[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 [www.gpo.gov]
[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

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                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.

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                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 www.Vote.gov 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.
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                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2023-20819
Filed 9-21-23; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P