Democratic state legislators form voting rights council amid GOP push for restrictions
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) is assembling Democratic state legislators across the country in order to form a “voting rights council.” The intention of the council is to build strategies against a wave of Republican-backed bills that could reduce voter access and turnout. DLCC President Jessica Post says that “Republicans’ embrace of voter suppression is an existential threat to the future of our democracy.” The co-chairs of the new voting rights council will be Michigan Senate Democratic Leader Jim Ananich and Nevada Assembly
Minnesota Appeals court deals setback to voting restoration push
Minnesota’s Court of Appeals has upheld a law which prohibits citizens convicted of felonies from voting until they have fully completed their sentences, including probation. Those who brought the case in order to expand felon voting rights will seek to get the decision overturned by the Minnesota Supreme Court. An attorney pursuing the case for the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota says, “Felony disenfranchisement is one of the enduring and systematic racial disparities in our criminal justice system.”Visit the Brainerd Dispatch to learn more.Image Credit:
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