Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
When signing the Voting Rights Act in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson called on leaders to register voters and to use the courts if necessary to defend the right.
Today, hundreds of organizations and thousands of volunteers will help hundreds of thousands of people register to vote on National Voter Registration Day, Sept. 17.
What is National Voter Registration Day (Sept. 17)?
National Voter Registration Day is a nonpartisan civic holiday dedicated to celebrating our democracy. From fire departments to food pantries, from schools and civic leagues, people around the country help eligible friends, neighbors, seniors, college students, first-time voters and new citizens register to vote. Voters will find many items on the ballot this election season, from the presidency and school board races to city council contests and state legislative elections, to ballot initiatives and more. To have a voice in our American democracy, to exercise the right that our forebears deemed sacred, you must register to vote.
To get started, visit the official site: vote.gov. This federal government site helps you register to vote, check your registration status and learn about elections. Did you know that the federal voter registration form is available in over 20 languages, from Amharic to Yup’ik-Akuzipik and Spanish to Haitian Creole?
Download the form in English, Amharic, Apache, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Navajo, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Yup’ik-Akuzipik.
If I don’t register and vote, will it matter?
Martin Luther King Jr. framed for all of us the critical importance of the right to vote. It is, he said, “the most powerful instrument ever devised by human beings for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison people because they are different from others.” Voting can set the agenda for your neighborhood and the nation. Whether you are concerned about paving a road, getting disaster relief for your state or protecting the civil rights of all Americans, voting is the way to assert your voice and advance your needs.
The Justice Department has a team dedicated to ensuring compliance with federal voting rights laws and protecting your access to the ballot box. We work to make sure polling places are accessible to all eligible voters, regardless of the color of their skin, the language they speak, their military deployment status or the disabilities they have.
The Justice Department regularly deploys poll monitors to seek equal access for all voters, including people with disabilities and/or limited English proficiency and to prevent interference with the right to vote.
If I encounter challenges to voting, can I seek help?
A key mission of the Justice Department is to protect voters from intimidation, harassment or obstruction of their right to vote. If you experience challenges from any source — public officials or private parties — in trying to register to vote or vote, tell us. If your name has been improperly removed from a voter registration list, tell us. If you think there may be efforts to intimidate voters at your voting place, tell us. If you encounter challenges accessing early voting or absentee voting opportunities available in your state, tell us. Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws can be submitted through the Civil Rights Division’s website at civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931. More information about voting and elections, including resources about your voting rights, is available on the Justice Department’s website at www.justice.gov/voting. If you suspect criminal misconduct, please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALLFBI. If at any time you are in danger, call 911.
- Si cree que sus derechos civiles o los de otra persona han sido vulnerados, envíe un informe mediante nuestro formulario en línea: Español.
- 如果您認為自己或他人的民權受到侵犯，請使用我們的線上表格提交報告: 繁體中文
- 如果您认为您或他人的民事权利受到侵犯，请使用我们的在线表格提交报告: 简体中文
- Nếu quý vị tin rằng dân quyền của mình hoặc của người khác đã bị vi phạm, hãy gửi báo cáo bằng cách sử dụng mẫu trực tuyến của chúng tôi: Tiếng Việt
- 귀하 또는 다른 누군가의 민권이 침해되었다고 믿는 경우, 온라인 양식을 이용해 신고서를 제출하십시오: 한국어
- Kung naniniwala ka na ang iyong mga karapatang sibil o ng ibang tao ay nalabag, magsumite ng ulat gamit ang aming online na pormularyo: Tagalog
Let us work together on Sept. 17, National Voter Registration Day, and beyond, to ensure access to the ballot for all eligible American citizens by helping members of our communities register to vote today. Our nation thrives when eligible Americans are able to exercise their voice in our democracy, register to vote and are able to freely cast their ballots.
The path to equal justice runs through the voting booth. The Justice Department will join with you to make sure that every eligible voter can follow that route.