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

Florida Civil Rights Groups File Lawsuit on Behalf of Broward Voter Disqualified From Voting Because of Unchecked Citizenship Box (10/14/2004)
MIAMI - In a complaint filed today in federal district court in Gainesville, the American Civil Liberties Union and Florida Legal Services challenged Broward County Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes' rejection of the voter registration form of a 77-year-old Broward woman who didn't check the citizenship box, even though she signed an oath affirming she is a U.S. citizen.

ACLU of Ohio Will Defend GOP Chairman in Political Yard Sign Case (10/14/2004)
CLEVELAND -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio announced today that it will represent Summit County's Republican Party Chairman Alex Arshinkoff and his wife in their battle with the city of Hudson over a 4x8-foot Bush-Cheney campaign sign currently posted in their front yard.

ACLU of Florida Analysis of Recent Election Data Shows State Rejected a Significant Number of Provisional Ballots As Illegal (10/12/2004)
MIAMI -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today released a report containing disturbing information about the number of provisional ballots cast by eligible voters that have been rejected as illegal during elections over the past two years in Florida. The report raises significant questions about whether every vote will be counted on November 2.

Civil Rights Groups Asks Florida Supreme Court to Strike Down Provisional Balloting Restrictions (10/08/2004)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Florida's election law restricting the use of provisional ballots is an unconstitutional violation of the right to vote, said the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, Advancement Project and People for the American Way, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief today asking the Florida Supreme Court to strike down a Florida statute that requires elections officials to throw out provisional ballots cast by voters in the wrong precincts.

ACLU Disappointed with Arkansas Supreme Court's Decision on Misleading "Marriage" Ballot Initiative (10/07/2004)
Statement of Rita Sklar, Executive Director, ACLU of Arkansas

ACLU Launches New 'Voter Empowerment Cards' (10/04/2004)
ATLANTA--The Voting Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union announced today that it has produced voter empowerment cards for voters in eight states. The cards are designed to inform voters of their rights on Election Day to avoid problems when casting a ballot.

First Presidential Debate Set in State that Strips More than Half-Million Citizens of the Right to Vote (09/30/2004)
MIAMI, FL - As Americans gather around their television sets tonight to watch President George Bush and Senator John Kerry square off in their first presidential debate, thousands of citizens who live in Florida will be shut out of the political process -- barred for the remainder of their lives from choosing who becomes the next president of the United States.

Appeals Court Rules in Favor of ACLU of Ohio in Voting Rights Case (09/27/2004)
CINCINNATI - In a victory for the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, a federal appeals court today ruled that Gov. Robert Taft violated the voting rights of Ohioans when he refused to hold a special election to fill the seat vacated by Rep. James Traficant after he was expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives.

ACLU Testifies on Florida's Voting Problems Before U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (09/17/2004)
WASHINGTON - In testimony today before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, a voting rights expert with the ACLU of Florida warned of serious voting problems that still plague the state.

Georgia Leaders and Voters File Lawsuit Saying Marriage Amendment is Deceptive and Unconstitutional (09/16/2004)
ATLANTA--A lawsuit filed today in the Superior Court of Fulton County asks that an amendment dealing with marriage rights for same-sex couples be taken off of Georgia's November ballot. The lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of a diverse range of Georgia voters and leaders by Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia and the law firm of Alston & Bird LLP, charges that the ballot language is affirmatively deceptive and unconstitutional.

Trial Begins Today in ACLU's Historic Challenge to Ohio's "Hanging Chad" Punch Cards (07/26/2004)
CLEVELAND - In the first case of its kind to go to trial, a federal court in Ohio will hear arguments starting today in the American Civil Liberties Union's challenge to use of the infamous ""hanging chad"" punch card machines and other inadequate voting technologies in the upcoming election.

ACLU of Florida Says News Report Documenting Error-Ridden Felon List Demonstrates Negligence on Part of State Officials (07/02/2004)
MIAMI - The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida said today that a newspaper analysis showing that thousands of voters were wrongfully included on a list of felons potentially ineligible to vote demonstrates that there are undoubtedly many more errors that have yet to be uncovered.

ACLU Asks Virginia Supreme Court to Allow College Student to Vote in Local Elections (06/24/2004)
WILLIAMSBURG, VA--The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia asked the Virginia Supreme Court on Tuesday to allow Serene Alami, a student at the College of William and Mary, to register to vote in the city of Williamsburg, where she currently resides.

ACLU Urges County Elections Supervisors to Implement a Four-Part Program to Protect the Right to Vote (06/07/2004)
MIAMI - The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today urged elections supervisors attending a conference this week in Key West to implement a four-part program to protect the right to vote for all Floridians during the upcoming election season.

Judge Orders Registrar to Allow Virginia Student to Register to Vote and Run for City Council (03/05/2004)
WILLIAMSBURG, VA --A state circuit court judge today ordered the city registrar here to allow Luther Lowe, a student at the College of William and Mary, to register to vote in local elections and to run as a candidate for city council. The judge's decision overturns the registrar's denial of Lowe's application to vote and allows his name to appear on the May ballots for city council, even though the filing deadline for candidates was March 2.

Not-So-Super Tuesday for Unaffiliated Voters: ACLU Challenges Judicial Elections in Maryland (03/02/2004)
LEONARDTOWN, MD -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland today took over an expedited election lawsuit challenging the state's practice of excluding unaffiliated voters from participation in judicial primaries.

Rutgers Law School and ACLU Challenge Denial of Voting Rights in Groundbreaking Lawsuit (01/06/2004)
NEWARK -- The American Civil Liberties Union and the Constitutional Litigation Clinic at Rutgers Law School today filed a groundbreaking lawsuit challenging the denial of voting rights to persons on probation or parole in New Jersey.

Washington State Court Orders That All Votes Be Counted in Local Election (12/18/2003)
SEATTLE -- Ruling in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, King County Superior Court Judge James Doerty today ordered county election officials to count all ballots for a Medina City Council seat on which a candidate's name is clearly written.

ACLU of Washington Files Lawsuit Seeking Revised Vote Count in Medina Election (12/01/2003)
MEDINA, WA-- The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington today filed a lawsuit seeking to reinstate write-in ballots for a Medina City Council seat declared invalid by King County election officials.

ACLU Responds to Appeals Court Decision Allowing California Recall Vote to Go Forward (09/23/2003)
LOS ANGELES -- We are disappointed by the Ninth Circuit's decision allowing the Oct. 7 recall election to go forward. We remain firmly convinced that using voting equipment officially declared by the state to be obsolete, in a number of counties with a high concentration of minority voters, violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and the Voting Rights Act.

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