Whether it was through poll taxes and literacy tests, or gerrymandering and voter ID laws today, underrepresented communities have always had to fight to ensure their right to vote.

COVID-19 presents a new set of challenges that once again risk limiting the voice of underrepresented communities at the ballot box.

With in-person voter registration drives less likely to take place, the state must make the voter registration process as easy and accessible as possible.

While advocacy organizations like MassVOTE will pioneer voter registration efforts through this crisis, steps like reducing the voter registration deadline will allow more voters to speak their mind this fall.

With the COVID-19 crisis crippling underrepresented communities, it is urgent that their voices be heard at the polls this fall.