Category Archives: Voting Rights Act

“Trump administration is using federal disability law to disenfranchise minority voters”

August 22, 2018, 1:16 pmchicanery, voters with disabilities, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Kira Lerner with a must-read: A majority-black county in rural Georgia announced a plan last week to close seven of its nine polling places ahead of the November election, claiming the polls cannot continue to operate because they are not… Continue reading

Hey Chief Justice Roberts: Remember When You Said the Preclearance Provisions of the Voting Rights Act Were No Longer Needed in the South?

August 17, 2018, 10:28 amSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

AP: Civil rights advocates are objecting to a proposal to close about 75 percent of polling locations in a predominantly black south Georgia county. The Randolph County elections board is scheduled to meet Thursday to discuss a proposal that would… Continue reading

“Florida Officials Are Breaking The Law By Not Offering Spanish Ballots, Suit Claims”

August 17, 2018, 8:16 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

HuffPo: Nearly half of Florida’s counties are violating the Voting Rights Act by not offering Spanish-language ballots and other election materials to citizens, a suit filed in federal court Thursday alleges. The lead plaintiff in the suit is Marta Rivera,… Continue reading

Attempt to Keep Navajo-Preferred Candidate Off Ballot in San Juan County, Utah May Have Been via Election Official’s Fraud

August 14, 2018, 9:49 pmVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Interesting story.

“Voting Rights Advocates Used to Have an Ally in the Government. That’s Changing.”

August 13, 2018, 9:41 amThe Voting Wars, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Michael Wines for the NYT: In the national battle over voting rights, the fighting is done in court, state by state, over rules that can seem arcane but have the potential to sway the outcome of elections. The Justice Department’s… Continue reading

“Santa Monica is on trial over voting rights lawsuit”

August 10, 2018, 3:44 pmVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

KPCC’s Airtalk explores.

“A Fight Over Voter Rights in California; Liberal Santa Monica finds itself on the same side as a conservative legal activist challenging the state’s voting-rights law”

August 9, 2018, 8:10 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

WSJ: Santa Monica, Calif., with a “well-being index” to gauge the happiness of its residents and a fleet of city buses powered by natural gas, often lives up to its reputation as a wealthy, liberal enclave on California’s coast But… Continue reading

“Federal Court Strikes Down Michigan Law Banning Straight-Ticket Voting”

August 1, 2018, 11:17 amelection administration, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Common Cause: Today a federal judge struck down a 2015 bill passed by the Michigan legislature and signed by Governor Snyder to ban straight-ticket voting. Common Cause joined the A. Philip Randolph Institute, the Democratic Party of Michigan, and… Continue reading

9th Circuit Rejects en Banc Consideration of Poway Case Against California Voting Rights Act, for Now

August 1, 2018, 8:18 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Order from the 9th Circuit: Filed order and amended memorandum (SUSAN P. GRABER, MILAN D. SMITH, JR. and ALVIN K. HELLERSTEIN). Movants-Appellants petition for panel rehearing filed in case No. 18-55506 is GRANTED in part. The memorandum disposition filed June… Continue reading

“Texas Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Releases Advisory Memorandum on Voting Rights in Texas”

July 30, 2018, 8:10 amThe Voting Wars, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Release via email: The Texas Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has issued an Advisory Memorandum examining potential barriers to voting in Texas that may have a discriminatory impact on voters based on race, color, sex, disability… Continue reading

“Prophylactic Redistricting? Congress’s Section 5 Power and the New Equal Protection Right to Vote”

July 25, 2018, 7:50 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Michael Morley has posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming, William & Mary L. Rev.). Here is the abstract: The Voting Rights Act (VRA) has been an important mechanism for increasing participation by racial minorities in the electoral system. In… Continue reading

New Series from TPM on Voting Rights Opens with Josh Marshall’s “The Battle For The Right To Vote Has Never Been Won”

July 24, 2018, 11:20 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

You can read Josh’s opening at this link.

Senate Hearing: “Voting Rights, Access, and Barriers in Indian Country (webcast)”

July 17, 2018, 5:26 pmVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Watch the hearing of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

Atlantic Poll Finds that Voters of Color Face Greater Barriers to Voting Than Whites

July 17, 2018, 8:06 amThe Voting Wars, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

The Atlantic: A new poll conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute and The Atlantic has uncovered evidence of deep structural barriers to the ballot for black and Latino voters, specifically in the 2016 election. More than that, the survey… Continue reading

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