After Ballot Measure Bust, State Lawmakers Make New Push For Voting Rights
New York state legislators are scrambling to extend temporary voting rights policies set to expire in 2022, after an attempt to make these measures permanent through ballot questions failed last November. Some Democrats blame a well-funded Republican campaign for the voters’ decision not to change the state’s constitution to allow for same-day voter registration and expanded mail-in ballot access. Now, New York Democrats are trying to pass a law that would push the deadline for voter registration back from 25 days before an election
Voting rights of minorities denied in parts of US: UN expert
Fernand de Varennes, a human rights expert employed by the United Nations, has informed the press and the US Department of Justice of his analysis that parts of the United States are unjustly denying minorities the right to vote. Fernand de Varennes’s comments came at the end of a two week official visit to the country, and on the heels of the United States’ recent inclusion in the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance’s list of “back-sliding democracies.” De Varennes has urged the
City Council set to approve voting rights for over 650K NYC green card holders
The New York City Council has put together a veto-proof supermajority in favor of granting municipal voting rights to authorized residents of the city who are not citizens. The approximately 800,000 people in the five boroughs who either hold a green card or have been granted deferred action status by US immigration authorities will be allowed to vote for city councilors, municipal ballot questions, and the mayor - but not for state officials or ballot questions or for federal officials. Mayor Bill de Blasio
2 suspected Iranian hackers are charged with trying to intimidate U.S. voters
The US Department of Justice has charged two Iranian hackers with stealing the personal information of American voters in the 2020 election and spreading false information and threats. While the Department of Justice does not allege that these actions were taken on behalf of the Iranian government, it claims that the two hackers, pretending to be members of the white supremacist group known as “The Proud Boys,” sent emails to registered Democrats, threatening them with physical harm if they did not vote for Donald
Latino voting rights groups say proposed district maps don’t reflect California
Advocates for Latino voting rights in California have expressed concern that the preliminary drafts of California’s new congressional district maps, following the 2020 census, do not adequately reflect that demographics’ increased share of the voting age population. The preliminary map proposes 13 districts with majority-Latino populations, but advocates argue that 16 districts would be the truly proportional number given that Latinos make up 39% of the state’s population, and around one-third of its voting-age population. Visit The Sacramento Bee to learn more.Image Credit: The League