The House passed on Tuesday the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, a bill that would strengthen and restore key provisions of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act. The legislation is named after the civil and voting rights leader John Lewis, who died a year ago. The bill, HR 4, would restore the preclearance provision […]
Kathy Hochul Sworn in as the First Woman Governor of New York as Andrew Cuomo Resigns
Kathy Hochul was sworn in as governor of New York early this morning. She made history as the first woman to hold the position. Governor Hochul replaced former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned from office after significant evidence showed that he had sexually harassed multiple women. Cuomo, facing impeachment, officially stepped down as […]
Texas Senate Passes Restrictive Voting Bill After Sen. Alvarado’s 15-hour Filibuster
The Texas Senate voted Thursday to pass a bill that would further restrict voting rights in the state. Their vote came just after Texas Senator Carol Alvarado ended her 15-hour filibuster to oppose the bill. The bill, SB 1, was passed in a 18-11 vote along party lines. SB 1 would prohibit drive-thru voting, […]
Thousands Rally at Texas State Capitol to Protest Voting Restrictions
Thousands of people marched on the Texas State Capitol Saturday to protest the state’s recent restrictive voting laws. The Capitol rally was the culmination of a four-day-long march for voting rights. The 27-mile march from Georgetown, Texas to Austin began on Wednesday and ended Saturday at the State Capitol. It was spearheaded by two civil […]
Supreme Court Maintains Arizona Voting Restrictions Further Weakening Voting Rights Act
On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that two Arizona voting restrictions did not violate the Voting Rights Act, the landmark legislation that bans racially discriminatory voting rules. The 6-3 decision was made along ideological lines, with the court’s conservative members comprising the majority and the liberal justices in dissent. Their ruling upholds two voting laws […]
Black Voters Matter End Freedom Ride in DC
On Saturday, advocacy organization Black Voters Matter gathered in D.C. with other political advocacy organizations to demonstrate and garner support for voting rights. The goals of the rally, which was held in front of the Capitol building, included passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, passing the For the People Act, and granting Statehood to […]
Voting Rights Bill Blocked by Filibuster
Senate Republicans blocked an expansive voting rights bill with a filibuster on Tuesday despite Democrats’ efforts to move the bill forward. The For the People Act is one of the most comprehensive pieces of voting rights legislation to be introduced in years. It would expand and protect voting rights, create new campaign finance rules, and […]
VA Del. Hala Ayala Wins Democratic Nomination for Virginia Lieutenant Governor
On Tuesday, Virginia state delegate Hala Ayala won her race in the Virginia Democratic primary, becoming the Democratic candidate for the lieutenant governor of Virginia. Del. Ayala was the first Afro-Latina elected to the Virginia General Assembly and is a strong champion for the Equal Rights Amendment. She was instrumental in helping Virginia become the […]
Florida Governor Signs Voter Suppression Bill into Law
On Thursday morning, Florida governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed a sweeping anti-voter bill into law that enacts restrictions that will make it more difficult to vote in upcoming elections, especially for people of color, young voters, and disabled voters. Senate Bill 90 includes provisions that make it more difficult to vote by mail by […]
Charges Dropped Against GA Representative Who Protested Anti-Voter Law
Yesterday, a district attorney in Atlanta announced that charges against Democratic Georgia state representative Park Cannon will be dropped. Rep. Cannon, a Black woman, was arrested on March 25th when she knocked on the door to Governor Brian Kemp’s office after he signed a new anti-voter bill into law and was speaking on live television. […]
Voting Rights Groups File Lawsuits Against Restrictive GA Voting Law
Voting rights groups have filed two lawsuits against the restrictive voting rights legislation signed into law by Georgia governor Brian Kemp last week. The sweeping voter suppression bill SB 202 limits the use of drop boxes, limits voting days and times, ends no-excuse absentee voting and will enact stricter voter identification laws for absentee ballots. […]
Georgia Representative Arrested for Trying to Watch Governor Sign New Voting Regulations
On Thursday, Georgia state Representative Park Cannon was arrested after she tried to watch Governor Brian Kemp sign SB 202, a divisive voting bill, into law. In a seven-minute Facebook Live video filmed by activist Tamara Stevens, Cannon is seen knocking on the door to the room where the Governor was holding a news conference […]
Georgia Senate Passes Bill to Restrict Voting Access
The Republican-controlled Georgia state Senate voted Monday to pass sweeping legislation that would restrict access to voting for thousands of Georgia residents. The bill, which passed 29-20, will end no-excuse absentee voting and will enact stricter voter identification laws for absentee ballots. Only residents who are disabled, over 65, are in the military, have a […]
Georgia House Passes Voting Restrictions Bill
On Monday, the Georgia House of Representatives passed a bill to enact restrictions on voting. This includes restricting absentee voting in certain cases, cutting back on early voting hours, preventing county elections offices from receiving grant funding directly, shortening the state’s runoff election period, taking away the secretary of state’s role as chair of the […]
Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff Win Georgia Senate Elections
On Tuesday, Georgia held its runoff elections for the Senate, and on Wednesday AP News officially called both races, with both democratic candidates, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, winning in close margins. These wins are historic, with Warnock being the first Black senator from Georgia and Ossoff being the first Jewish senator from the state. […]
Georgians Unite to Make “Good Trouble” in Marches and Votercades Across the State
On Monday, Dec. 14, Black and Brown voters in cities across Georgia are joined community organizers for John Lewis “Good Trouble” marches and votercades. Black and Brown voters in cities across Georgia are joined the Georgia Coalition for the Peoples’ Agenda, the Transformative Justice Coalition, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and community organizers for John Lewis “Good Trouble” Marches and Votercades—festive celebrations of […]
Amendment 1 Passes, Further Restricting Abortion Access in LA
Last week, Louisiana voters passed Proposed Amendment 1, which explicitly states that the state constitution offers no protections for a right to an abortion or funding for abortions. Voters passed the constitutional amendment 62 percent to 38 percent. If Roe were to be overturned, which is a rising concern due to the appointment of Justice […]
Kamala Harris Becomes First Female VP-Elect in U.S. History
On Saturday, after days of uncertainty, the 2020 election was called for Vice President Joe Biden, making his running mate Senator Kamala Harris the first female, first Black and first South Asian woman to become Vice President-Elect in U.S. history. “So, I’m thinking about her and about the generations of women — Black Women. Asian, […]
Feminists Win in Historic Races Across the Country
On Tuesday, feminists across the country were elected to office, including many historic firsts. In Missouri, Cori Bush became the first Black woman to represent the state in Congress. Bush won by a 79 to 19 percent margin in Missouri’s first congressional district. She is a nurse, pastor, community organizer, protest leader, and progressive politician […]
Long Early Voting Lines Point to Inefficiency and Voter Suppression
In numerous states, early voting has been accompanied by extremely long voting lines, which indicates both a lack of preparedness for early in-person voting and voter suppression leading up to the election. In Columbus, Ohio, the early voting line reached a quarter of a mile long, and in Cuyahoga County, voters had to wait for […]
