Voter suppression laws across the U.S. make it harder to vote—and often leave people of color, people with disabilities, students and senior citizens bearing the brunt of new burdens at the ballot box. And while there isn’t an app that can change the hours your polling place is open or remind you of the intricacies of a complicated voter ID law, a new website can help you make sure that your voter registration is safe.
States often permit officials to purge names from the voter rolls after years of inactivity, or in case of death or relocation, but many voters in recent years have found that they were unfairly purged—and when they turned up to the polls, they were swiftly turned away.
With voting rights more under attack than ever, it’s important that everyone stay vigilant to ensure that their registrations remain active. That’s where Don’t Get Purged comes in—a new website that checks the voter rolls in your state so that you can be sure you’re all set for election day.
The way it works is simple: Users go to dontgetpurged.org and enter their name, address, date of birth and email. The system then searches through the voting rolls to find that user’s registration file. If a user finds out that they are no longer registered, the site can help them re-registered before election day; if it turns out a user’s registration checks out, they can breathe a sigh of relief and figure out which shirt looks best with their “I Voted” sticker.
The upcoming elections are the most important in our lifetime. Play it safe: go to dontgetpurged.org today to make sure your registration is active. Potential voters are encouraged to check back more than once to make sure they are still eligible to vote, too—so make sure to register, resist and repeat.
