voting rights
-
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…
-
Exclusive: Thousands of Black Votes in Georgia Disappeared and No One Can Explain It
Voter suppression in Georgia was one of the most discussed issues during the 2018 midterm elections. Front and center in the debate stood Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, a longtime voting-rights activist who had dedicated much of her career to fighting for every citizen’s right to vote. Abrams was also running to become the state’s…
-
Republicans Oppose Proposed Law That Would Fight White Supremacy, Restore Democracy and Empower Black Voters
Democrats have proposed H.R. 1, a bill that would make our democracy more equitable, improved access for vulnerable groups to have a real say in how we are governed, and roll back voting restrictions that have disproportionately harmed people of color. That’s why it is the first bill of the new Democratic House majority—and likely…
-
Brian Kemp Is Getting Called to the Principal's Office to Explain How He Stole Georgia's Gubernatorial Election From Stacey Abrams
Remember that time when Brian Kemp, while serving as Georgia’s secretary of state, oversaw the same 2018 gubernatorial race that he eventual won? And how he used every voter suppression tactic imaginable—from understaffed polls, to purging hundreds of thousands of voters from state rolls, to tossing out provisional ballots, to ensuring that voting machines were…
-
Florida Judge Rules in Favor of Counting Votes Because…Football
In a win for Florida Democrats, Bill Nelson, the rule of law and common sense, a federal court cited the Constitution and (yes, this is actually true) the NFL rulebook to explain why election officials in the Sunshine State can’t just arbitrarily toss the ballots of eligible voters who voted by mail. “Consider the game…
-
Florida Is on Course to Restore Voting Rights to Residents Convicted of Felonies
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Marissa Alexander knows politics. No political race—judgeship, state representative, national—nor proposed amendment escapes her notice. That’s why during this midterm election season, she has sat down her 18-year-old twins at the dinner table to go over everything—the amendments and candidates that voters must choose from on Tuesday so that her children will be fully…
-
5 Things Black Voters Should Demand From the Democratic Party
The Democratic Party is a white party. According to Pew research, 59 percent of registered voters who identify as Democrats are white. Only 4 of the state Chairs party chairs are black. It hasn’t elected a black governor in a decade. Only 2 of its 49 Senators are black. Just 45 of the 193 Democratic…
-
Millions of Black Voters Are Being Purged From Voter Rolls, Often Illegally: Report
As the end of Barack Obama’s presidency grew closer, election officials began preparing for the next election. Instead of strengthening the security of voting machines and making voting more accessible to citizens, states did the exact opposite. But they didn’t just make it harder to vote. For hundreds of thousands of registered, eligible voters across…
-
Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Voter Suppression … Again
In a 5-4 decision along partisan lines, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that Ohio’s voter-suppression campaign was totally fine. The previous sentence should be longer. It should contain an explanation on why Ohio purges its voter roles. There should probably be a convoluted paragraph filled with legalese about constitutional interpretation juxtaposed against the enumerated…
-
Louisiana Prosecutors Try but Can’t Stop Ex-Felons From Regaining Voting Rights
Despite a last-ditch effort to overturn a recent bill restoring voting rights to ex-felons in Louisiana, legislators in the Statehouse recently passed a bill doing just that, another victory for criminal-justice reform. The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that of the 70,000 ex-felons who served time in Louisiana prisons and who are currently on probation or…