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ACLU Urges Quick Passage of Bipartisan Voting Rights Act Reauthorization (05/04/2006)
WASHINGTON – Two days after Congressional leaders unveiled H.R. 9/S.2703, the bipartisan, bicameral “Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006,” the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing to examine the legislation introduced to reauthorize the expiring of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The American Civil Liberties Union applauded that legislation and urged Congress to enact the proposal swiftly. Several sections of that key civil rights law will expire in 2007 unless Congress acts to renew them.

ACLU Applauds Introduction of Voting Rights Act Reauthorization Legislation, Says Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill Carries Original Intent of Key Civil Rights Law (05/02/2006)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the introduction of H.R. 9, the bipartisan, bicameral “Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006.” This bill would renew sections of the Voting Rights Act that are set to expire in 2007.

Senate Judiciary Committee Holds First Hearing on Voting Rights Act, ACLU Urges Senate to Fully Renew Historic Law (04/27/2006)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the Senate Judiciary Committee for holding the first in a series of oversight hearings on renewing the temporary provisions of the Voting Rights Act and introducing evidence supporting the continuing need for that law. Key sections of that historic law are set to expire in 2007 unless Congress acts to renew them. In a rare move, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, Representatives James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and John Conyers (D-MI), appeared before their counterparts in the Senate.

ACLU President Testifies at Congressional Hearing on Voting Rights Act; Says Law Still Needed to Prevent Ongoing Discrimination Against Minority Voters (03/08/2006)
WASHINGTON - Nadine Strossen, President of the American Civil Liberties Union, appeared today before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution at a hearing on the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 and presented the findings of two new comprehensive reports detailing the continuing need for the historic civil rights law. Key sections of the act are set to expire in 2007 unless Congress renews them.

ACLU Launches Campaign on Voting Rights Act Reauthorization; Reports, Public Education Materials Issued on Anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" (03/07/2006)
WASHINGTON - On the 41st anniversary of Bloody Sunday, the American Civil Liberties Union today launched a new campaign, "Every Voice. Every Vote. Renew the Voting Rights Act" to raise public awareness and urge Congress to reauthorize the expiring sections of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. The campaign launch was marked by the release of two comprehensive reports that detail the need for the renewal of that historic civil rights law.

ACLU Dismayed by Justice Department Decision on Texas Redistricting, Fears Political Pressure is Undermining Voting Rights (12/02/2005)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today expressed serious concerns that the Justice Department potentially allowed political considerations to overrule the unanimous findings of an internal team of voting rights experts when it approved a controversial congressional redistricting plan in Texas. That effort was lead by Rep. Tom Delay (R-TX), and, according to the analysis, violated the Voting Rights Act by illegally diluting the voting power of minority groups. That decision was revealed today in a front-page story in the Washington Post.

ACLU Calls on Congress to Honor Parks’ Memory, Says Voting Rights Act Must be Fully Reauthorized (12/01/2005)
WASHINGTON -- "Fifty years ago today, Rosa L. Parks’ courageous refusal to surrender her seat on a Montgomery bus sparked the modern civil rights movement that ultimately led to the end of legal racial segregation.

ACLU Study Finds Kentuckians are Being Denied the Right to Vote Because of Faulty Information (11/21/2005)
FRANKFORT, KY -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky today released a study showing that alarming numbers of county and state officials provide inaccurate information to people with criminal convictions seeking restoration of their voting rights.

Justice Department Decision on Voting Rights Likely Swayed by Politics, ACLU Raises Serious Concerns About Undermining of Voting Rights Act (11/17/2005)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today expressed concerns that the Justice Department rejected the recommendations of its own team of voting rights experts when it approved a Georgia voter identification law. The experts issued a detailed 51-page memorandum that showed that the proposal would discriminate against minority voters. The decision to reject their recommendation was revealed today in a front-page story in the Washington Post.

