Voting Rights
Your Vote, Your Voice
Voting is the cornerstone of democracy. And yet, throughout our history we have excluded indispensable voices from this fundamental right. African-Americans, women and young people all risked their lives for and eventually gained the right to vote. Voter turnout in the 2008 election was the most racially diverse in American history, closing the longstanding gap between white and minority voter participation. In response to this historic moment, however, lawmakers nationwide have erected more barriers to the ballot box.
States are making it harder and harder for people to vote, virtually guaranteeing that many people won’t really have the right at all. Poll taxes and literacy tests have given way to more modern voter suppression tactics packaged as voter ID laws, restrictions to voter registration and cuts to early voting. With these new laws in effect, up to 5 million voters could be turned away at the polls in November.
The ACLU is in courts and legislatures across the country working to protect the most fundamental right we share as Americans. We’re challenging Florida’s restrictions to voter registration and voter purges; voter ID laws in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin; and fighting back against cuts to early voting in Ohio. Read more about our challenges to voter suppression laws.
Wisconsin’s Voter ID Challenge
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit charging that Wisconsin’s voter ID law is unconstitutional and will deprive citizens of their most fundamental constitutional right – the right to vote. Read more »
Pennsylvania’s Voter ID Challenge
On May 1, 2012, the ACLU of Pennsylvania, the Advancement Project, the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia (PILCOP), and the Washington, DC law firm of Arnold & Porter LLP filed a lawsuit in the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania to overturn the voter ID law passed by the General Assembly in March 2012. Read more »
Let People Vote
With new laws in effect, up to 5 million voters could be turned away at the polls in November. We cannot afford to have laws that push people out of the electorate. In order for this to be a true democracy, every eligible American must be able to vote. Read more »
Know Your Voting Rights: State-by-State Voter Information
Every vote counts. Your right to vote is one of the most basic rights you have as an American. Many states’ rules have changed so make sure you know what you need to vote in your state this year. Read more »
Voting Rights News and Information
View the most recent updates on our Voting Rights work, including court filings, press wires, blog posts, reports, special features and multimedia. View Here »
