2023 Election: We the Majority Turned Out to Protect Our Freedoms, Despite Deliberate Barriers to the Ballot

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sofia Costas, [email protected]

WASHINGTON — Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement on the 2023 election results:

“Last night, voters across the country used their power at the polls and leveraged their collective voice for civil rights, despite attempts to divide us through ‘culture wars.’ They showed us that the majority agree: We must protect our democracy, ensure reproductive freedom for all, fight against hate, dismantle racially biased systems, and improve lives for everyone. We saw significant pro-civil rights, pro-voter victories: Ohio voted to enshrine the right to abortion in its constitution, despite efforts to make it harder to change the constitution. Voters in Virginia turned out to protect abortion rights, protect trans kids, and address gun violence, despite efforts to purge voters from the voting rolls. In Pennsylvania, voters elected pro-voter candidates who will protect our democracy in the 2024 election and beyond. 

“Our communities showed up to exercise their power to protect their rights and freedoms, despite years of escalating voter suppression tactics aimed at voters of color and voters with disabilities in particular. Nowhere was this more evident than in Hinds County, Mississippi, where a deliberate shortage of ballots created long lines and aimed to deter voters from making their voices heard in this majority Black county. Our leaders have important work to do to meet people’s mandate after this election: Protect our democracy by protecting our freedoms from those who want to take them away, strengthen our voting rights, and pass pro-voter legislation that will ensure a multiracial democracy that works for all of us.”

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org. 

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