Category: VoteRiders Blog

‘I Have Everything I Need Now’ Says Georgia Voter

If there is one thing to learn from Denise Ellis, it’s that laughter yoga can help you cope with stressful situations – like being at the DMV. Denise is a sixty-nine-year-old laughter yoga instructor who needed a new driver’s license when she moved to Columbus, Georgia, in 2021. Unfortunately, her experience at the DMV reflects […]

Diane Nash, American Civil Rights Hero Turns 85

VoteRiders is honoring the legacy of civil rights icon Diane Nash, who was born 85 years ago today in Chicago, Illinois. VoteRiders was named in honor of Diane Nash and the other 436 Freedom Riders who risked their lives in the name of civil rights, voting rights, and dignity for Black Americans. VoteRiders is honored […]

‘My New ID is Like My Freedom Papers’ Says Ohio Returning Citizen

After thirty-two and a half years in prison, Willie Florence needed an Ohio state ID so he could apply for a job, secure housing, and begin to rebuild his life again at the age of fifty-one. And with Ohio recently enacting one of the nation’s strictest voter ID laws, he also needed an ID to […]

Turning Out Young Voters in the Rio Grande Valley

By Cesar Rios, Texas Turnout Community Field Organizer We must instill the importance of civic engagement in our youth community in the Rio Grande Valley. But we also know that confusing and changing laws around voting in Texas have created powerful barriers to the ballot box in recent years and that youth are particularly hard-hit. […]

UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 3: Signs greet voters at the Ruckersville Volunteer Fire Company vote location in Ruckersville, Va., on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The State of Voter ID in America in 2023

Voter ID laws spread and strengthened during the 2022 midterm election cycle. They are continuing to expand as politicians look to 2024. In state after state, legislators are proposing and passing – and governors are implementing – new or tougher ID rules for voters. More than 25 million voting-age Americans do not have a current […]

‘It’s a Very Rewarding Way to Volunteer,’ Says Florida VoteRiders Volunteer

Like many Americans, Helen Peeples secured her first government-issued identification, a driver’s license, when she first learned how to drive at just 16 years old. But this is not the reality for millions of other Americans. As of 2020, nearly 29 million voting-age U.S. citizens lacked a non-expired driver’s license. And recent reports reveal that […]

VoteRiders Pushes Back Against Barriers to the Ballot Affecting Over 56k Returning Citizens in North Carolina

By Sabrina Mommers, VoteRiders North Carolina Organizer VoteRiders encourages voter participation and helps Americans overcome barriers to the ballot by educating them about voter ID laws and assisting those in need of an ID to vote in communities across the nation. As VoteRiders’ North Carolina Organizer, my main responsibility is helping clients secure identification and […]

Volunteer Highlight - Yaretzi Perez, Florida

April is National Volunteer Month and VoteRiders is honoring all of our dedicated volunteers who work so hard to help us ensure that every eligible voter has the ID they need to make their voices heard! When Yaretzi Perez asked community members living in a low-income area of Central Florida why they didn’t have an […]

North Carolina Voter on Road to Recovery After Receiving ID Help from VoteRiders

Bobby Smith was tired of being tired. Twenty-eight years of addiction had taken a toll on his forty-seven-year-old mind and body, and in May 2022 he was ready to turn his life around. After learning about SABER, a North Carolina-based residential recovery program operated by Roof Above, Bobby bought a one-way bus ticket to Charlotte, […]