Jessica Chiappone was convicted of a nonviolent drug offense. Since serving her prison sentence, she has turned her life around, completed law school and hopes to become a public defender. But because of her felony conviction, Jessica is unable to vote, hold public office or sit on a jury – all requirements for admission to the Florida Bar.
Today’s excellent New York Times editorial rightfully praises Attorney General Eric Holder’s efforts this week to highlight the sanctity of the right to vote in America. In his speech from the Lyndon Baines Johnson presidential library in Austin, Texas, the attorney general said, “The right to vote is not only the cornerstone of our system of government — it is the lifeblood of our democracy. And no force has proved more powerful — or more integral to the success of the great American experiment — than efforts to expand the franchise.”
In response to voter suppression laws passed across the country, Attorney General Eric Holder said he is committed to protecting all Americans’ right to vote.
By Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 3:36pm
Despite the progress our country has made since the passage of the Voting Rights Act, voter suppression tactics remain a serious threat to the right to vote.
By Donna Lieberman, New York Civil Liberties Union at 3:03pm
On Saturday, December 10, more than 100 civil, labor, and human rights organizations will take a “Stand for Freedom” in New York City to protest the attack on voting rights.
Voter suppression tactics of the past, such as poll taxes and literacy tests, have given way to voter ID laws and elimination of same-day voter registration.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives held a forum on Monday to shine a light on recent regressive voting laws throughout the country.
Laura W. Murphy, director of ACLU’s Washington Legislative Office, reminded the panel that for decades, African-Americans who wanted to exercise their right to vote were beaten, chased by dogs, bludgeoned by police, and sometimes killed. Congress’ historic role in passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 stopped this type of violence and mistreatment, but still, the threat to our fundamental right to vote lives on today and the need for congressional action remains.
Sixty percent of Mainers overwhelmingly endorsed Election Day Registration today. Voters in small towns and large in every county in the state cast a vote of confidence in the security and integrity of our election systems. Maine has enjoyed Election Day Registration for almost forty years since it was first passed in 1973 by a Republican-controlled legislature. Election Day Registration, or "Same Day Registration" as it is often called locally, allows hard-working people, some working two or three jobs, to register and vote on Election Day. It has led to Maine being first in the nation in voter participation in 2010.
