Augusta woman hails ‘monumental’ settled case in Maine guaranteeing equal voting rights for those with print disabilities
Due to a lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the District of Maine, a new online absentee voting option for people with print disabilities will be available in the state. Voters with print disabilities brought the case after being denied an alternative to a paper ballot for absentee voting. A variety of personal circumstances may cause print disabilities, including blindness, physical difficulties that make it impossible to use a pen, or reading disabilities such as dyslexia.Visit CentrailMaine.com to learn more.
GOP bills would embolden challengers and create election chaos, voting rights advocates say
Voting rights advocates are voicing deep concerns about a series of election bills authored by Michigan Republicans. These bills would substantially increase the number of partisan election challengers allowed to observe elections, as well as eliminate the presence of non-partisan challengers. Poll watchers would also be permitted to take pictures and video-recordings inside of polling locations and counting rooms. Additionally, election monitors would be welcome to challenge voter identifications. Chris Thomas, a former Michigan director of elections, has said, “They are terrible bills… and
Voting-rights battle in Washington state raises allegations of diluting Latino votes
A new lawsuit has been filed against Franklin County, a municipal entity of Washington State, claiming the system employed for county elections unfairly weakens the Latino vote. The lawsuit alleges that this dilution of the Latino vote is accomplished, in part, by the way the city of Pasco is divided into three districts. Additionally, the suit argues that the county’s “hybrid election system” also undermines the Latino vote by requiring candidates to run within a district in the primary but then run a county-wide
Another federal lawsuit claims FL’s new election reforms attack voting rights of Black and Latino residents
A number of voting rights and civil rights organizations have joined together to file a new federal lawsuit challenging the recent election law changes passed by Florida’s government. The suit is filed against Florida’s Secretary of State and four county supervisors of elections, who will represent supervisors generally, as a class. Groups such as UnidosUS, Faith in Florida, and Equal Ground Education Fund allege that the new law’s restrictions discriminate against voters of color and, therefore, violate the Voting Rights Act. Visit the Florida
Manchin, Murkowski call on Congress to reauthorize Voting Rights Act
Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Joe Manhin (D-WV) have sent a bipartisan letter to the top four members of Senate leadership, urging them to reauthorize certain provisions of the Voting Rights Act. Before they were struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013, these provisions required states with a history of voter suppression to obtain “pre-clearance” from the federal government before implementing new election laws. Senator Manchin, who has faced criticism from fellow Democrats for declining to support a broader voting rights reform measure known as