 | |
| Formation | February 6, 2017 |
|---|---|
| Type | Political action organization |
| Legal status | 527 organization |
| Location | |
President | Jason Kander |
Treasurer | Abe Rakov [1] |
| Website | www |
Let America Vote is a political action organization founded by former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander in February 2017. [2] Its mission is to end voter suppression across the country. [3]
Kander first became concerned about voter suppression during his tenure as Missouri Secretary of State, when the Republican-dominated state legislature proposed photo identification laws that could prevent as many as 200,000 eligible voters from voting. [3] Kander founded Let America Vote three months after he had narrowly lost to Roy Blunt in the 2016 Senate race. Responding to the actions taken by the Trump administration (such as the Voter Fraud Commission), Let America Vote aims to create political consequences for politicians intent on denying certain Americans the right to vote, especially those that target low-income and minority voters. [4] [5] The group raised approximately $2.4 million in its first year, and has now established office branches in Iowa, New Hampshire, Georgia, Tennessee, and Nevada. [6] [7] [8]
Let America Vote is governed by a board of advisors consisting of voting rights activists, non-profit leaders, former Obama administration officials, and Democratic politicians. [9] Notable members include:
Kris William Kobach is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the attorney general of Kansas since 2023. He previously served as the 31st secretary of state of Kansas from 2011 to 2019. A former chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, Kobach rose to national prominence over his support for anti-immigration advocacy, including involvement in the implementation of high-profile anti-illegal immigration ordinances in various American cities. Kobach is also known for his calls for stronger voter ID laws in the United States. He has made claims about the extent of election fraud in the United States that some studies and media have said are unsubstantiated.
Rebecca Rios is an American Democratic politician who previously served in the Arizona State Senate representing District 27 from 2019 to 2023. She also served in the Arizona House of Representatives, including as Minority Leader.
Denise W. Merrill is an American politician who most recently served as the Connecticut Secretary of the State from 2011 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Merrill was previously a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives.
Crisanta Duran is a former American politician who served as the 38th Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives from 2017 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the Colorado State Representative for the 5th district from 2011 to 2019, which encompasses part of northwest Denver. She served as Majority Leader from 2015 to 2017. Duran is the first and only Latina elected Speaker of the House in state history.
Alison Case Lundergan Grimes is an American lawyer and Democratic politician who was the secretary of state of Kentucky from 2012 until 2020. Grimes was elected in 2011 after defeating incumbent Elaine Walker in the Democratic primary and Republican candidate Bill Johnson in the general election. She was the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate in 2014, unsuccessfully challenging Republican incumbent and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. She was re-elected for a second term as Secretary of State of Kentucky on November 3, 2015, defeating Republican Stephen Knipper. Term limited in 2019, she was succeeded by Republican Michael Adams.
Jason David Kander is an American attorney, author, veteran, and politician. A Democrat, he served as the 39th secretary of state of Missouri, from 2013 to 2017. He had previously served as a member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 2009 to 2013. Before entering politics, he was an intelligence officer in the Army Reserve. He served in Afghanistan and achieved the rank of captain.
Joshua Ryan Henry Earnest is an American political advisor who served as White House press secretary under President Barack Obama from 2014 to 2017. He was Obama's third Press Secretary and the 29th to hold the position. He succeeded Jay Carney as Obama's press secretary, in 2014, and was succeeded by President Donald Trump's first presidential press secretary, Sean Spicer. He is Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer for United Airlines.
Janet Cruz is an American politician who formerly served as a Democratic member of the Florida Senate, representing part of Hillsborough County and Tampa from 2018 until 2022 before losing re-election, as well as four terms in the Florida House of Representatives, representing a Tampa-based district from 2010 until her election to the Senate.
Stephanie Schriock is an American political strategist and former president of EMILY's List, a position she served in from 2010 until 2021.
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