WhatCanWeDo.org

VOTING RIGHTS • MAY 2026

5 Things You Can Do Right Now for Voting Rights

The federal Voting Rights Act just took its biggest hit in 60 years. Here’s how every American can fight back — starting today.

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority issued a 6-3 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais that civil rights advocates are calling the most damaging blow to voting rights since the Jim Crow era. The decision effectively gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — the provision that for decades allowed the Justice Department and private citizens to challenge electoral maps as racially discriminatory. The ruling strips away one of democracy’s most powerful legal tools for protecting minority voters.

The consequences are already unfolding. Projections from Fair Fight Action and the Black Voters Matter Fund suggest Republican-led states could redraw congressional maps to gain up to 19 additional House seats. Meanwhile, the SAVE Act — federal legislation that would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote — has passed the House and is being debated in the Senate. The Brennan Center for Justice estimates more than 21 million eligible Americans lack ready access to such documents, with communities of color bearing the heaviest burden.

This is a serious moment. But it is not a hopeless one. Voting rights organizations across the country are mobilizing, and there are concrete things every American can do. Here are five of them.

1. Check your voter registration — and help others do the same

Voter roll purges have intensified dramatically since the Supreme Court weakened the preclearance provisions of the Voting Rights Act in 2013. Eligible voters are being removed from rolls at higher rates than ever — many without any notification — and discover the problem only when they show up at the polls. The simplest thing you can do right now is verify that you’re still registered, that your address is current, and that your name matches your ID.

Check your registration at:

• Vote.org — register or check your registration in any state
• Can I Vote — National Association of Secretaries of State portal

Then ask five people you know to do the same. Registration gaps are most common in communities of color, among young voters, and among people who have recently moved. A simple text to a friend takes 30 seconds and could save their vote.

2. Contact your U.S. senators about the SAVE Act

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act has passed the House and is actively being debated in the Senate. It would require in-person documentary proof of citizenship — a passport or certified birth certificate — to register to vote, effectively ending online and mail registration for most Americans. Research from the Brennan Center finds that over 21 million Americans lack ready access to such documents. Nearly half of Black Americans under 30 do not have ID with their current name and address. Military members stationed overseas, elderly Americans, and transgender voters face additional barriers under this bill.

Noncitizen voting in federal elections is already illegal and vanishingly rare. A comprehensive citizenship audit in Utah examined more than 2 million registered voters and found a single instance of noncitizen registration and zero instances of noncitizen voting. The SAVE Act solves a problem that does not meaningfully exist, while creating enormous barriers to legitimate participation.

The bill needs 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. To find and contact your senators:

• senate.gov — find your senators and their phone numbers
• 5calls.org — provides scripts and connects you directly

A direct message works: “I oppose the SAVE Act. It will disenfranchise millions of eligible Americans while doing nothing to prevent the noncitizen voting that is already illegal.” Phone calls are more effective than emails. Calls from constituents in a senator’s home state carry the most weight.

3. Support organizations fighting for voting rights right now

Voting rights groups across the country are responding to the Supreme Court’s ruling with litigation, legislation, and voter mobilization. Several are doing particularly critical work in the states most affected by the decision — especially in the South, where the ruling’s impact on minority representation will be most severe.

Organizations doing essential work:

• NAACP Legal Defense Fund (naacpldf.org) — leading litigation to protect Black voters’ political power in the wake of the ruling
• Brennan Center for Justice (brennancenter.org) — policy research, litigation, and advocacy on voting rights and democracy
• Fair Fight Action (fairfight.com) — voter registration and protection, especially in Georgia and the South
• League of Women Voters (lwv.org) — voter registration drives and nonpartisan election protection nationwide
• Southern Coalition for Social Justice (southerncoalition.org) — voting rights litigation and community organizing across the South

Even small donations matter during a litigation and mobilization surge. These organizations are operating in overdrive right now. If donating isn’t possible, sharing their resources and amplifying their work on social media is genuinely useful.

4. Demand Congress pass new voting rights legislation

The Supreme Court’s ruling is devastating — but Congress has the power to restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act through new legislation. Advocates are calling on lawmakers to pass a modernized VRA that addresses the gaps the court has created. Several bills have been introduced; none have passed due to Senate filibuster rules.

This is where public pressure matters most. Members of Congress respond to constituent contact, especially when it is sustained and specific. Call or write your House representative and both senators and ask them to:

• Co-sponsor and advance the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
• Support the Freedom to Vote Act, which would establish national standards for voter registration and election administration
• Oppose any legislation that adds new barriers to voter registration or participation

Find your House representative:

• house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

5. Pay attention to your state — and vote in every election

The Supreme Court’s ruling weakens federal protections, which means state-level laws and state-level elections now matter more than ever. Several states have already passed their own voting rights acts — modeled on the federal law — that offer protections the federal courts can no longer provide. Advocates are pushing more states to follow suit.

Your state legislature, your state attorney general, and your local election administrators all make decisions that directly affect who can vote and how. School board races, county commission races, state legislative races — these determine who draws the maps, who runs the polling places, and who enforces voting rights on the ground. They are decided by small numbers of voters and they matter enormously.

The 2026 midterm elections on November 3rd will determine control of the U.S. House and Senate — and with it, the possibility of federal voting rights legislation. Every eligible voter participating in every election at every level is the most durable protection democracy has.

The bottom line

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was one of the most consequential laws in American history. It was won through sacrifice, organizing, and sustained political pressure. The court’s ruling last week did not erase that history — it renewed the call to continue it. The organizations fighting back need support. The legislators who could act need to hear from constituents. And every eligible voter staying engaged, staying registered, and showing up is an act of resistance in itself.

Start with the five steps above. Then keep going.

Published by WhatCanWeDo.org — May 2026

Sources: Brennan Center for Justice, Vote.org, SCOTUSblog, TIME, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, Fair Elections Center

whatcanwedo.org | Sharing permitted with attribution