American Civil Liberties Union

The ACLU's Voting Rights Project has worked to protect the gains in political participation won by racial and language minorities since the 1965 passage of the Voting Rights Act.


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Voting Rights : General : Press Releases

ACLU of Utah Investigates Ogden City Election Complaints (11/19/2007)
OGDEN, UT – The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah will be looking into complaints it has received regarding election irregularities in the November 6th mayoral race in Ogden, Utah, as it considers potential action.

ACLU Seeks Materials on Voter ID Requirements at Polls (11/15/2007)
RICHMOND, VA - The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia today sent a Freedom of Information Act request to local voting officials across the state seeking copies of signs used at polling places on Election Day and training materials pertaining to voter identification requirements.

Election Day Hotlines Will Help Voters Who Encounter Problems at the Polls (11/05/2007)
RICHMOND, VA - The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia and the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP will provide hotlines tomorrow for voters who run into problems on Election Day. The decision to inform voters of their rights and to offer assistance stems from the experiences of the NAACP and the ACLU in recent years.

ACLU Voting Rights Project Director Calls on Justice Department to Enforce Voting Rights Laws, Not Block People from Voting (10/30/2007)
Washington, DC – The head of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Voting Rights Project called on Congress today to investigate the Voting Rights Section of the Department of Justice, which in recent years has abandoned its historic role as the principal enforcer of voting discrimination laws and has instead used its power to promote barriers to voting.

Court Rejects Threat to Vote Trading Websites (08/06/2007)
LOS ANGELES - In a decision stemming from a dispute during the controversial presidential election of 2000, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that so-called "vote-swapping" websites are protected by the First Amendment.

ACLU Expresses Support for H.R. 1281, Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act (06/25/2007)
Washington, DC - The American Liberties Union urged the House of Representatives to pass H.R. 1281, the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2007, which is expected to receive a floor vote later today. This legislation is intended to address the very real problem of deceptive campaign communications in federal elections. If deceptive voting practices are not prohibited, many voters will be prevented from exercising their right to vote, which is at the very core of American democracy.

ACLU Urges Senate to Oppose Voter ID Amendment to Immigration Reform Bill (06/05/2007)
Washington, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union today urged the Senate to oppose Senator Mitch McConnell’s amendment to S. 1348, the immigration reform bill, which is expected to receive a floor vote as soon as this evening. Senator McConnell’s amendment would require voters to present a government-issued photo ID in order to vote in federal elections. This requirement imposes an unnecessary and undue burden on the exercise of the fundamental right to vote for millions of Americans who are eligible, registered, and qualified to vote.

ACLU of New Jersey Election Day Report Calls for Reform of Voting Systems (06/05/2007)
NEWARK - With citizens headed to the polls for primary elections, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey and the League of Women Voters of New Jersey today released a report highlighting significant concerns about New Jersey's voting systems and made recommendations for changes to improve voting rights in New Jersey after reported problems during the November 2006 general election.

ACLU Applauds Florida Legislature for Scrapping Flawed Voting Machines (05/03/2007)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The American Civil Liberties Union applauded today’s 118-0 vote by the Florida House of Representatives to pass a bill requiring paper ballot voting technology in all counties before the 2008 primaries and general election. The House vote comes shortly after the Florida Senate approved a similar measure.

Washington State Supreme Court Says Endorsements by Talk Show Hosts Are Not Campaign Contributions (04/26/2007)
SEATTLE - The Washington Supreme Court today decided unanimously that endorsements of ballot issues by radio talk show hosts should not be treated as campaign contributions. The ACLU of Washington submitted a friend-of-the-court brief in the case backing the free speech rights of the talk show hosts in the case.

Sarasota Voters Charge Election Officials and Voting Machine Company With Withholding Evidence of Voting Machine Malfunction (03/21/2007)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Sarasota County voters contesting the 13th Congressional District election filed court papers late yesterday charging that Florida election officials and Electronic Systems & Software (ES&S) apparently misled a judge by claiming that there was no evidence that machine malfunction contributed to the loss of 18,000 votes in that race.

ACLU of Massachusetts and Disability Law Center Applaud State Approval of New Voting Technology (03/05/2007)
BOSTON - The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts and the Disability Law Center today again joined forces to applaud Massachusetts Secretary of State William F. Galvin's decision to approve the use of a ballot-marking voting machine that is both accessible and secure.

State of Maryland Withdraws Subpoena for Lawyer’s Computer and Personnel Records (03/02/2007)
ANNAPOLIS, MD - In a move hailed as a victory by the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland, Attorney General Douglas Gansler is withdrawing a subpoena demanding production of a civil rights lawyer’s computer hard drive and personnel records. This is the latest development in a long-running voting rights dispute between the Maryland Green Party and the State Board of Elections.

ACLU Urges Congress to Support Additional Safeguards and Reliability in Electronic Voting Systems (02/07/2007)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union called on Congress to support measures to improve electronic voting systems and protect Americans’ full voting rights. In a Senate Rules Committee hearing held today, speakers detailed the need for electronic voting systems such as Direct Recording Electronic machines (DREs) to accurately record, count, tabulate, and report votes.

ACLU of Florida Applauds Governor Crist's Recommendation to Scrap Touch-Screen Voting Machines (01/30/2007)
MIAMI – The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today commended Governor Charlie Crist’s announcement that he will recommend that Florida scrap paperless touch-screen voting machines. The following statement can be attributed to Howard Simon, Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida:

Florida Voters Join Emergency Petition for Access to Voting Machine Information (01/09/2007)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Voters from Sarasota County who are contesting the election in Florida's 13th Congressional District joined and added to an emergency petition for review filed last Wednesday by candidate Christine Jennings in the First District Court of Appeals. The petition asks the higher court for expedited review of Leon Circuit Court Judge William L. Gary's December 29 order denying plaintiffs access to the e-voting hardware, software and source code used in November's election.

Sarasota Voters File Lawsuit for Revote in Congressional Race (11/21/2006)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Voters from Sarasota County today filed a lawsuit in state court asking for a revote in Florida’s 13th Congressional district. The lawsuit alleges that thousands of voters were disenfranchised when massive undervotes plagued the tight Congressional race between Democrat Christine Jennings and Republican Vern Buchanan. In a high-profile battle over former Rep. Katherine Harris' seat, the result was decided by 363 votes, yet over 18,000 ballots cast on Sarasota County's e-voting machines registered no vote in the race, an exceptional anomaly in the State.

NYCLU to Monitor Elections Statewide Today (11/07/2006)
NEW YORK -- The New York Civil Liberties Union announced today that it is monitoring elections statewide and will respond to complaints from voters who experience obstacles at the polls.

Maryland Civil Rights Organizations Seek Extended Deadline for Absentee Ballots (11/04/2006)
BALTIMORE -- Alarmed over the "unfolding catastrophe regarding undelivered absentee ballots," a broad coalition of non-partisan civil rights groups has called on the state Board of Elections to extend the deadline for mailing those ballots. The concerns and call were expressed in a letter sent to state elections officials, legislative leaders, and Governor Robert Ehrlich on Friday.

Virginia’s ACLU and NAACP Team Up to Help Voters on Election Day (11/02/2006)
RICHMOND, VA -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia and the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP announced today that they have launched two hotlines for voters who run into problems on Election Day. The groups are also distributing cards that inform Virginians of their rights at the polls, and have offered to provide legal assistance to voters whose rights are violated.

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