, Nevada, North Carolina, DC, with emerging chapters in Florida, Michigan, Texas, and Georgia.
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