Voting Access
State lawmakers to hold first public forum on redistricting in Monroe
In a process that will impact almost every election in Louisiana for the next decade, the state legislature will hold the first of nine regional public forums on Oct. 20 beginning in Monroe regarding how lawmakers will draw the state’s new political maps and choose which voters to include in which districts. Beginning in mid-October […]
Advocates press for action in Congress on voting rights, despite grim outlook
WASHINGTON — Activists are ramping up the pressure on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to move on his chamber’s version of a voting rights bill, even though there’s no sign there will be enough Republican support to advance it. Alternatively, they’re pressing for an end to the filibuster, though there’s no indication there would be […]
Louisiana political districts will have to undergo drastic changes, legislative staff says
In a process that will impact every state-level and congressional election in Louisiana for the next decade, lawmakers met Friday for the first of what will be many redistricting sessions in which legislators draw new maps that determine which voters to include in their districts and other statewide political boundaries. The Legislature’s Joint Governmental Affairs […]
Revised voting rights bill rolled out in U.S. Senate, with Manchin on board
Senate Democrats on Tuesday unveiled a revamped voting rights bill that would expand voter registration as well as create nonpartisan redistricting committees, but the measure is still likely to face an uphill battle in an evenly divided Senate. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he will bring the legislation to the floor of the Senate […]
Study finds voting disparity growing among white, non-white voters
A new report from the Brennan Center for Justice demonstrates that the gap between white voters and non-white voters in states that were once required to get clearance from the federal government before implementing new voting laws has widened since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a portion of the Voting Rights Law in 2013. […]
House passes voting rights bill but Senate approval unlikely
The U.S. House on Tuesday passed, 219-212, along party lines a bill to reinstate a core section of the Voting Rights Act — a direct rebuke to state laws the bill’s supporters say have restricted voting rights. The bill, named for the late civil rights icon and longtime Georgia Democratic U.S. Rep. John R. Lewis, […]
With Census figures in, Louisiana turns to redrawing political maps
With the legislature’s first redistricting meeting approaching, some lawmakers and interested citizens are hoping to make critical changes to the maps that define Louisiana’s political boundaries. Earlier this month, the U.S. Census Bureau released its long-awaited, updated population numbers from around the country, showing Louisiana experienced sluggish growth of just 2.5% over the last decade […]
U.S. House Dems unveil new voting rights bill named for John Lewis
WASHINGTON — At the base of the bridge in Selma, Ala., where the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia almost died while marching for civil rights, congressional Democrats announced Tuesday the introduction of legislation that aims to protect voting rights across the country. Rep. Terri Sewell, an Alabama Democrat, unveiled what will be designated […]
DOJ civil rights official urges Congress to act soon on voting rights
WASHINGTON—A top Justice Department official on Monday stressed the need for Congress to pass legislation named after the late Georgia civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis in order to protect voting rights across the United States. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke told lawmakers that since a 2013 Supreme Court decision […]
U.S. Senate to try again on voting rights in September
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is planning to bring a comprehensive voting rights package to the Senate floor for a vote when the chamber returns from recess next month. Schumer, a New York Democrat, said Wednesday that the Senate will take up a compromise version of the voting and elections bill, S.1, […]
House Dems to unveil revamped voting rights bill named for the late John Lewis
WASHINGTON—House Democrats plan to next week unveil a new version of legislation named after the late Georgia civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis that could protect voting rights across the U.S. During a Friday press conference, House Democratic Whip Jim Clyburn of South Carolina said that House Democrats are expected to introduce a revised H.R. […]
Klobuchar: Senate Dems ‘very close’ to a deal on revised voting rights bill
WASHINGTON—Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Thursday that lawmakers attempting to negotiate a compromise elections overhaul bill are “very close to an agreement” on legislation, as Democrats struggle to respond to restrictive voting laws passed in Republican-led states. Klobuchar, the chairwoman of the Senate Rules & Administration Committee, has been meeting with other Senate Democrats about […]