Statement from When We All Vote’s Executive Director on President Biden’s Supreme Court Nomination

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Stephanie L. Young, Executive Director of When We All Vote, a leading voting organization committed to increasing participation in every election, released the following statement after President Biden’s announcement of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the Supreme Court nominee: 

“This is a historic day in our nation’s history. Judge Jackson’s nomination as the first Black woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice creates a Court that for the first time truly reflects the great diversity of this country. This historic nomination also shows President Biden’s commitment to creating a more equitable justice system. 

This nomination comes at a pivotal moment for the future and health of our nation’s democracy: we either protect and expand our sacred right to vote or we return to pre-Voting Rights Act voter suppression. Much of the fate of our democracy lies in the hands of the Supreme Court. 

The Voting Rights Act is one of the most successful civil rights laws in American history but has been consistently weakened in the last decade. Three cases — Shelby County v. Holder (2013), Abbott v. Perez (2018), and Brnovich v. DNC (2021) — have drained nearly all of the life out of this landmark statute. Earlier this month, the current Supreme Court voted to reinstate an Alabama congressional map that a lower court said diluted the power of Black voters. 

We need a Supreme Court that will protect and safeguard our democracy. Voting and free and fair elections are the foundation of that. The Senate must confirm Judge Brown Jackson’s nomination swiftly and without delay. We look forward to mobilizing supporters all over this country to make their voices heard on this matter and #WeHaveHerBack.”

When We All Vote has consistently mobilized its community of grassroots volunteers, corporate leaders and celebrity ambassadors in support of federal voting rights legislation. Last month, founder and Co-Chair Michelle Obama announced that thirty of the nation’s largest civil rights and voting organizations joined When We All Vote in the Fight For Our Vote pledge to recruit and train 100,000 volunteers, register more than one million new voters, organize at least 100,000 Americans to contact their Senators to fight for federal voting rights legislation and more. In 2021, When We all Vote mobilized 20,000 people to contact Congress about voting rights, released a  letter signed by more than 60 celebrities and ambassadors calling on Congress to pass federal voting rights legislation and partnered with Vote.org, the Declaration for American Democracy Coalition (DFAD) and more than 90 of the country’s leading corporations in calling on the Senate to pass the For the People Act. 

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