National Voting Rights Planning and Strategy Conference

YOU'RE INVITED to the: National Voting Rights Planning and Strategy Conference

SAVE THE DATE: Wednesday, August 7, 2019, from 8:30 AM - 4:15 PM

LOCATION: The University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law has agreed to host this event, 4340 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC

The conference is free for all attendees. Some sessions of this conference will be available online for viewers unable to travel to DC or personally attend via Facebook Live at Facebook.com/LiftOurVote.

Lift Our Vote (LOV), a collaborative coalition of organizations, activists, citizens, students, and institutions working to strategize, organize, and mobilize to see an end to voter suppression and to create an active culture of voting by energizing a national movement through education, engagement, and empowerment.

On behalf of the newly-formed non-partisan LOV and its partner organizations from several states, the Transformative Justice Coalition invites you to the upcoming, non-partisan National Voting Rights (NVR) Planning and Strategy Conference being held on August 7th in commemoration of the Anniversary of the effective date of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law has agreed to host this event, 4340 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC, from 7:45 AM - 4:15 PM. We would be honored if you would attend and have a seat at our table as a leader in the fight for voting rights. The conference is free for all attendees. Some sessions of this conference will be available online for viewers unable to travel to DC or personally attend via Facebook Live at Facebook.com/LiftOurVote.

The National Voting Rights Planning and Strategy Conference is purposed to gather local and state voting rights advocates and activists from several states, especially those of the Deep South, to plan and strategize coordinated work to educate, mobilize and support voters of color for the upcoming elections of 2019 and 2020. In recognition of the 54th Anniversary of the effective date of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) and the new massive threats confronting African American, Latino, Asian and Native American voters in the wake of State enacted voter suppression laws and practices, Lift Our Vote and partner organizations are sponsoring a National Planning and Strategy Conference on August 7, 2019, to formulate a major plan of action to fulfill the seminal goals of the VRA for a robust and inclusive American Democracy.

The need for this pre-conference is made more urgent by quickly approaching 2019 and 2020 elections and the 2020 Census. Without new intervention strategies the African American vote can see even greater setbacks in 2020 than were evidenced by the 11% decrease, 2 million less Black votes counted, during the 2016 presidential election. Even though there was an uptick in Mid-Term election participation by all of voting populations, there is no guarantee that this trend will continue into the 2019 and 2020 elections without strong and concerted advocacy and voter support by local, state, regional and national advocates. The many lessons learned from the great work done in maximizing minority voter engagement in the 2017 and the 2018 elections will serve as guideposts for replicating these successes and instituting new and innovative programs for 2019 and 2020. society flourishes, fosters a life-long commitment to the voting and political processes of self-government, and upholds the accountability of representatives and non-elected bureaucratic administrators as public servants who emerge from this civic-oriented society and who speak, act and govern from this perspective.

Conference audience will consist of planning conveners representing our various affiliate organizations, including the faith-based communities, the unions, civil rights activists, legal coalitions, youth delegation, grassroots organizers, lawmakers and more. As a participants of the NVR Planning and Strategizing Conference, you will engage in educational presentations, strategizing discussions, and organizing work sessions. Participants will walk away with tools and resources needed to mobilize their states and communities in preparation for the 2020 election cycle and the 2020 Census.