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A Constitutional Case for Felons' Voting Rights
Colorlines‘ Brentin Mock argues that these citizens deserve the same opportunity for re-entry into society that the Confederate states were given after losing the Civil War. In the movie “Lincoln”, there’s a scene where “Radical” Republicans are debating Democrats in congressional chambers over whether to abolish slavery with a new constitutional amendment. A speaker from the…
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Virginia's Fight Over Voting Laws Continues
The 2012 presidential election might be over, but the fight against voting laws that disenfranchise continues. Especially in Virginia, Brentin Mock writes in The Nation, where the struggle to overturn legal language barring felons from the right to vote is going strong. As Virginia tried to patch together new versions of its state constitution from…
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Civil Rights Legend's Death Animates Fight Over Voting Rights Act
Colorlines‘ Brentin Mock wonders what legendary civil rights activist Lawrence Guyot, who died in November, would have to say about the Voting Rights Act case coming before the Supreme Court next year. Few people have taken as many fists and gun butts to the head, kicks to the gut and hours of torturous treatment as…
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Can the Voting Rights Act Survive Supreme Court Review?
Colorlines‘ Brentin Mock makes a sober prediction about the fate of the civil rights legislation. … [A]ll that matters is that it’s being made before Chief Justice John Roberts’ Supreme Court, which has shown no sympathy, if not shown flat-out resentment, for laws they believe support racial preferences. A Section 5 challenge was before the…
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Artur Davis Says Voter-ID Laws Aren't Racist
True the Vote has come under quite a bit of fire lately, but if it were left to former Rep. Artur Davis, the organization would continue unfazed. Brentin Mock, voting-rights expert, discusses in the Nation Davis’ decision to step away from President Obama’s camp, and how he’s now appreciated in the Republican party, especially by…
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What Pa. Republicans Really Think About Voters
Brentin Mock, writing at Colorlines, says that recent comments by the state’s politicians surrounding controversial voter-ID laws reveal their disturbing perceptions of those who might not vote for them. Yesterday, Judge Robert Simpson put a temporary hold on the full implementation of Pennsylvania’s voter ID law, allowing for voters to cast ballots in November’s elections…
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Antagonized but Not Disenfranchised
In Pennsylvania, lawyers, journalists and people who simply want to exercise their right to vote on Nov. 6 are waiting for the verdict on the state’s controversial voter-ID law. On Tuesday, Judge Robert Simpson must deliver his ruling determining whether the state’s law has disenfranchised voters. Some told Colorlines voting-rights columnist Brentin Mock that they’re…
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How Floyd Mayweather Relates to Voter-ID Laws
Long ago Nas rhymed on his debut album Illmatic that the “rap game reminds me of the crack game,” and now Colorlines voter-ID columnist Brentin Mock is drawing parallels between voter-ID laws and the theater of the boxing industry. This week, a judge ordered Floyd Mayweather Jr. to pay more than $113,000 in a defamation lawsuit…
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Guilty Until Proven Innocent of Voter Fraud
In Pennsylvania, the fight surrounding voter-ID laws continues. NAACP president Ben Jealous descended upon the state to argue in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court hearing on Applewhite v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania this week. At the heart of the matter, writes Colorlines columnist Brentin Mock, is the idea that men and women of color are being treated…
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The Dangers of Poll Watchers
Many voters have been made aware of the voter-ID laws that are spreading across the country and how to maneuver around them, but what about poll watchers? According to Colorlines columnist Brentin Mock, even in states where there are no voter-ID laws, poll watchers are empowered to challenge voters on Election Day and request photo…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
