Corporations gave over $50M to voting restriction backers
A new report from Public Citizen, a government watchdog group, reveals that corporations have donated over $50 million to state lawmakers pushing voting restriction legislation since 2015. While this money may not have been given expressly to help pass voting restriction bills, it has played a key role over the years in securing Republican control of many state legislatures across the country. Many corporations have come out against voting restriction legislation, but have refused to commit to any specific action concerning their political donation
‘An all-hands moment’: GOP rallies behind voting limits
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) held an invitation-only call with Republican state lawmakers urging them to continue introducing and working to pass laws which will protect election integrity by restricting access to the ballot box. The call is indicative of how the issue of voting rights has skyrocketed up the list of priorities for Republicans following Donald Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Both prominent and new conservative organizations have pledged millions of dollars for ad campaigns designed to push for Republican-backed
South emerges as flashpoint of brewing redistricting battle
Southern states stand to benefit most from the reallocation of House seats following the 2020 Census, especially North Carolina, Florida, and Texas. These states’ legislatures are controlled by Republicans, meaning that the GOP will control the redistricting effort in those states. Republican lawmakers face few obstacles to redistricting in a way that benefits them, following a 2013 Supreme Court decision which removes federal oversight from the process.Visit AP News to learn more.Image credit: EpicTop10.com (CC BY 2.0) Voter Education Week Young adults will be the nation’s
Push to oust judge over absentee vote ruling sparks outcry
Republican lawmakers in Tennessee are trying to remove a state judge from the bench for expanding absentee voting in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Republican lawmakers charge that Ellen Hobbes Lyle’s decision requiring Tennessee to offer widespread absentee voting during the pandemic, a decision which was later reversed by the state Supreme Court, violated her constitutional authority. The Tennessee Bar Association and Democratic lawmakers have condemned the effort as a violation of judicial independence and a further assault on voting rights.Visit AP News
House passes sweeping voting rights bill over GOP opposition
Congressional Democrats have House Resolution 1, also known as the For the People Act, a large and significant piece of voting and ethics reform legislation. The bill would require states to automatically register eligible voters, offer same-day registration, offer 15 days of early voting, and allow no-excuse absentee balloting, while limiting states’ ability to purge registered voters from their rolls. It would also revamp the Federal Elections Commission, extend voting rights to former felons upon completion of their sentences, and mandate that nonpartisan commissions