“The continued slide into authoritarianism is made possible by the twin assaults on our democracy and the pursuit of racial justice. In this time of crisis, we need elected officials who stand up against efforts to render us without meaningful participation in the democratic process, have our histories censored from our cultural institutions, and be shorn of the protection of our hard-earned civil rights.” — Kimberlé Crenshaw
Knowing who to vote for in today’s political climate feels like navigating a minefield. You hear one thing about a candidate in a campaign ad, another at the barbershop or beauty salon, and something different from clips from influencers and podcasters on social media. And rarely is any of it aligned — or true.
This has led to Americans turning out to vote but not trusting the process. Since 2024, confidence that state or local government will run fair and accurate elections has fallen from 76% to 66%. Only 63% of Black Americans and 57% of Latinos are confident. More than eight in 10 Americans say it is either very likely or likely that political content created by artificial intelligence will spread misleading information about elections.
We know that misinformation targets Black voters disproportionately — as do laws like the SAVE Act, which is currently holding Congress hostage in another attempt at a power grab by the far-right.
The Urban League movement is prepared to inform our communities and voters no matter what comes our way this November. We’ve reactivated our get-out-the-vote campaign, Reclaim Your Vote, and this week launched “America 250: A Guide for Defending Democracy.”
This guide does not support or oppose any political party or candidate for public office. What it does is help voters research where candidates stand on issues that impact us, including:
— Protecting civil rights and voting rights
— Rejecting racism, discrimination and dehumanization
— Expanding equal opportunity and fair access
It also gives advocates guidance on the questions to ask candidates to determine their commitment to defending our democracy — questions like: “What specific steps, if any, will you take to protect every eligible American’s right to vote and to have that vote fully counted?” and “Can you give an example of a time when you were willing to follow the Constitution even when it was politically difficult?”
This is not an election we can afford to sit out. It’s not an election we can afford to have our priorities buried under misinformation. And we cannot afford to be distracted by lazy attacks on identity, diversity initiatives and people who align themselves with broken promises and attacks on our democracy.
We stand alongside our partners in saying enough is enough. And we’re standing beside you as you register to vote and cast your ballots this fall.
Fighting for our rights and our interests takes all of us — and arming ourselves with the right information is the best place to start.
Morial is president/CEO of the National Urban League.