News & Commentary

Voting is our fundamental right as citizens, and everyone who is eligible to vote should have equal access to exercise their rights. However, there is a misconception that people who are confined in a jail or formerly incarcerated have lost that right completely.

The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy. It must be treated as irrevocable. Politicians should not be able to use the right to vote to reward or punish people. The right to vote should be treated in the same respect as other fundamental rights in our democracy, such as freedom of religion

What you’re doing right now is powerful, but the most powerful tool in the arsenal of a citizen in this great country is not your right to protest, but your right to vote.

Voting, like freedom of speech and religion, is a fundamental right that government cannot deny. It is time we made clear that the vote is the essential currency of democracy, and it belongs to the people.

On Wednesday, March 15, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions met with local, state, and federal law enforcement representatives in Richmond on violent crime and public safety. Our Executive Director Claire Guthrie Gastañaga addressed a crowd of protesters, who showed up to oppose the Trump administration's unconstitutional policies, in front of the SunTrust Center, where the meeting took place. You can watch her address here:

Please re-watch our Facebook Live review of the 2017 General Assembly session regarding civil rights and civil liberties in Virginia. In this video, we discussed major bills that we'd like Gov. Terry McAuliffe to veto and explained why those bills, which concern free speech, immigrants' rights, LGBT rights, and voting rights, are harmful to civil liberties in Virginia.

Want to get a better idea of how the American Civil Liberties Union has made America better? Take two minutes and watch our highlights reel.

The right to vote is a vital to our democracy. No person should be permitted to engage without sanction in conduct that threatens that right.

Please re-watch our Oct. 12 Facebook Live conversation on the topic of voting in Virginia as we run up to this year's election on Nov. 8, 2016. More information is available here, and please remember to take your photo ID to the polls and contact the ACLU of Virginia at 804-644-8080 or aclu@acluva.org if you experience problems on Election Day.