Home : Voting Rights

In Victory for Free Speech, Court Strikes Down Rhode Island’s Restrictions on Campaigning Over Ballot Questions (04/27/2006)
PROVIDENCE, RI -- Ruling on a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island in 2004, U.S. District Judge Ernest Torres has struck down various aspects of Rhode Island’s campaign finance law that the ACLU argued impermissibly restricted the rights of individuals and entities to campaign for and against ballot questions.

ACLU of Florida Says Gov. Bush's Task Force Overlooks Impact of Felon Disenfranchisement (04/26/2006)
MIAMI, FL - The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida said today that it applauds Governor Bush’s willingness to look at one of the problems created by disenfranchisement. At the same time, the organization noted that the root cause of ineffective reentry efforts for ex-offenders is the automatic stripping of the civil rights of ex-felons.

ACLU Victorious in Challenge to Ohio’s Punch-Card Ballots (04/21/2006)
CLEVELAND, OH - The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio and the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project announced victory today in a constitutional challenge to Ohio’s use of punch-card ballot voting technology.

Civil Rights Groups Urge Department of Justice to Block New Georgia Photo ID Law (03/29/2006)
ATLANTA – In a letter sent yesterday to federal officials, more than two dozen civil rights, community, religious and citizen advocacy groups, along with a consortium of private attorneys, urged the U.S. Department of Justice to block implementation of the latest Georgia law requiring photo identification as an absolute condition for in-person voting.

ACLU Offers Aid to William and Mary Students Barred from Voting in Local Elections (03/28/2006)
WILLIAMSBURG, VA – The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia announced today that it is offering to assist William and Mary students who have been barred from registering to vote as residents of Williamsburg, where the college is located.

Washington Court Strikes Down Modern Form of Poll Tax (03/28/2006)
SEATTLE -- In a landmark ruling, King County Superior Court Judge Michael Spearman today struck down a Washington law that denies the right to vote to thousands of ex-felons solely because they owe court-imposed fines. The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington filed the lawsuit on behalf of three individuals who are unable to vote because they are too poor to pay off their court-imposed financial obligations.

ACLU of Arizona Urges Voters to Report Election Day Problems (03/10/2006)
PHOENIX -- Saying Tuesday’s county and city elections across the state will likely cause confusion at the polls, the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona today announced it is distributing bilingual fliers throughout the state informing voters about their rights on Election Day.

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.