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With the U.S. Supreme Court weakening the federal Voting Rights Act, states are increasingly looking to enact their own state-level protections. Five states have VRAs and at least four more are looking to advance one this session.
In many states, Republicans are restricting ballot measures in response to efforts that have enacted policies — like codifying abortion rights and expanding public benefits — that Republicans don’t support.
There is one voting policy area where proposed legislation has been overwhelmingly positive: improving felony disenfranchisement laws. As of Feb. 20, at least 68 bills have been introduced in 19 states to restore voting rights.
Democracy Docket has tracked a wave of laws changing how election law is enforced. While supporters claim they’re necessary to increase the security of our elections, in reality they could harm voters.
The Mississippi House approved a bill that would create a new, unelected court system in the state capital of Jackson. The proposal is just the tip of the iceberg in a state that continues to undermine minority representation.
Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act outlaws any act that is likely to intimidate voters. As other portions of the VRA are dismantled, Section 11(b) is a crucial protection that remains shockingly relevant in 2023.
To understand why these laws are increasingly popular, particularly in red states, we’re diving into their history, where they can be found and why they’re problematic for voters.
Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party is ready to use its new trifecta control to improve voting access, already introducing a major package of pro-voting reforms, the Democracy for the People Act.
Ohio Republicans’ House Bill 458 is the first major voter suppression law to be enacted after the 2022 midterms. Here, we unpack exactly what this law will do and how it will impact Ohio voters.
It’s impossible to know what would have happened under a different set of maps, it’s entirely plausible that Republicans won the House thanks to gerrymandered maps — and a few helpful assists from the courts.
