voting rights act of 1965
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It Cost Me $64 to Vote in the Georgia Primary Elections
I am a 23-year-old Black man from Cobb County, Georgia, and it cost me $64 to vote in the Georgia primary elections. Let me explain. As a recent college graduate working out-of-state before starting law school, I have been voting by absentee ballot since 2016. Until this year, I had encountered few issues in casting…
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Congress Takes a Field Trip to Investigate Voter Suppression in Georgia
ATLANTA—When members of Congress heard stories about Georgia’s historic vote-stealing, the details sounded so absurdly evil, apparently an entire congressional subcommittee said, “I’ve got to see this for myself!” Chaired by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), the Committee on House Administration is, among other things, tasked with the administration, oversight and legislation involving federal elections. Elections…
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Report: 868 Fewer Places for People of Color to Cast Ballots in 2016 Election
Tuesday’s election is the first since the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act three years ago in Shelby County v. Holder, and according to a study published Friday, 868 polling places that served mostly people of color have been closed in that time. “The Great Poll Closure” (pdf), a study published by the…
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Justice Department Will Monitor Polls in 28 States on Election Day
The U.S. Justice Department announced Monday that its Civil Rights Division will deploy more than 500 personnel to 67 jurisdictions in 28 states to monitor the polls on Election Day, Nov. 8. Although states and local governments have the primary responsibility of administering elections, the Civil Rights Division enforces the federal voting rights laws that…
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Judge Issues Restraining Order to Stop Voter Intimidation by Trump Campaign
A U.S. district judge in Ohio issued a restraining order Friday that prevents anyone working on Donald Trump’s campaign from harassing and intimidating voters at the polls Tuesday. The judge’s ruling came after a two-hour hearing during which Trump’s lawyer was asked to justify the Republican presidential candidate’s inflammatory rhetoric about voter fraud, Mother Jones…