Voter Suppression

Voting rights are under attack in this country. States are making it harder for people to vote as legislatures pass voter suppression laws under the pretext of preventing voter fraud and safeguarding election integrity. These regressive laws take many forms and pose significant barriers for eligible voters trying to exercise their most fundamental constitutional right.

12/19/2011

Voter Suppression

ACLU Lens: A Fight Far From Over: Julian Bond Stands Up Against the Latest Attacks on Voting Rights

By Sandhya Bathija, Washington Legislative Office at 2:09pm

In Sunday’s issue of the Chicago Tribune, famed civil rights activist Julian Bond reminded us that expanding access to the ballot for all Americans has been a critical part of our country’s history.

No one knows this better than Bond, who has spent much of his life advocating for the right to vote. In the 1960s, he was a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which led sit-ins and freedom rides, marched on Washington and organized voter registration drives in states such as Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.

12/16/2011

Voter Suppression

The Democracy Restoration Act: Creating A Broader and More Just Base of Voter Participation

By Deborah J. Vagins, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 3:59pm

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.

12/12/2011

Voter Suppression

The Right to Vote: Let's Not Forget Where We've Been and How Far We Need to Go

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.

12/09/2011

Voter Suppression

5 Million and Counting – Rally Dec. 10 to Protect Voting Rights

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.

06/14/2011

Voter ID

Lions and Tigers and Fraud, Oh My! Secretary of State Kris Kobach Is at It Again

By Jon Sherman, Voting Rights Project & Katie O'Connor, Voting Rights Project at 2:09pm

In a recent column in the Wall Street Journal, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach takes a victory lap trumpeting the passage of his voter ID law. He writes: "You can't cash a check, board a plane, or even buy full-strength Sudafed over the counter without [a photo ID]. That's why it's not unreasonable to require one in order to protect our most important privilege of citizenship." Voting, however, is not a privilege; it is a fundamental right guaranteed by more constitutional amendments than any other right we have. Cashing a check, getting on an airplane, and buying a nasal decongestant are not similarly enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.

04/21/2011

Voter ID

Wichita Blues: Kansas Mandates Photo ID For Its Voters

By Jon Sherman, Voting Rights Project at 4:12pm

Kansas took a giant leap backwards this week by enacting one of the harshest voter ID laws in the country. Gov. Sam Brownback signed a bill into law Monday that will require voters to present photo ID at the polls as well as proof of citizenship in order to register. Kansas has joined a small group of outliers in passing such a retrograde law. Thirty-two state legislatures have introduced similar photo ID bills this year in what appears to be a nationwide coordinated effort to erect new barriers to voting. Only two other states in the union—Indiana and Georgia—refuse to hand a regular ballot to a voter who lacks photo ID without exception or alternative.

American Civil Liberties Union