What’s The Deal With Off-Year Elections?
While it might feel like the 2020 election cycle just ended, there are a lot of important races on the horizon this year. In today’s Explainer, we walk through which states have off-year elections in 2021, why they have them and how the delayed redistricting process could upend expectations. Although off-year elections are the exception to the rule, their outcomes impact voters across the country.
Illinois
Illinois Redistricting Challenge (MALDEF)
Contreras v. Illinois State Board of Elections
Lawsuit filed by Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund on behalf of individual Latino voters challenging the 2021 redistricting maps signed into law by Gov. J. B. Pritzker (D). The complaint alleges that the maps, which were drawn using preliminary population estimates after the delayed release of 2020 Census data, are unconstitutional and should be replaced with maps based on the 2020 Census data.
Illinois
Illinois Redistricting Challenge (GOP Leadership)
McConchie v. Illinois State Board of Elections
Lawsuit filed by Republican leadership in the Illinois state legislature challenging the 2021 redistricting maps signed into law by Gov. J. B. Pritzker (D). The complaint alleges that the maps, which were drawn using preliminary population estimates after the delayed release of 2020 Census data, are unconstitutional and should not be enforced for future elections.
Latino Civil Rights Group Sues Over Illinois Redistricting Maps
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) filed a federal suit on behalf of individual Latino voters registered in Illinois challenging the 2021 redistricting maps signed into law by Gov. J. B. Pritzker (D) earlier this week.
AG Garland Announces Significant Investments in DOJ Voting Rights Division
WASHINGTON, D.C.—In a speech on voting rights delivered on Friday, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the Department of Justice will double its staff dedicated to protecting voting rights over the next 30 days.
The Complicated Legacy of the 19th Amendment
Today there are enshrined constitutional protections mandating that the right to vote not be abridged due to gender, race, age, religion or disability. But in practice, women of color still face massive inequities and institutional racism that prevents them from making their voices heard.
OnThe Docket
Voting Rights for Our Neighbors Matter As Much as Our Own
It shouldn’t be easier to vote in Maine than Montana. Voting rights for our neighbors matter as much as our own, especially when the relic of white supremacy that is the Electoral College remains in place.
