DIGITAL DEMOCRACY

The Fight Against Voter Suppression 

How the battle for US democracy continues even after the presidential elections.

By Yamunna Rao & Johanna Rick

January 10, 2021

No matter what Trump, his followers and friends in the Republican Party claim: the 2020 US presidential election is over. This year saw a record in voter turnout, which is even more impressive considering it occurred in the middle of a pandemic. After four years under Trump, people called this “the most important election ever”. Despite or exactly because of this various strategies were employed by primarily red states to deter citizens from voting. Limiting poll stations which resulted in huge queues, limiting the possibility of mail-in ballots, aggressive voter-purging or tougher ID laws - the mentors used are plenty. Such attacks on the American democracy are dangerous because they are often systemic and US citizens either fail to realise that this is not the “normal way” or think nothing can be done. That’s why this blogpost takes a closer look at  two grassroot organisations and how they are using offline and online approaches to combat voter suppression. 

What is “Fair Fight”? 

“Stacey Abrams” is a name that at least after the recent, chaotic, seemingly endless US election everyone should know. Abrams and her grassroot movement “Fair Fight” is widely credited with turning Georgia blue, thereby delivering 16 electoral votes for Joe Biden. And the fight is not over yet, Georgia is also the state in which the race for the Senate will be decided in January 2021. Another win for the Democrats here would tip the political power truly in their favor and allow Biden to pursue his agenda in the next four years. With full control over the federal government, the Democrats could push through much needed policy reforms on climate change or health care. Most importantly, they aim to remove current obstacles to voting and government work in order to improve America’s democracy. So, it’s time to take a closer look into Abrams’ work, especially her work with Fair Fight to battle voter suppression - a fight that remains important also after the election. 

Abrams and Fair Fight run a voter education and encouragement campaign, where they inform citizens about the efforts to discourage and disenfranchise voters and instead help them find their voice. A year before the 2020 presidential election did Abrams publish her strategy to flip Georgia blue in a playbook that advised to go “big and early on digital investments to target all segments of our 1.9 million pool with diverse and compelling content”. Fair Fight currently has 140k Instagram followers, 174k Twitter followers and 47k Facebook followers. They use social media channels primarily to advocate against voter suppression: sharing infographics on voting rights on instagram and tweeting about electoral malpractices. Spearheaded by Abrams, who is part of the Democratic Party, Fair Fight’s is more of a bipartisan initiative and their social media feed often includes democratic celebrities. Selena Gomez, for example, participated in their “Civics for culture campaign” and both Justin Timberlake and John Legend were part of their fundraising, voter-mobilising “Rock the Runoff” concert in December 2020. 

As a grassroot organisation with the need for volunteers, Fair Fight’s website offers similar information material to their social media channels but also includes a call to ‘Join the Fight’ on their homepage and allows the public to donate. Fair Fight’s online activities are aimed to target new or disenfranchised voters - a plan that worked out. From 2019-2020 Abrams and her organisation registered more than 800,000 new voters. Keep in mind: according to the last recount Biden won Georgia with a 12,000 vote margin!

In debt and with a prison record

This combination sees many people being turned away from their right to vote because they are unable to pay off monies owed to the legal system. Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC) raises awareness, funds and extends helplines to individuals seeking to have their voting rights restored. Returning citizens, as they are referred to, are given a second chance at making their voice count and develop a sense of belonging into the society they wish to reintegrate into. FRRC provides a host of resources online to enable returning citizens access resources to restore their names on the electoral list. They are run by other returning citizens, seek to alleviate the sense of disenfranchisement and discrimination against people with convictions. They believe that access and acceptance into the society reduces the chance to reoffend as well as increases the possibility for these individuals to become more involved in their community. 

FRRC uses a blend of online and offline activities for its outreach. Information is streamlined and hosted on its portal, including step-by-step visual guides and screenshots to help people to register to vote. By hosting and then redirecting individuals from their site to the respective pages, for instance to the Elections Department, the process is made lean. Furthermore, people are immediately able to act on the new information that they possess without having to conduct the search to the Election Department's website themselves. Therefore, FRRC's service comprehensively includes all relevant information and weblinks to empower returning citizens to take action immediately. They bolster their online services with a toll-free hotline, yet another means of ensuring digital inclusion. 

FRRC maintains 4 social media accounts - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Its Facebook page has garnered nearly 17000 'likes' and has close to 18000 followers. Their Instagram page, with 745 posts as of 11 December, has over 14000 followers. Likewise, on Twitter, they have 2343 tweets and over 12000 followers. Overall, their online engagement constantly sends one clear message - the importance of voting and therefore voting rights of the individual. The FRRC's online presence targets mainly the advocacy and awareness building aspects. Their social media platforms feature stories of returning citizens and their experiences of being able to vote again thanks to FRRC’s help. Not only is their website a repository of resources for returning citizens to find avenues of help, the general public who wishes to contribute towards the cause is able to donate or register to be a volunteer with FRRC. All in, FFRC's online presence bolsters its position as a grassroots organisation, solidifying its work on the ground with continued outreach online. 

As a grassroots organisation, FRRC is able to speak up for people and harness the voice of the people to reach out to more. They utilise the immense potential afforded by the Internet to share the importance of restoring voting rights of ex-convicts while walking the ground and advocating for real change by speaking to the community. Their local knowledge shapes and empowers the previously disenfranchised and restores their sense of dignity, voice and ownership over the community they are reintegrating into. The Coalition’s unique position makes both their online and offline activities important. FRRC strategically differentiates its online presence from its offline work and uses its website as well as social media platforms to outreach to its target audience. FRRC's offline work alone seems insufficient to fulfil its agenda; hence, the maintenance of a robust online system to facilitate donations, information and resource amalgamation, among others, helps FRRC to build its brand and broaden its mission.

The tremendous impact both FairFight as well as FRRC and other grassroot organisations have had in the recent US election. They are in part responsible for the historic voter turnout by registering, motivating and supporting thousands of unregistered but also disenfranchised voters. Moreover, grassroot organisations all over the US fought hard for the right to early and absentee voting. But, as they say, the fight is not over: newly registered and motivated voters can change the political balance. The fight against voter suppression remains crucial also in times with no election in order to have a healthy, diverse and lively democracy. 

Yamunna Ramakrishna Rao specialised in management and organisation with a focus on digital governance, public sector innovation and active citizenry during her studies at the Hertie School. She works and lives in Singapore and is an active volunteer with the West Coast Community Centre. Johanna Rick is completing her Master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy at Leiden University in the Netherlands. She has worked at the World Economic Forum in the Civil Society Team on multi-stakeholderism and the value of direct democracy. Both Yamunna and Johanna are part of the Digital Democracy Research Team in the Institute for Internet & Just Society.