Does every vote really count?

While we often hear that every election is the most significant in our lifetime, this moment does feel like an unusually critical moment for the future of democracy.

Our faith in democracy is shaking – even here in the Pacific Northwest.

More than who wins control of Congress, more than who becomes the next governor of Oregon or senator from Washington, there is something else at stake in this election. The most significant outcome when polls close on November 8 may be the stability of the fundamental right to vote and participate in our democracy.

Two years ago, we launched The 2120 Initiative to help raise public awareness about the never-ending battle to expand and protect voting rights in the United States.

Today, we are releasing a new report exploring the public’s perception of the right to vote – and assessing how populist narratives about voter fraud and election security are affecting our confidence in the electoral process.

Throughout Public Perceptions of Elections & Voting Rights in the Pacific Northwest we analyze new polling data on Oregon and Washington voters’ confidence in the integrity of our elections, the security of voting by mail, and whether they are willing to accept the outcome of future elections.

In this examination, we explore several key questions:

• How do voters in both states feel about recent changes to voting rights laws in America?
• What’s more important for voter laws to achieve: preventing voter fraud or protecting against voter discrimination?
• Do voters really believe the popular rhetoric around claims of voter fraud?
• And, do voters make the connection between our right to vote and the health of our democracy right now?

Some of the findings in our research surprised us – and send clear signals about the state of American democracy today.

You can read the full report here.

We invite you to join us in this effort to raise awareness about the critical importance of voting rights. If you’re interested in learning more about ways to get involved, visit the2120initiative.org.

Now more than ever, don’t forget to exercise your own right to be heard – and vote.