{"id":18098,"date":"2023-10-17T14:30:48","date_gmt":"2023-10-17T14:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/?p=18098"},"modified":"2023-10-17T14:30:48","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T14:30:48","slug":"voteriders-removes-barriers-to-voting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/voteriders-removes-barriers-to-voting\/","title":{"rendered":"Augusta Free Press: \u2018Stakes are too high to sit any election out\u2019: VoteRiders works to remove barriers to voting"},"content":{"rendered":"

BY REBECCA BARNABI<\/a>, AUGUSTA FREE PRESS \u2014 OCTOBER 16, 2023<\/p>\n

All eligible Americans 18 years old and older have a right to vote, and a nonprofit works every day to remove barriers for voters.<\/p>\n

\"\u2018Stakes<\/p>\n

Lauren Kunis<\/a>, CEO, has been with VoteRiders for two years. Because she is \u201csteeped in and cares a lot about these issues,\u201d she previously worked with a national voter registration program overseas and in the United States.<\/p>\n

She said that VoteRiders<\/a>, a nonprofit organization in eight states with virtual programs across the country, is focused on voter ID laws<\/a>, which are in 38 states<\/a> and affects 50 million more Americans in 2023 than in 2012.<\/p>\n

VoteRiders offers free tools and services<\/a> for eligible voters, which is more important with this year\u2019s high stakes election in Virginia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen an unprecedented rise in voter ID laws since 2020,\u201d Kunis said.<\/p>\n

Seventeen states added voter ID laws since 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cVoter ID has really, as an issue, found itself in the crosshairs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

VoteRiders offers an ID helpline and, in northern Virginia particularly,\u00a0an ID assistance program<\/a>\u00a0for voters to obtain copies of birth certificates and SSN cards.<\/p>\n

According to Kunis, VoteRiders pays for transportation for voters<\/a> to and from assistance programs and pays for forms of ID. The nonprofit partners with local food banks and shelters to enable disadvantaged members of communities the opportunity to vote. Not only does a form of identification open the door for them to vote, it also helps them obtain\u00a0housing<\/a>\u00a0and employment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think it is a travesty that voter ID laws keep even one voter from casting a ballot,\u201d Kunis said.<\/p>\n

According to a\u00a0University of Maryland study<\/a>, more young Americans, students, low-income and minority Americans lack ID compared to other groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese laws are making it harder for all Americans to vote,\u201d Kunis said. And never more so than for disadvantaged members of society.<\/p>\n

In Virginia, all eligible voters will be asked to confirm their identity at the polls<\/a> before casting a ballot, either with a photo or non-photo form of ID.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do not need to have an acceptable ID to cast a ballot,\u201d Kunis said.<\/p>\n

Virginians<\/a>\u00a0can vote without ID by notifying the poll volunteer and signing a form. Kunis said she also encourages Virginians to bring a friend or two and encourage them to vote.<\/p>\n

She encourages Virginians to know their rights as voters. Voting by mail varies by state. And voting by mail in Virginia no longer requires a witness\u2019s signature, just the voter\u2019s date of birth or voting number.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very important [in Virginia] for every voter to make a plan to vote.\u201d \u00a0ID should be part of every voter\u2019s plan, and should be brought with each voter to their polling location.<\/p>\n

VoteRider\u2019s website<\/a> provides information about voters\u2019 rights and possible forms of ID.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe stakes are too high to sit any election out and that\u2019s particularly true this year in Virginia,\u201d Kunis said.<\/p>\n

Voters who encounter problems at their voting locations can text or call questions to VoteRiders at 866-ID-2-VOTE or contact their local board of elections.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, the need for our work is more important now than ever before,\u201d Kunis said of the nonprofit\u2019s future. When funding allows, VoteRiders will expand and provide volunteer presences in other states and offer free ID assistance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read the original article here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BY REBECCA BARNABI, AUGUSTA FREE PRESS \u2014 OCTOBER 16, 2023 All eligible Americans 18 years old and older have a right to vote, and a nonprofit works every day to remove barriers for voters. Lauren Kunis, CEO, has been with VoteRiders for two years. Because she is \u201csteeped in and cares a lot about these […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":18099,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[165],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-voteriders-in-the-news","state-va"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nVoteRiders Removes Barriers to Voting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"VoteRiders' free voter ID services are more important than ever given this year\u2019s high stakes election in Virginia.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/voteriders-removes-barriers-to-voting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" 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