Category Archives: voter id

NAACP LDF Expresses Voting Rights Act Concerns in Alabama Voter ID DMV Closure Case

October 5, 2015, 8:28 amThe Voting Wars, voter id, voting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Letter: The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (“LDF”)1, on behalf of Greater Birmingham Ministries and the Alabama State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, writes to raise our grave concerns regarding… Continue reading

“Alabama Demands Voter ID–Then Closes Driver’s License Offices In Black Counties”

October 2, 2015, 7:36 amelection administration, The Voting Wars, voter idRick Hasen

TPM: What happens when a state with a tough voter ID law suddenly makes it much harder for minorities to get driver’s licenses? We are about to find out in Alabama. Facing a budget crisis, Alabama has shuttered 31 driver’s… Continue reading

“Voter ID and driver’s license office closures black-out Alabama’s Black Belt”

September 30, 2015, 2:19 pmelection administration, The Voting Wars, voter idRick Hasen

Kyle Whitmore: The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s website says their office at the Clarke County Courthouse is still open, but soon a lot of others nearby won’t be. On Wednesday, the agency announced that it would close 31 offices… Continue reading

“Remembering Bill Crawford”

September 28, 2015, 1:45 pmThe Voting Wars, voter idRick Hasen

Here is a guest post from Josh Douglas: I was saddened to learn of Rep. Bill Crawford’s death last week. I had the opportunity — and pleasure — to interview Rep. Crawford this past summer for research for a new… Continue reading

“Chris Rickert: Photo ID no-brainer would bring a little sense to two brainless GOP initiatives”

September 27, 2015, 4:46 pmelection administration, The Voting Wars, voter idRick Hasen

Column in Wisconsin State Journal: A couple of astute readers contacted me this week with an idea for making at least a little sense out of the senseless: If the Republican-controlled Legislature passes a bill to add photos of food… Continue reading

“Longtime Indiana lawmaker Bill Crawford remembered as a ‘giant among men'”

September 27, 2015, 10:08 amelection administration, Supreme Court, The Voting Wars, voter idRick Hasen

See this Indy Star obituary. Crawford was also the lead main plaintiff in the case challenging the constitutionality of Indiana’s voter id law, a case which made it to the Supreme Court.

“Voter ID lawsuit can proceed in state court, judge rules”

September 24, 2015, 6:02 pmelection administration, The Voting Wars, voter idRick Hasen

News & Observer: A Wake County judge has refused a request from state lawmakers to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the Voter ID requirement. Judge Mike Morgan issued his ruling on Wednesday, almost four weeks after a hearing on the… Continue reading

SC Gov. Nikki Haley Discusses Voter ID in “Black Lives Matter” Speech

September 2, 2015, 4:31 pmThe Voting Wars, voter idRick Hasen

Text of the speech: One of the lessons of the flag controversy is that if we stop shouting and start listening, we get more accomplished. We should all listen to each other more – we will all benefit from… Continue reading

“Texas Two-Steps All Over Voting Rights; It says it can make voting as difficult as it wants to, and any law that says otherwise is unconstitutional.”

September 2, 2015, 9:41 amSupreme Court, The Voting Wars, voter id, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

I have written this piece for Slate. It begins: In 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act, one of the most important pieces of legislation in U.S. history. It contained key protections for minority voters, especially blacks, who had been… Continue reading

“Alabama Risks Making It Much Harder To Get Required Voter ID”

August 29, 2015, 4:28 pmelection administration, voter idRick Hasen

HuffPo: The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said Monday that proposed budget cuts would force it to close all but four driver’s license offices, even though the state requires government-issued photo identification, like a driver’s license, to vote in… Continue reading

Breaking: TX Seeks En Banc Review in 5th Circuit Voter ID Case

August 28, 2015, 5:12 pmelection administration, The Voting Wars, voter id, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

You can read the petition for en banc review here. The effect of this filing is to stay the mandate and to put the remand of the case on hold, at least for now. It is not clear if… Continue reading

“DOJ to 5th Circuit: Texas voter ID law needs to be fixed ASAP”

August 22, 2015, 6:00 pmelection administration, The Voting Wars, voter id, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

San Antonio Express News: The Obama administration and several civil rights groups are urging a federal appeals court to fast track the process of temporarily fixing Texas’ voter ID law in time for the upcoming Nov. 3 elections. In court… Continue reading

Correcting E.J. Dionne’s Legal Mistake

August 20, 2015, 1:53 pmvoter idRichard Pildes

As I assume many readers of this blog noticed right away, E.J. Dionne wrongly described part of the 5th Circuit’s decision on Texas’ voter ID law in his recent piece, here, on voting rights. While correctly noting that the… Continue reading