This week on Freedom Table, I sat down with Stacey Abrams: NYT bestselling author, former Georgia House representative and gubernatorial candidate, entrepreneur, and voting rights activist. Her historic run for governor in Georgia brought thousands of new voters to the polls, and she helped build the infrastructure that propelled pro-civil rights candidates into office across the country.
With all eyes on the upcoming midterms, the Trump administration and its allies are ramping up their efforts to disenfranchise millions of Americans—sometimes blatantly, and other times in seemingly innocuous ways. The Right is increasing its already gargantuan efforts to suppress the vote and keep Black and brown people from the ballot.
Right now, voting rights are under attack on multiple fronts. Take the SAVE Act, which the Right is currently trying to pass, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and would create real barriers for millions of eligible Americans who don’t have a passport or birth certificate readily available. It would also make it harder on those who have changed their legal name, meaning women would bear the brunt of the complication. (Here’s a write-up on the SAVE Act’s impact, from NAACP LDF.)
Stacey and I talk through what’s happening right now, what’s at stake heading into the midterm elections, and what people need to know to protect their right to vote. We clarify some of the false information circulating around voter requirements, and talk through the ways we can push back, whether through our local government or our workplace. And we dig into the many levers of power at play in this new era of voter suppression, including corporate enablers who support the people and institutions who want to restrict the vote while putting out statements about valuing democracy.
We look to Minnesota for what we can learn about the power of coordinated, community-led efforts to protect our rights and those of our neighbors. We also dispel the myth that “ICE isn’t looking for us,” and talk about why history shows that the Black community should be especially wary of federal guards showing up at voting sites. We get into the census, too—not just its impact on gerrymandering and redrawing district lines, but the funding that pours—or doesn’t—into our communities.
The work of local organizing is the most crucial tool we have in preventing voter suppression and ensuring access to the ballot. Stacey shouts out several organizations committed to not just changing the roles but changing the rules, including Fair Count, a nonprofit she founded to build long-term power in communities that have been historically undercounted, underrepresented in elections, and ripped apart by redistricting.
The fight against voter suppression won’t be decisively won in one day. Our opposition is invested for the long term, and as long as America remains a democracy, there will be forces trying to keep us from the polls. That means we must be invested, too. From taking on corporate enablers of voter suppression to fighting against the criminalization of voter engagement and registrations, this is a fight that Stacey and I have been in for years. We know that it is a long fight—and we have to look beyond 2026 to the foundation we’re laying for the future of our democracy.
