What States Are Doing to Protect Voting Rights
In recent years, a handful of states have enacted legislation to protect or expand voting rights. For example, after over a decade of organizing, our partners in New Mexico at Organizing in the Land of Enchantment (OLÉ) and Take Action Minnesota worked hard to secure legislation in their respective states guaranteeing the right to vote for people on probation or parole. However, organizers should not have to secure piecemeal victories to protect rights that the federal government should guarantee. Felony disenfranchisement provides a strong example of the patchwork of inconsistent voting rights laws across the country, as states vary widely concerning the voting rights of systems-impacted people.
A minimal number of state legislatures have stepped up and passed their own Voting Rights Acts to protect Black and brown voters from discriminatory election practices. Except for California, which passed its Voting Rights Act in 2002, several states passed their own Voting Rights Acts after the Shelby County decision. Currently, Washington (2018), Oregon (2019), Virginia (2021), New York (2022), and Connecticut (2023) have state-level Voting Rights Act. These bills are often modeled after the federal Voting Rights Act, which includes the now-defunct preclearance provision. Recently, state legislators have tried to pass similar legislation in New Jersey (introduced in 2022), Maryland (introduced in 2023), Michigan (introduced in 2023), and Illinois (introduced in 2023) but so far have not been successful.
State Voting Rights Acts are beacons of hope in a post-Shelby County world, but they are still uncommon and often hard to pass. While powerful, these laws are insufficient to protect voting rights for Black and brown voters. Each state can and should pass legislation that provides additional voting protections beyond those guaranteed at the federal level and addresses any nuances specific to that state. At the same time, we need a national standard like the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act that protects and champions everyone's right to vote.