What We’re Reading Today: A Mockery
What We're Reading: a daily round-up of quick hits, clips, and opinion pieces touching on key issues of democracy, justice, liberty and national security.
The Star-Tribune of Minnesota interviewed the Brennan Center’s Keesha Gaskins for an article about voter ID laws. Minnesota’s governor vetoed a voter ID bill last year, but proponents are pushing for a voter initiative.
AP: “Three Democratic New York state senators want an independent inspector to oversee the New York Police Department after what they called several abuses, including reports of widespread surveillance of Muslims…”
The New York Times editorial board says a lack of disclosure for campaign spending channeled through Super PACs makes a mockery of a central premise in Citizens’ United that voters can detect corporate influence over candidates. The Brennan Center sent a letter to Capitol Hill today in support of the new DISCLOSE Act, a bill to require greater transparency in federal elections spending.
South Dakota lawmakers are considering a bill to strip the right to vote from individuals with felony convictions, even if they never serve jail time. The ACLU blogs on why lawmakers should reject this law and support the Democracy Restoration Act instead.
A Harvard University professor pens a historical overview of voter suppression in the United States, linking the country’s sordid racial history with today’s voter suppression efforts (New York Times).
Must-read: the former Chief Justice of Alabama tells Birmingham News readers that over-incarceration hasn’t made society any safer and that alternatives to imprisonment for non-violent offenders must be enacted.