Voter ID

Today, 30 states require voters to present identification to vote in federal, state and local elections. Many Americans do not have the necessary identification that these laws require, and face barriers to voting as a result. Research shows that more than 21 million Americans do not have government-issued photo identification; a disproportionate number of these Americans are low-income, racial and ethnic minorities, and elderly. Voter ID laws have the potential to deny the right to vote to thousands of registered voters who do not have, and, in many instances, cannot obtain the limited identification states accept for voting. Many of these Americans cannot afford to pay for the required documents needed to secure a government-issued photo ID. As such, these laws impede access to the polls and are at odds with the fundamental right to vote. Learn more >>

Let's March On: Protecting the Right to Vote in 2012

By Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 12:33pm

Today marks the 47th anniversary of the fateful march from Selma to Montgomery, which began with the horrors of Bloody Sunday, and concluded with a rally and speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., only days after President Lyndon B. Johnson submitted the Voting Rights Act to Congress.

As I prepare to join Rev. Al Sharpton and other civil and human rights leaders on the steps of the Capitol in Montgomery today to commemorate that historic march, I am reminded of both where we've been as a nation and how great the need is, in the words of Dr. King, to keep marching on. The greatest legacy of the civil rights movement — access to the ballot — is in jeopardy across the country.

Willing to Die for Their Country, But Unable to Vote in It

By Jon Sherman, Voting Rights Project at 4:36pm

One veteran told us: "If I can serve my country, I should be able to vote for who runs it."

"On Account of Race or Color": A New Front Opens in the Fight Against Wisconsin's Voter ID Law

By Jon Sherman, Voting Rights Project at 3:20pm
We went back to federal court in Wisconsin today to add charges that the state's voter ID law violates the Voting Rights Act.

A Legacy of Civil Rights Is at Risk

By Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 1:48pm

A growing number of states have enacted laws that will suppress voting, yet the minority community has uttered little protest

Working in Communities Still Brings Me Joy

By Nsombi Lambright, ACLU of Mississippi at 3:24pm

Working directly in communities centers me and reminds me what this work is all about.

Government Steps Up to Block Voter Suppression in South Carolina

By Steve Gosset, ACLU at 11:50am

There were eight states this year that passed some version of a law requiring photo identification for all voters. South Carolina was one of them, but hopefully not for long.

The Department of Justice on Friday blocked South Carolina’s law, which it said would have disproportionately affected thousands of minority voters.

Holder Stands Up for the Right to Vote

By Elizabeth Beresford, ACLU at 4:21pm

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.”

Protecting the Right to Vote: A Moral Imperative

By Deborah J. Vagins, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 12:57pm

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.

Out in the Cold at Age 84: Wisconsin's Ruthelle Frank Fights for Her Right to Vote

By Jon Sherman, Voting Rights Project at 11:39am

Ruthelle Frank has been voting since 1948, but Wisconsin's new photo ID law could prevent her from voting at the next election.

Don't Shrink Our Democracy

By Eunice Hyon Min Rho, ACLU at 3:30pm

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.

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