Category Archives: Voting Rights Act

“Federalizing the Voting Rights Act”

August 23, 2021, 6:43 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Travis Crum has posted this draft on SSRN (Vanderbilt L Rev Online). Here is the abstract: In Presidential Control of Elections, Professor Lisa Marshall Manheim masterfully canvasses how “a president can affect the rules of elections that purport to hold… Continue reading

I Spoke with the Legal Talk Today Podcast About the Voting Rights Act and New Restrictive Voting Rules

August 22, 2021, 8:44 amThe Voting Wars, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

You can listen here.

Nationwide preclearance of existing voter identification laws in the John L. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

August 20, 2021, 1:36 pmVoting Rights ActDerek Muller

Travis and Nick had helpful summaries and thoughts of the major components of H.R. 4, the John L. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. I wanted to highlight one interesting change from the 2019 edition of the VRAA, the scope of… Continue reading

“House Democrats introduce a bill to beef up the Voting Rights Act.”

August 18, 2021, 7:08 amVoting Rights Act, VRAARick Hasen

NYT: Democrats on Tuesday unveiled a long-awaited linchpin of their drive to protect voting rights, introducing legislation that would make it easier for the federal government to block state election rules found to be discriminatory to nonwhite voters.House leaders expect… Continue reading

Travis Crum: “Revising Sections 2 and 5 in the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021”

August 17, 2021, 8:25 pmVoting Rights Act, VRAARick Hasen

The following is a very helpful guest post from Travis Crum: Following months of anticipation, Democrats in Congress unveiled the newest version of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA). In this post, I’ll highlight major portions… Continue reading

“On voting rights, Chief Justice Roberts is far from a moderating voice”

August 16, 2021, 6:36 amSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Boston Globe reports.

Hearing Monday at 10 am ET: “Oversight of the Voting Rights Act: Potential Legislative Reforms”

August 16, 2021, 6:21 amVoting Rights Act, VRAARick Hasen

Over at the House Judiciary Committee.

“Dems plot last-ditch voting rights push as midterm clock ticks”

August 12, 2021, 5:39 amlegislation and legislatures, Voting Rights ActDerek Muller

Politico: Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are preparing to take one more big swing at voting rights. They may end up hitting their base with a huge letdown.The House will return to Washington later this month to vote on… Continue reading

“John Roberts and the Supreme Court might block anything Democrats do on voting rights”

August 11, 2021, 11:01 amSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActDerek Muller

Tierney Sneed at CNN: A key piece of congressional Democrats’ voting rights push faces not only a near-impossible odds of becoming law, but also a daunting court battle in front of a conservative judiciary if it does.The legislation, known… Continue reading

“House Democratic Report Documents Discriminatory Voting Cases”

August 6, 2021, 8:49 amlegislation and legislatures, Voting Rights ActDerek Muller

Bloomberg: House Democrats took another step toward considering a key voting rights bill by releasing a report documenting dozens of discriminatory election practices.The move Friday is a prelude to the introduction of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act,… Continue reading

Merrick Garland op-ed: “It is time for Congress to act again to protect the right to vote”

August 5, 2021, 5:10 pmVoting Rights ActDerek Muller

Over at the Washington Post: Our society is shaped not only by the rights it declares but also by its willingness to protect and enforce those rights. Nowhere is this clearer than in the area of voting rights.Fifty-six years… Continue reading

House readies John Lewis bill

July 30, 2021, 7:02 pmVoting Rights ActNed Foley

Politico reports on latest developments concerning revisions to the Voting Rights Act, but as with the broader HR1/S1 For the People Act it all depends on filibuster reform.

USA Today analyzes potential impact of Brnovich

July 29, 2021, 11:19 amcourt decisions, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActNed Foley

Behind a paywall. A snippet: “At a time when more than a dozen conservative states have enacted new voting limitations and no evidence of substantial fraud has emerged from the 2020 presidential contest, election law experts say the lower… Continue reading

S1 v2: Senate revisits electoral reform

July 28, 2021, 11:55 amelection administration, political polarization, redistricting, voting, Voting Rights ActNed Foley

Washington Post reports on today’s meeting among Senate Democrats to bring forward new version of S1, the For the People Act, building upon Senator Manchin’s compromise proposal. There’s also the possibility of new provisions aimed at election subversion. But there’s… Continue reading