Make a Plan to Vote in the 2024 Presidential Election

Family Equality’s mission is to create a world where everyone can experience the unconditional joy and belonging of family. That means advocating for policies, parties, and candidates that advance equality for LGBTQ+ folks and anyone who occupies identities that have been traditionally kept away from and out of power. With a pivotal presidential election upon us, it’s never been more important to ensure that your voice is heard by voting at the local, state, and national levels.

In other words, elections matter — every election, not just the presidential one.

You can make a difference in the lives of Americans, and it all starts with making a plan to vote — and then encouraging your friends and family to do the same. After all, families that vote together, hope together.

What’s at stake for the LGBTQ+ community in the 2024 Presidential Election?

Our love, family, and freedom. Family Equality doesn’t endorse any specific party or candidate. But we can look at the records of the past two administrations to better understand how and why we must elect equality champions to create a more equitable and just nation.

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the summer of 2022, we’ve witnessed a wave of organized threats to our freedoms to find, form, and sustain our families. The decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization has emboldened courts and legislatures to drastically restrict people’s rights to make their most intimate decisions. All the while, state courts have undermined LGBTQ+ family formation by calling into question the legal security of children born through assisted reproduction. By voting for equality champions down-the-ballot, you can ensure that the right of everyone to love and build the family of their choosing is protected.

Currently, 14 states maintain “licenses to discriminate,” allowing adoption and foster care agencies to turn away prospective parents because of who they are, who they love, and what they believe. The introduction and maintenance of these laws were emboldened by the actions of the Trump Administration, who spoke out in support of continuing to federally fund foster care agencies that turn away same-sex couples, issued a waiver to South Carolina that allowed taxpayer-funded faith-based foster care agencies to turn away LGBTQ+ people as well as Jewish foster parents and mentors, and proposed a change in HHS rulemaking to allow agencies to discriminate.

Meanwhile, under the Biden-Harris Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services introduced rules that strengthen protections for LGBTQ+ youth in foster care, advance regulations for youth and families in the child welfare system, rescind discriminatory exemptions in federally-funded foster care programs, and more.

With your vote, we can ensure that our elected officials protect the rights of youth and families affected by child welfare, Congress passes the John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act, and state and local officials create protections for youth and families touched by the child welfare system on a state-by-state basis.

Throughout the Trump Administration, multiple federal departments removed demographic questions about LGBTQ+ people in data collection as well as erasing mention of LGBTQ+ people from major government websites and withdrawing important policies to protect various LGBTQ+ communities. Additionally, the Trump Administration released a statement opposing the passage of the Equality Act.

Meanwhile, the Biden-Harris Administration released rules, executive orders, and initiatives that protect LGBTQ+ people and families from discrimination in health care, address LGBTQ+ youth homelessness, increase funding for programming to support LGBTQ+ youth, and more.

In order to ensure that all LGBTQ+ people and families are protected from discrimination and given the support they need, we must vote for equality champions down-the-ballot that will create comprehensive and inclusive data collection initiatives, develop anti-discrimination policies and practices, and pass the Equality Act once and for all.

A central tenet of our policy work is creating safe and inclusive classrooms where everyone feels welcome and affirmed. However, the Trump Administration rescinded Title IX guidance protecting transgender students from discrimination and all students from sexual harassment and assault.

Meanwhile, the Biden-Harris Administration introduced initiatives to push back against the nation’s book bans, for example.

By voting for equality champions down-the-ballot, we can combat the wave of bills that prohibit the mere mention of LGBTQ+ families in the classroom, seek to silence and erase the history of historically oppressed communities, and discriminate against trans youth while ushering in laws, policies, and practices that protect our nation’s students from bullying and discrimination.

Make your voice heard: Create a plan to vote

New data shows that a record 75 million voters prioritize LGBTQ+ inclusive policies when making decisions at the ballot box, and research from 2022 suggests that LGBTQ+ people make up 1 in 10 voters, which is a significant percentage of the electorate. In other words, if we all get out and vote, we will make our voices heard.

The problem is that one-third of these equality voters are at risk of not voting in 2024. In 2020, 1 in 5 eligible LGBTQ+ adults weren’t registered to vote. Each election, millions of eligible voters are unable to cast their ballots because of a missed registration deadline, outdated registration information, or other problems with their voter registration. By creating a plan to vote, you won’t miss your opportunity to make your voice heard!

Check your voter registration or register to vote

If you’ve voted in elections before, take five minutes to check your voter registration status to make sure you’re still registered in your state. If you’re a first-time voter, it only takes a few minutes to register with our online tool!

While some states allow voters to register in-person on election day or during early voting, others have strict voter registration deadlines — so the sooner you register, the better!

Figure out how, where, and when you’re going to vote

Thanks to absentee, mail-in, and early voting options, there are lots of different ways to vote depending on what state you live in — do you know how you’re going to make your voice heard? Because states have different deadlines, now is the time to figure out where and how you’ll be voting.

See if your state allows absentee, mail-in, and in-person early voting. If they do, and you’re interested in pursuing these options, mark your state’s deadlines in your calendar and set a date to get voting!

Of course, you can also vote in-person on Election Day. But, that doesn’t mean you don’t have to prepare! Use the tool above to find your polling location.

Determine what’s on your ballot

Everyone’s ballot is different depending on where they live. To ensure that you’re voting for equality champions, research the candidates running for office in your area, and double-check which ballot measures will be on your ballot — and what your vote for or against them might mean.

The tool above will help you figure out who your current elected officials are as well as the names of anyone who might be on your ballot. To explore ballot measures, nonpartisan educational sites like Ballotpedia provide sample ballots based on your location.

Make voting a family affair!

At Family Equality, we believe that families who vote together, hope together. Once you’ve made a plan to vote, tell your friends and family to get in on the fun! Share this page with them, have discussions about what you discovered during your research phase, and encourage them to make a plan to vote so that everyone’s voice can be heard.