ACLU Calls on Congress to Correct Provision in Voting Rights Act: Court Decision on Redistricting Undermines Intent of Historic Civil Rights Law (11/09/2005)
WASHINGTON -The American Civil Liberties Union today urged lawmakers to restore a section of the Voting Rights Act that protects the right of Americans to elect candidates of their choice. Section 5 of the act prevents voting discrimination by requiring new voting laws and practices to be evaluated and precleared before they can take effect. A Supreme Court ruling in 2003, though, eroded that safeguard. The ACLU testified today before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution that Section 5, which is undergoing Congressional review, must be restored to its intended meaning and reauthorized along with several other provisions that are set to expire in 2007.

ACLU Warns Virginia Election Officials Not to Reject Voters Unnecessarily (11/04/2005)
RICHMOND, VA -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia today sent letters to every voter registrar in Virginia asking for their help in protecting the right to vote on Election Day. The letter addressed reports of voters being rejected at the polls because they were not carrying identification as well as a requirement in some counties that voters remove buttons or clothing containing political messages before being allowed to vote.

In Victory for Voting Rights, Appeals Court Upholds Decision in Georgia Photo ID Case (10/27/2005)
ATLANTA - Less than two weeks before Election Day, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals today upheld a court decision blocking a controversial state law from taking effect that would have dramatically restricted the types of photo identification that may be used when voting.

Virginia's ACLU and NAACP to Help Voters on Election Day (10/25/2005)
RICHMOND, VA -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia and the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP announced today that they have established hotlines for voters who run into problems on Election Day and are distributing informational cards describing voters' rights at the polls. The two rights groups are also available to help with voter registration problems.

ACLU Urges Congress to Maintain Preclearance Provisions in Voting Rights Act: Progress Has Been Made But Problems Still Exist (10/25/2005)
WASHINGTON -The American Civil Liberties Union today testified before Congress that lawmakers should renew a provision of the Voting Rights Act that requires jurisdictions with a history of discriminatory voting practices to submit changes to any voting law to the federal government for pre-approval. Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act will expire in 2007 unless Congress renews it.

Congress Begins Hearings on Voting Rights Act, ACLU Urges Lawmakers to Renew and Restore Landmark Civil Rights Law (10/18/2005)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, for holding a series of hearings over the next few weeks on the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965. Key sections of that vital civil rights law will expire in 2007 unless Congress votes to renew them.

Voting Rights Advocates Hail Court Decision in Georgia Photo ID Case (10/18/2005)
ATLANTA - In a major victory for Georgia voters, a federal judge today blocked a controversial new law that dramatically restricts the types of photo identification that may be used when voting. The decision is in effect while a legal challenge to the law, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and a coalition of voting rights advocates, continues.

Voting Rights Advocates Challenge Georgia Photo ID Law in Federal Court (09/19/2005)
ROME, GA - A consortium of voting rights advocates and private attorneys filed a lawsuit today in federal district court challenging House Bill 244, which the groups charge violates the state and federal constitutions, the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

ACLU Questions Carter-Baker Voting Commission's Recommendations (09/19/2005)
WASHINGTON - Citing civil rights concerns, the American Civil Liberties Union today raised serious concerns about several recommendations of a voting commission led by former president Jimmy Carter and former secretary of state James A. Baker III. The Carter-Baker recommendations seek to build public trust in the electoral system, yet several provisions may disenfranchise potential voters and undermine privacy.

ACLU of Tennessee's Annual Meeting to Focus on Renewal of the Voting Rights Act (09/13/2005)
NASHVILLE - The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee's annual membership meeting, to be held here on September 24, will focus on the importance of renewing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which is scheduled to expire in 2007.

Chesterfield County Will Count Provisional Ballots (09/06/2005)
RICHMOND, VA - Following threat of a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, the three-member Chesterfield County Electoral board has decided that registrar Lawrence C. Haake, III must count the ballots of qualified voters who apply to register at DMV prior to the registration deadline, but whose applications are not processed in a timely manner.