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 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 […]
Today Marks the 55th Anniversary of the Landmark Voting Rights Act
August 6th marks the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). This momentous piece of legislation worked to ensure Black Americans could exercise their constitutional right to vote by combating voter suppression tactics. “I have said this before, and I will say it again – the vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It […]
Georgia Primary Marred By Voting Delays
Voting in Georgia’s primary elections Tuesday was plagued with technical difficulties and hours-long lines that disproportionally affected urban areas and communities of color. Delays with voting in the state occurred because of poll workers’ inadequate training on the new voting machines, precincts being closed because of the pandemic, and social distancing and disinfecting practices. Areas with […]
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North Dakota’s Voter ID Law Aims to Disenfranchise Native Americans
Last week, the Supreme Court upheld North Dakota’s most recent controversial voter identification law, which many argue was purposely designed to discriminate against the state’s Native American population. That means a voter ID law that disenfranchises thousands of Native voters will be in effect for the November elections.
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Major Voter Suppression Efforts Surface in Georgia
As early voting kicks off, allegations of voter suppression are rising out of Georgia as voters choose between former-state house Minority Leader Stacey Abrams and Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp in the tight race for governor. As Secretary of State, Kemp is responsible for crafting and carrying out voting policies in the state.
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Today is the 53rd Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act
August 6, 2018 marks the 53rd anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing into law the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965. Politicians and organizations alike are recognizing the milestone on social media, highlighting how the VRA continues to influence American elections and politics today.
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Remembering the Legacy of Seneca Falls
On this day 170 years ago, a group of women gathered in Seneca Falls for the first women’s rights convention in the United States. The Convention, which propelled the long fight to pass the 19th Amendment, revealed the Declaration of Sentiments, a list of women’s grievances modeled after the Declaration of Independence. In the years following the convention, women fought, across the country, for the right to vote.
Thousands of Wisconsin Voters Blocked by Voter ID Laws in 2016 Election
A recent study shows that as many as 23,000 eligible voters in Wisconsin were discouraged from casting a ballot in the 2016 presidential election due to the state’s voter ID laws.
North Carolina is Still Trying to Suppress Voting
In the wake of July’s federal appeals court ruling overturning the majority of North Carolina’s 2013 election laws, the state’s 100 local election boards, all comprised of one Democrat and two Republicans, have had to file their own respective election rules with the state, and critics are calling them equally as egregious as the original laws.
31 Alabama DMVs Close, But Photo ID Still Required to Vote
Congresswoman Terri Sewell is calling the closure of DMVs in mostly poor, African-American regions of Alabama- effectively cutting off access to obtaining voter ID- “unacceptable.”
Federal Court Blocks Strict Texas Voter ID Law
The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld a lower court ruling blocking a restrictive Texas voter ID law as a violation of the Voting Rights Act.
Supreme Court Ruling Prevents Gerrymandering
In a 5-4 decision delivered by Justice Ginsburg this morning, the Supreme Court upheld Arizona’s Independent Redistricting Commission, allowing the use of independent state commissions to draw federal congressional districts and taking that power away from the state legislature.
Confederate Flag Debate Intensifies in Wake of Charleston Shooting
Politicians, retailers, and activists are taking part in a push in South Carolina to have the Confederate flag removed from the grounds of the state Capitol. This movement follows the massacre of nine African American people by a 21-year-old white man in the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston last week. Wal-Mart, Sears, […]
Voter Suppression Efforts Quietly Advance in Nevada
These measures would disproportionately impact people of color, women, young people, and the elderly, and could hurt their chances of voting in the 2016 elections.
North Carolina Board of Elections Eliminates On-Campus Voting Sites Across the State
North Carolina will begin state-wide early voting on Thursday, and unlike the 2012 presidential election, many students across the state will have no polling place on-campus, making it more difficult for students to exercise their right to vote.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Slams Supreme Court for Upholding Voter Suppression in Texas
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg issued a blistering dissent after a ruling by the US Supreme Court this weekend threatened to disqualify more than half a million Texas voters from early voting.
Enforcement of Voter Suppression Law in Texas Uncertain
The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled yesterday that Texas could enforce its strict Voter ID law, despite a lower court’s finding that the law was discriminatory and would likely suppress the votes of African Americans and Hispanics in Texas.
