DES MOINES, IOWA (June 11, 2019) — Today, Beto O’Rourke released a voter-registration toolkit to empower more people to engage in their democracy by providing them the resources they need to register themselves and members of their communities to vote. This toolkit will be particularly useful in Iowa, where Republican-elected officials have put up barriers intended to make it more difficult for Iowans to vote, including passing a voter-ID law in 2017. Last week, O’Rourke released a sweeping voting-rights plan with a national goal of registering 50 million new voters and increasing national voter-turnout to 65 percent by 2024, and this toolkit will enable that work to start today. O’Rourke highlighted this plan during his recent trip to Iowa, earning widespread applause from town-hall audiences across the state, including banning voter-ID laws and nationalizing automatic and same-day voter registration. “Solving the greatest challenges of our lifetimes won’t be possible with half-measures or only half our people — it’s going to take all of us,” said O’Rourke. “The only way to make progress is if every single American is empowered to vote, and we can start that work right away.” “Iowa is unfortunately no stranger to voter-suppression. From Iowa’s regressive voter-ID laws to the Republican-controlled legislature’s attempt to outlaw voting on college campuses, we have seen the voting rights of seniors, students, disabled, and minority communities under attack. The heart of this campaign and core of our democracy require each person’s voice to be included. That starts with creating resources and pushing policies that make it easier for everyone to exercise their right to vote,” said State Representative Chris Hall, Beto O’Rourke’s Iowa Political Director. The toolkit features a guide for incorporating voter registration efforts into O’Rourke’s community meetups, information on voter registration laws across the country, and best practices on registering new voters. O’Rourke believes that no matter where you live or what your political ideology, the only way we will address the challenges our country faces is if we bring more people into our democracy and empower them to exercise their right to vote. What’s in Beto’s Voting Rights Toolkit:
- Information and resources on local voter registration laws
- Opportunities to organize people at Beto community meetups to register voters
- Best practices when talking to voters or potential voters
Additional details about the voting rights toolkit can be found at: https://betoorourke.com/votingrights/toolkit/. Additional details on Iowa Republicans’ attempts to make voting more difficult:
