RFK Human Rights Launches New Voting PSA

MADE FOR AND BY THE YOUNG, QUEER, AND BIPOC COMMUNITES, MANY OF WHOM WILL BE VOTING ABSENTEE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NOVEMBER, THE VIDEO EXPLAINS HOW TO AVOID THE COMMON MISTAKES THAT COULD CAUSE YOUR MAIL-IN BALLOT TO BE DISQUALIFIED.

New York, NY (October 1, 2020)—Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights has launched a new campaign explaining how voters can avoid the common mistakes that could cause your mail-in ballot to be disqualified.

More than 550,000 mail-in ballots were rejected during this year’s presidential primaries, raising concerns about what could happen in November when tens of millions of more people are expected to cast their ballots by mail, many for the first time.

As the video lays out, most mail-in ballots are rejected for simple and seemingly arbitrary errors, such as missing a signature or because the ballot arrives too late—mistakes that researchers say first-time absentee voters and voters of color are much more likely to make. And while ballot rejections are inevitable even under the best of circumstances, experts predict the surge in mail-in voting, coupled with postal delays, will only compound these problems—potentially disenfranchising up to three times as many voters in key battleground states compared to the last presidential election.

“In what is arguably the most important election of our lifetime, we must give everyone the means to vote and be heard,” said Kerry Kennedy, president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. “For our young, queer, and BIPOC communities, especially those voting for the first time, that means recognizing their voices have been drowned out of civic conversation for far too long and it’s time we prioritize, uplift, and encourage them to take their agency back.”

“When I was first contacted by RFK Human Rights to create a PSA about registering to vote and meeting election deadlines, I knew it was important for me to not only create something ‘aesthetically pleasing’ but to be able to identify myself and my community within the video,” said PSA director Kadar Small. “We purposely cast all Black and queer individuals knowing my community has been so deeply affected by the last presidential election and will be heavily impacted by this year’s as well. If we want to see change in November, it’s our job to hold one another accountable and actually take the proper steps towards progress by voting and making our voices heard.”

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

We are a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization that has worked to realize Robert F. Kennedy’s dream of a more just and peaceful world since 1968. In partnership with local activists, we advocate for key human rights issues, championing changemakers, and pursuing strategic litigation at home and around the world. And to ensure change that lasts, we foster a social-good approach to business and investment, and educate millions of students about human rights and social justice.

RFK Young Leaders on Campus

Inspired by the legacy of Robert F. Kennedy, the RFK Young Leaders program equips and empowers students to become the next generation of human rights defenders. The focus is on creating opportunities for young people, especially those from groups that have been historically underrepresented, to rise through local systems of power. By partnering with students in college campuses across the country, building their individual leadership skills, and expanding their collective access to both professional and political spaces, the program aims to fundamentally shift American leadership to become more diverse, representative, intersectional, and equitable.