Voting rights have become a key issue in 2016. In addition to the successful legal victories rolling back state restrictions on voting in states like Texas, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Kansas, we have successfully advanced a number of important democracy-expanding reforms this year!

Three years ago, we launched our Voting Rights & Democracy program with the express goal of going on offense to advance a proactive, inclusive agenda to expand voting rights and increase voter participation and engagement of the New American Majority. Together with state partners and national allies, CPD and CPD Action have been advancing game-changing reforms like Automatic Voter Registration, restoring the right to vote for the formerly incarcerated, as well as reforms to increase access to voter registration and the ballot box.

This work is beginning to refocus the national political agenda on the strengthening of our democracy. CPD Action and other national partners advocated on these issues to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) as the party debated its platform. On Monday, July 25, 2016 the DNC adopted a 2016 platform containing the strongest voting rights provisions in the party’s history, declaring “it is a core principle of the Democratic Party to maximize voter participation for all Americans.” The fact that inclusive affirmative voting reforms were included in a national platform reflects the momentum that CPD has been able to build with our partners and allies.

All the major voting rights reforms that CPD has been advocating for — automatic voter registration (AVR), the restoration of voting rights for ex-offenders, making election day a holiday, and restoring the Voting Rights Act to its full power — can now be found in the 2016 DNC platform!

National support for expanding voting rights comes at a critical time. Our democracy is at a crossroads and the stakes could not be higher. More than a decade of attacks on voting rights and democratic participation — from Shelby County v. Holder to restrictive state voter ID laws — have been threatening the very core principles of our representative democracy.

Expanding voting rights is a not partisan issue, it’s an American issue. In our democracy, every voter — regardless of party affiliation, race, gender, income or age — should be able to cast their ballot and make their voice heard.

But this fight requires a long-term effort to pass proactive voting policies at the state, national and local level. The strong endorsement of voting rights reforms by a major political party platform is an indication that momentum is building for a strong proactive and inclusive democracy agenda!