Everyone should have the right to vote in free and fair elections regardless of who they are or where they live. To that end, FairVote advocates for enshrining an affirmative right to vote in the U.S. Constitution. In pursuit of that ideal, FairVote works to enact policies at the federal, state, and local levels that are consistent with our conviction that voting is not a privilege, but a right.
The right to vote should be the foundation of any democracy. Yet, most Americans do not realize that we have no constitutional right to vote. While there are amendments to the U.S. Constitution that prohibit discrimination based on race (15th), sex (19th) and age (26th), no affirmative right to vote exists...[more]
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. on the Right to Vote
John Nichols on the Right to Vote
Sen. Jamie Raskin on the Right to Vote
History of the Right to Vote
Ending the Poll Tax with a Constitutional Amendment
Right to Vote F.A.Q.
Roadmap to Reform
Nearly every state, as well as most counties, design their own ballots, pursue their own voter education, and have complete authority over their state voting policies and procedures. Voters and potential voters are much more likely to cast a counted vote in some states, some counties, and some are areas of the country than others, simply based on the difference in standards for each election Elections in many states are rife with lost and incorrectly counted votes, and many voters are incorrectly told they cannot cast a ballot...[more]
Read the Amendment
Check Bill Status
View Co-Sponsors/Supporters
Contact your Representative or Senator
On June 30th, over 100 people attended "The Future of the Voting Rights Act," a morning conference cosponsored by the New America Foundation and FairVote. The conference featured some of the nation's top voting rights experts, who came together to review the recent Supreme Court decision known as NAMUDNO and its impacts, and to think more expansively about voting rights and representation in the United States.