America rejects hate and rebukes Trump's white nationalist agenda

Not only did we see a shift in the balance of power in Congress, but record turnout, a sign that voter enthusiasm is high.

And it was a historic night in other ways as well.

In Kansas, voters sent notorious, far-right extremist Kris Kobach packing. Kobach, who was running for governor, has longstanding ties to white nationalists and is one of the nation’s leading advocates for voter suppression measures. He’s also the architect of extraordinarily harsh anti-immigrant laws enacted by a number of states.

In Florida, voters approved a ballot measure that overturns a Jim Crow-era law and restores the vote to 1.4 million people – including one-fifth of all black adults in the state – who had been barred from voting because of previous felony convictions.

Many of you supported the Florida initiative with calls to voters, and it made a difference in this close race. Now, we’re determined to get these newly enfranchised people registered in time to vote in 2020.

In Louisiana, voters overturned another Jim Crow relic by passing a measure requiring jury verdicts in criminal trials to be unanimous. Before the vote, Louisiana was just one of two states where a person could be sent to prison – even for life – with just 10 of 12 jurors agreeing to a guilty verdict.

As a supporter of our work, you’ve played a critical role in these victories.

With your help, we encouraged college students across the nation to mount voter education drives. We urged students to get their parents to vote. And we invested heavily in nonpartisan turnout and voter education efforts in Florida, Georgia and Louisiana.

Let’s enjoy yesterday’s victories.

But let’s not lose sight of how much more needs to be done.

The anti-democratic and white nationalist forces we’re up against won’t be easily defeated. Trump has exploited the backlash to our nation’s changing demographics, but he didn’t create it. There will be many tough challenges in the years ahead.

With your support, however, we’ll continue to make progress and uphold the ideals upon which our country was founded.

Thank you for your dedication to equal justice and democracy. It’s helping change America for the better.

Photo Zach Gibson/Getty Images​