Presidential Document2023-20819
National Voter Registration Day, 2023
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 22, 2023
Signed
September 18, 2023
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 183 (Friday, September 22, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 183 (Friday, September 22, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 65579-65580]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-20819]
[[Page 65577]]
Vol. 88
Friday,
No. 183
September 22, 2023
Part IV
The President
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Proclamation 10627--National Voter Registration Day, 2023
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 88 , No. 183 / Friday, September 22, 2023 /
Presidential Documents
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Title 3--
The President
[[Page 65579]]
Proclamation 10627 of September 18, 2023
National Voter Registration Day, 2023
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
The right to vote and to have that vote counted is the
threshold of democracy. Without it, nothing is
possible, but with it, anything is. On National Voter
Registration Day, we reaffirm our commitment to
ensuring every American has equal opportunity to
participate in our democracy, and we encourage all
eligible Americans to register to vote.
Since the founding of our country, countless Americans
have fought to secure the right to vote and to have
that vote counted for all. Women did not secure the
right to vote until 1920. Black Americans were denied
full citizenship and voting rights up until 1965. Time
and again, Americans have fought against great
opposition--they have marched, protested, and even died
for the right to vote. They have done the hard work of
our democracy by registering voters and getting them to
the polls.
Yet, even today, the voting rights of so many hang in
the balance. The Supreme Court weakened the landmark
Voting Rights Act, and in the years since, States have
enacted dozens of anti-voting laws. On January 6,
2021--one of the darkest moments of our Nation's
history--we saw the violent and deadly insurrection at
the Capitol perpetrated by election deniers. It is
clear that the fight to preserve our democratic values
and norms is not over. Just as generations of Americans
past rose to the occasion, protecting and securing the
right to vote, we must answer the call to fight for our
democracy today.
Delivering a Government by and for the people begins
and ends with the ballot box. My Administration will do
everything in our power to protect it. It is why I
signed an Executive Order that established a whole-of-
government effort to promote access to voter
registration and election information all across
America, including in underserved communities. In
response, Federal agencies have taken action to help
make it easier for veterans and college students to
register to vote. The Department of Justice has also
doubled its voting rights staff. As President, I will
continue to fight back against State legislation that
undermines the will of the American people. I continue
to call on the Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act
and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to
expand access to voting and prevent voter suppression.
Passing these laws is the only way to fully secure the
right to vote in every State.
Today, I think of the words of the late civil rights
trailblazer Representative John Lewis: ``Democracy is
not a state; it is an act.'' As our democracy faces
threats from those who seek to weaken the right to
vote, it has never been more important to act--to
protect and expand the right to vote. I know that we
will--not just because our cause is just, our vision is
clear, and our hearts are full but because generations
of Americans refused to give up until they secured
voting rights for all of us. Now it is our turn to
secure the right to vote for all Americans once more.
For the generations to come, for the strength of our
democracy, and for the preservation of our
extraordinary experiment in self-government, we must
remain committed to securing the right to vote for all
and redeeming the soul of our Nation.
[[Page 65580]]
On National Voter Registration Day, I call on all
eligible Americans to ensure that they are registered
to vote by checking that their registration is accurate
and up to date and to help their communities do the
same. Visit <a href="http://www.Vote.gov">www.Vote.gov</a> for more information on how to
register to vote. I also urge policymakers and
constituents alike to join me in preserving,
reinforcing, and expanding this essential
constitutional right.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of
the United States, do hereby proclaim September 19,
2023, as National Voter Registration Day. I call on all
eligible Americans to observe this day by ensuring that
they are accurately registered and by committing to
cast a ballot in upcoming elections.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
eighteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
two thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of
the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
eighth.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2023-20819
Filed 9-21-23; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on September 22, 2023.
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