Texas lawmakers expected to discuss voting reform at special session after Supreme Court’s Arizona decision
Texas Gov. Greg Abbot has called for the state legislature to open a special session, following the US Supreme Court’s decision to uphold two Arizona laws that were recently challenged by voting rights advocates. It is expected that Abbot will ask legislators to consider further changes to Texas voting laws. This new session also comes after a dramatic walk-out was staged by Texas Democrats last May in protest of a voting bill they argued was discriminatory and unnecessarily restrictive. Democratic Representative Jessica Gonzalez of
Supreme Court upholds restrictive Arizona voting laws in test of Voting Rights Act
The Supreme Court has ruled 6-3 in favor of two state laws in Arizona, setting a precedent which voting rights advocates argue will make it more difficult for disadvantaged and non-white citizens to vote. One law holds that only a voter, themselves, or a member of their family, or a caregiver may collect or deliver a ballot on their behalf. The other mandates that election officials eliminate votes that were accidentally cast in the wrong precinct. Visit NBC News to learn more. Image Credit: David (CC BY
Revised vote count shows Adams ahead in NYC mayoral primary
Eric Adams maintains a thin lead in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, trailed closely by Kathryn Garcia and Maya Wiley. The NYC Board of Elections stunned the city when it retracted an earlier count as it has struggled to implement a ranked-choice voting system for the first time. Supporters of ranked-choice voting argue that the confusion was the result of human error and not a flaw inherent to the method, itself. Visit the Associated Press to learn more. Image Credit: Krystalb97 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Gov. Tom Wolf vetoes GOP-backed voting bill, calling it ‘riddled with unacceptable barriers’
The GOP-led Pennsylvania legislature has passed voting legislation which Gov. Tom Wolf has stated in a memo “is ultimately not about improving access to voting or election security but about restricting the freedom to vote.” Wolf has vetoed the legislation, which would push up the deadlines to register to vote and to request a mail-in ballot. The bill would also require that all in-person voters show identification and it would limit the use of drop boxes for mail-in ballots. Visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to
Democrats working on three tracks in response to Senate voting rights defeat
Now that Republican Senators have rejected the possibility of debating the For the People Act in its current form, Democrats are regrouping to advance alternative approaches to reforming voting policy. The compromise bill outlined by Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) is likely to take fuller form while Senate Democrats plan to host hearings on voting rights in states like Georgia, where restrictive laws have recently passed. Georgian Senators Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) are also working on a bill to protect election officials