On the one-year anniversary of the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol, NASW Virginia urges members to stand in support of the Freedom to Vote Act (S.B 2747), a crucial piece of legislation to safeguard voting rights. This legislation, formerly the For the People Act, safeguards voting rights by expanding voter registration and voting access. Both of Virginia’s Senators—Tim Kaine and Mark Warner—have cosponsored the bill.

Voter suppression is an affront to civil rights and disproportionality impacts people of color, low-income individuals, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized individuals. NASW continues to advocate for this and other such pieces of legislation, and collaborates in partnership with other voter rights organizations, such as Voto Latino, Rock the Vote, Voting is Social Work, and more.

As we approach the reopening of the Virginia Legislature, we urge you to keep these issues in the forefront as our policy agenda progresses through the year. NASW will keep you up to date as bills advance or stall and will inform you on the best ways to get involved to make your voice as a social worker heard.

“Advocacy and social justice are core to the field of social work, and voting rights are of utmost importance to uphold, now and always,” says Virginia Executive Director Debra Riggs, CAE. “We are fortunate to live in a state that has improved access to polling sites; offered extensive early voting; and invested in high-security, ballot-protecting equipment and training. The new administration must continue to support these and other actions that help ensure the right and ability of all citizens to vote. Keeping democracy strong is not, and never should be, a partisan issue.”