[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 187 (Thursday, September 30, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 54027-54028]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-21449]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 86 , No. 187 / Thursday, September 30, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 54027]]

                Proclamation 10265 of September 27, 2021

                
National Voter Registration Day, 2021

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                The right to vote is central to who we are as a Nation 
                and a people--it defines us as Americans, propels us to 
                ever-greater progress, and serves as the foundation of 
                our liberty. Voting provides Americans with a voice in 
                building the country we want to live in together and 
                the country we hope to leave to our children and 
                grandchildren. The right to vote freely and fairly, and 
                to have our vote counted, is a sacred and fundamental 
                part of our Nation's character. With it, anything is 
                possible for America; without it, nothing is.

                For our democracy to work, it is up to all of us to 
                protect the right to vote--and to exercise it. The 
                first step that all of us can take is to make sure that 
                we are registered to vote. Each year, National Voter 
                Registration Day reminds us of our right and our 
                responsibility, as individual citizens and as one 
                Nation, to exercise the sacred right to vote and ensure 
                that our voices are heard.

                Through great sacrifice and the courage of generations 
                of civil rights leaders and activists, we have made 
                strides to ensure that more Americans are able to take 
                part in the democratic process. We have repeatedly 
                amended the Constitution to expand voting access across 
                our history, and landmark legislation like the Indian 
                Citizenship Act of 1924 and the Voting Rights Act of 
                1965 have helped to make those constitutional promises 
                real and meaningful for more and more of our people.

                But this work remains unfinished. Today, the right to 
                vote is being suppressed and subverted in many parts of 
                the country by shameful attempts to restrict Americans' 
                access to the ballot and the rolling back of decades of 
                voting rights progress. This assault--largely targeting 
                Americans of color, as such assaults so often have 
                through the darkest chapters of our history, is an 
                attack on our democracy, on our liberty, and on who we 
                are as Americans. As my friend, American hero 
                Representative John Lewis, reminded us shortly before 
                he passed, `Democracy is not a state; it is an act.' It 
                is our shared responsibility to act as one people to 
                secure the basic promise of American democracy.

                My Administration has taken firm and far-reaching 
                action to expand and protect voting rights. Earlier 
                this year, I issued an Executive Order to promote 
                access to voting. This order established a whole-of-
                government effort directing Federal agencies to expand 
                access to voter registration and election information, 
                especially in some of our most underserved communities. 
                My Administration also supports Federal legislation to 
                set basic national standards for fair registration and 
                voting in Federal elections and to protect against 
                racial discrimination and the subversion of the 
                election process. Guaranteeing the right to vote and 
                ensuring that every vote is counted has always been one 
                of the most patriotic things we can do, and my 
                Administration is committed to safeguarding and 
                strengthening our democracy.

                As we observe National Voter Registration Day, I 
                encourage all eligible Americans to make sure they are 
                registered to vote--to check their registration status 
                and ensure that their registration is accurate and up 
                to date--and to help their neighbors, family, and 
                friends to do the same. Visit Vote.gov

[[Page 54028]]

                for more information on how to register to vote. I also 
                urge policymakers and citizens across the country, of 
                all parties, to join me in defending, strengthening, 
                and expanding this paramount 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 the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 28, 
                2021, as National Voter Registration Day. I call on all 
                Americans to observe this day by ensuring they are 
                registered to vote, and thereby prepared to stand up 
                for our democracy and the vitality and integrity of our 
                elections.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-seventh day of September, in the year of our 
                Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence 
                of the United States of America the two hundred and 
                forty-sixth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2021-21449
Filed 9-29-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P