Voting Rights & Elections
The vote is the heart of democracy. Yet today, our voting systems are deeply flawed. Ineffective election administration, unaccountable purges of voter registration lists and insecure electronic systems threaten to disenfranchise countless American citizens. New barriers to voting such as highly restrictive voter ID requirements threaten to disenfranchise millions more.
Voting rights and election integrity depend upon sound administration in thousands of jurisdictions. America's irreducible goals should be: everyone who wants to register, can register; everyone who wants to vote, can vote; every vote that is cast is a vote that is counted.
The Brennan Center for Justice fights to strengthen America's voting systems. Presentations on vote suppression strategies and their promotion by the U.S. Department of Justice can be found here and here. In the past two years, we successfully challenged anti-voter laws in Florida, Ohio, and Washington. We published national studies on issues ranging from electronic voting to voter databases. We helped pass pro-voter and defeat anti-voter laws in dozens of states and in Congress. We track federal election reform legislation at Federal Election Reform. Now we are engaged in a long-term effort to reform voting laws, with new proposals to improve electronic voting, restore the voting rights of people with felony convictions, and a forthcoming proposal for universal voter registration.
State-by-state Advocacy | Veteran Voting
In addition to its litigation and public education work, the Voting Rights and Elections team has undertaken a range of advocacy projects in response to specific concerns arising in individual states. We have also included a page on our work to defend the voting rights of veterans.
NAMUDNO v. Holder involves a constitutional challenge to the Voting Rights Act, perhaps the country’s single most successful piece of civil rights legislation.
The Center filed an amicus brief with the 6th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals in support of the plaintiff’s challenge to Tennessee’s voter restoration law denying voting rights to individuals with felony convictions. Individuals are not eligible to vote until they pay child support arrears and/or restitution.
Common Cause of Colorado, et al. v. Buescher
A coalition of voting rights groups sued the Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman (who, upon leaving office, was replaced by Brian Buescher) claiming he illegally removed over 27,000 voters from the rolls. They filed a temporary restraining order to get those names reinstated and to ensure additional names cannot be removed before Election Day.
A New Texas Two-Step: One Forward, Two Back
Consensus among Texan legislators on election issues is becoming vanishingly rare. The defeat of H.B. 1457—a bill designed to correct administrative flaws in the voting system—is the latest example.
Voting Rights Act: The Legacy of the 15th Amendment
“The historic accomplishments of the Voting Rights Act are undeniable. “
--Chief Justice Roberts, NAMUDNO v. Holder
Last Friday, the NY Senate Elections Committee held a hearing to discuss election reform bills currently before the Senate....
Illustrations by Risko
Supreme Court Affirms Voting Rights Act
Today, in a narrow, 8-1 decision, the Supreme Court avoided a constitutional challenge to a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, instead holding in NAMUDNO v. Holder that the small utility district in Austin, Texas that brought the challenge could seek to “bail out” of the Act’s pre-clearance requirements.
Detailed Reports Offer Guidelines for Permanent Voter Registration
Today, two new studies on voter registration for Americans who move show both the feasibility and need to modernize the voter registration system. Tens of millions of Americans move every year, and permanent registration throughout all states would dramatically increase voter participation by millions.
Can the U.S. Register Every Voter?
Brennan Center’s sixteen-country study provides blueprint for U.S. modernization plan.
Testimony of Renée Paradis Before the New York State Elections Committee
Testimony on Senate Bill 4317, which would change the deadline for enrolling in a political party before a primary election, before the New York Senate Elections Committee.
Erika Wood before the New York State Senate Elections Committee
Testimony on Senate Bill 1266, the Voting Rights Notification and Registration Act before the New York State Elections Committee.
Adam Skaggs before the Illinois House of Representaton
Testimony on legislative trends in election administration delivered before the House Elections Committee.
Voter Suppression Incidents 2008
A list of voter suppression incidents from the 2008 election.
Proof of Citizenship Requirements; Chart of State Legislation
In the current session (2009–2010), legislators across the country have begun to propose proof of citizenship requirements for voter registration. The chart here, last updated on 6/29/2009, sets forth the known bills and their current status.