“You definitely get the feeling that they’re trying to run the numbers up — that they want to be able to say that there’s a lot of voter fraud out there."
Following the lawsuit Demos and its partners filed last year, Florida has began the process of adopting two rules related to making elections accessible for Spanish-Speaking Floridians.
We have faith that with the tireless work of the grassroots organizers, we will one day live in an America where every election — in every corner of the country — is free and fair for everyone.
Senate Bill 672, which allows for Automated Voter Registration and Same Day Registration, if implemented properly, has the potential to increase the racial diversity of registered voters in New Mexico.
“Partisan gerrymandering distorts the political system. It’s often accompanied by the cracking and packing of voters of color to sap their political influence."
Previously, we sued the Texas Secretary of State for a flawed voter purge list that unlawfully went after naturalized citizens, who are fully entitled to vote. The judge just ordered that they not be removed from the rolls.
H.R. 1 is a comprehensive proposal to address the deep political, racial and economic inequities that diminish the voices of everyday people, and particularly people of color.
Democrats have proposed H.R. 1, a bill that would make our democracy more equitable, improved access for vulnerable groups to have a real say in how we are governed, and roll back voting restrictions that have disproportionately harmed people of color.
Albany, New York – Demos applauds New York lawmakers for passing a historic overhaul of the state’s outdated voting laws, and legislation to increase transparency around corporate donors. With this groundbreaking push for election reform, New York will shift from having some of the most restrictive voting laws in the nation to being a leader in creating a just democracy.
Demos estimates that National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) compliance work across nearly 2 dozen states has resulted in more than 3 million new voter registration applications through public assistance agencies covered by Section 7 of the NVRA, as noted in a new report, “Toward a More Representative Electorate.”
In November, a supermajority of Florida voters passed Amendment 4, which automatically restores voting rights for former felons and ends a discriminatory regime that robbed 1.4 million people of their fundamental rights. The historic amendment—the largest expansion of voting rights in decades—is self-executing, and goes into effect on Tuesday, January 8.
Though the Supreme Court ruled that Ohio was allowed to continue their purging practices, the Supreme Court also noted that Ohio voters removed from the rolls based on a perceived change of address needed to be given “proper notice that they would be purged if they didn’t take certain steps.” So, on October 31, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
Souls to the Polls is a time-honored tradition, often led by clergy, to activate and engage congregants to exercise their right to vote that starts long before Election Day. It is a mobilization strategy to make the process of voting easier for their congregants. But sadly, voter suppression efforts targeting minorities in subtle and overt ways continue to make Souls to the Polls a critical service — placing the burden of voter education and empowerment on the backs of churches and other civil society organizations, not the government.
Chiraag Bains, a former prosecutor and civil rights attorney at the U.S. Justice Department, said that because criminal codes are so complicated, prosecutors have an incredible amount of flexibility in deciding whether and how to bring a case. Prosecutors normally consider the culpability of the individual, the severity of the offense and what kind of penalty is necessary to deter future misconduct.
Last week, ballot initiatives to improve the functioning of democracy fared very well. In Florida — a state divided nearly equally between right and left — more than 64 percent of voters approved restoring the franchise to 1.4 million people with felony convictions. In Colorado, Michigan and Missouri, measures to reduce gerrymandering passed. In Maryland, Michigan and Nevada, measures to simplify voter registration passed.