Trending
MARQUETTE -- On Saturday, Aug. 8, the League of Women Voters, together with hundreds of state and local Leagues and partners, will lead a nationwide "Unite & Rise for Voting Rights" Day of Action to mobilize voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Communities across the country will rally, organize, and take visible public action with one urgent message: in America, voters -- not politicians -- should decide the future of our democracy.
The Day of Action is a major milestone in the League’s Unite and Rise 8.5 initiative, a nationwide effort to engage and mobilize 8.5 million voters by November. The initiative launched in 2025, after the League declared that the United States was -- and continues to be -- in a Constitutional Crisis. Recent Supreme Court rulings on Birthright Citizenship, money in politics, and the dismantling of the Voting Rights Act, coupled with legislative efforts in Congress, underscore a simple truth: democracy only works when people show up to defend it. Learn more about these events and how to participate at lwv.org/riseforvotingrights.
“Democracy doesn’t defend itself, people do,” said Celina Stewart, chief executive officer for the League of Women Voters. “On Aug. 8, communities across the country are coming together to send a clear message: our democracy belongs to the people. This Day of Action is more than a single day of events; it’s a declaration that voters are organized, energized, and ready to protect the fundamental right that makes all others possible--the freedom to vote.”
The run-up to the nationwide Day of Action begins with a virtual National Pep Rally at 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Aug. 6, bringing together League leaders, voting rights advocates, entertainers, and grassroots organizers. Together, they will celebrate and remind attendees of the power of collective action and equip them with the tools to mobilize their communities. Livestreamed at lwv.org/riseforvotingrights, the event will underscore that protecting democracy requires sustained civic participation--not just on Election Day, but every day.