{"id":2069,"date":"2025-04-02T14:28:07","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T18:28:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/maryland\/?post_type=article&p=2069"},"modified":"2025-08-11T13:44:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T17:44:13","slug":"5-reasons-to-pass-the-maryland-voting-rights-act-now","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/maryland\/articles\/5-reasons-to-pass-the-maryland-voting-rights-act-now\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Reasons to Pass the Maryland Voting Rights Act Now"},"template":"","class_list":["post-2069","article","type-article","status-publish","hentry","article_type-blog-post"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"We know state legislators have a lot on their plates this session but defending our freedom to vote \u2014 the foundation of our democracy \u2014must be a top priority. ","featured_image":"","article_type":181,"authors":"","related_issues":[442],"related_work":[350],"location":null},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":"","name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"Last week, President Trump issued an unconstitutional executive order attempting to take over elections across the country. Despite this blatant attack on our freedom to vote, our state representatives have not passed any legislation to further protect voters\u2019 rights. We know legislators have a lot on their plates this session but defending our freedom to vote \u2014 the foundation of our democracy \u2014must be a top priority.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nHere are five reasons Maryland state legislators must pass the Maryland Voting Rights Act (MDVRA) by April 7.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

The Maryland Voting Rights Act will help safeguard voters from federal attacks on their voting rights.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nIn 2025, we\u2019ve <\/span>seen a renewed effort to strip Americans of their freedom to vote. President Trump\u2019s recent executive order attempts to put the White House in charge of Maryland elections by dictating how ballots can be counted and how to verify eligible voters.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe executive order would require voters show their birth certificate or passport to vote, restrict vote-by-mail, expose sensitive voter data information to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and allow federal law enforcement to meddle in state elections. Furthermore, it would punish states that refuse to comply by taking away their federal elections funding, thereby jeopardizing our local election offices\u2019 ability to run secure and fair elections.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe U.S. House of Representatives will also vote on the SAVE Act soon. This <\/span>legislation would make it harder for American citizens<\/span><\/a> \u2013 including married women, rural voters, and veterans \u2013 to cast their ballots.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nIf our state legislators don\u2019t act now, they\u2019ll leave our voting rights in the very hands of a Congress and presidential administration intent on taking them away.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

The Maryland Voting Rights Act will empower voters in historically disenfranchised communities.\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nDespite its progressive reputation, Maryland's insufficient voting rights laws have historically prevented Black and Brown voters from having equal representation in our political process.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nExamples like the <\/span>Baltimore County Council passing racially gerrymandered maps<\/span><\/a> in 2021 or <\/span>Fredericksburg\u2019s racially discriminatory electoral system<\/span><\/a> preventing any elected officials of color until 2023 demonstrate Maryland still needs stronger protections for voters of color.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe MDVRA would empower voters by prohibiting racial vote dilution, which occurs when electoral practices weaken the voting strength of voters of color. It would also require pre-clearance, so any important voting changes, such as new redistricting plans or changes in requirements to vote, made in places with a high-risk for discrimination must be pre-approved before going into effect.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

The Maryland Voting Rights Act will improve language accessibility at the polls.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nMaryland is the most diverse state on the east coast, and o<\/span>ne in five Marylanders speaks a language other than English<\/span><\/a> at home.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nTo keep up with our state\u2019s growing diversity, we must ensure our elections are accessible to every eligible voter, no matter which language they speak. The MDVRA will improve language accessibility by requiring all localities with a population of 2% or more in a language minority to provide voting materials in that language.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

The Maryland Voting Rights Act will protect voters from intimidation and misinformation.\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nNo voter should ever experience fear, intimidation, or misinformation when casting a ballot. Yet in 2024, there were several high-profile incidents of intimidation against <\/span>election workers<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>voters<\/span><\/a> alike. The MDVRA would provide Marylanders with a right to sue to challenge voter intimidation, deception, or obstruction.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

The Maryland Voting Rights Act will establish Maryland as a national leader in the fight to protect voting rights.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nMaryland has made great strides in recent years to build a more accessible and inclusive democracy. While there is still much work to be done, passing the MDVRA would cement Maryland as a national voting rights leader. Maryland would be <\/span>just the ninth state to pass a state voting rights act.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nBeyond these five reasons, <\/span>80% of Maryland voters<\/span><\/a> believe passing the MDVRA should be a top priority for state legislators this session. There\u2019s no time to waste --- let's honor the will of the people and pass the Maryland Voting Rights Act immediately.<\/span>"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_add_component","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_add_component":null},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_work","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_work":{"heading":"Work","manually_curate":false,"work":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_related_articles","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_related_articles":{"heading":"Updates","button_text":"See all Related Articles","manually_curate":false,"articles":null}}]},"yoast_head":"\n5 Reasons to Pass the Maryland Voting Rights Act Now - Common Cause Maryland<\/title>\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.commoncause.org\/maryland\/articles\/5-reasons-to-pass-the-maryland-voting-rights-act-now\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Reasons to Pass the Maryland Voting Rights Act Now\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We know state legislators have a lot on their plates this session but defending our freedom to vote \u2014 the foundation of our democracy \u2014must be a top priority.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/maryland\/articles\/5-reasons-to-pass-the-maryland-voting-rights-act-now\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Common Cause Maryland\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-11T17:44:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/maryland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/MDVRA-.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/maryland\/articles\/5-reasons-to-pass-the-maryland-voting-rights-act-now\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/maryland\/articles\/5-reasons-to-pass-the-maryland-voting-rights-act-now\/\",\"name\":\"5 Reasons to Pass the Maryland Voting Rights Act Now - 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