Brennan Center for Justice

Protecting the Right to Vote in the Sunshine State

The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing in Tampa Bay last week on Florida’s new election law, which the Brennan Center is challenging in two separate lawsuits. The Center submitted testimony stating that Florida’s onerous restrictions on community-based voter registration drives are unconstitutional, and offered solutions for updating the system. “By implementing common-sense reforms, Florida can ensure that more citizens are registered to vote while reducing burdens on election officials,” reads the testimony. "These steps would not only boost Florida’s dismal voter registration rates, they would save the state money in the long run.”

Documents Show Need for Counterterrorism Oversight

Much of the fight against terrorism is conducted by local law enforcement. The Brennan Center uncovered documents raising questions about New York City Police Department statements about whether an anti-Muslim film was shown to trainees. Read the New York Times story on the controversy, and an op-ed article outlining a proposed reform. “The NYPD has done an admirable job in preventing violence. But no government entity with such powers should operate free from independent oversight,” Faiza Patel and Elizabeth Goitein wrote in the Times. “Oversight makes government stronger, not weaker.”

New York Paves Way for Campaign Reform

January 21st marked the second anniversary of the monumental Supreme Court decision Citizens United, which allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited funds on campaign advertisements. One result? A flood of new, secret money flowing into our elections through purportedly independent Super PACS. Despite much hand-wringing, little has been done at the state or federal level to offer an alternative — until now. In New York State, Governor Andrew Cuomo offered an ambitious proposal for public financing of state elections and comprehensive campaign finance reform. A recent poll shows broad bipartisan support, with 74 percent of New Yorkers approving of the plan. Read our op-ed in Newsday on New York City’s public financing system, which offers a model for reform. 

Texas Sues to Implement Voter ID Law

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott filed a lawsuit last week, asking the D.C. District Court to allow the state to implement its voter ID law, which the Department of Justice is currently reviewing. In November, the Brennan Center urged Attorney General Eric Holder to reject the law because extensive statistical evidence shows that "Texas’ newly-passed voter ID restrictions will disproportionately harm minority voting rights in the state.” The Justice Department recently denied this “preclearance” to South Carolina’s voter ID law.

Role of Government and the State of the Union

In his State of the Union Address, President Obama focused on economic inequality and revitalizing the economy. Michael Waldman, former chief speechwriter for President Bill Clinton, urged the president to push "an agenda for democracy reform in a meaningful way. If we don't fix our systems of democracy, we're never going to get the policy solutions we want," he said. Watch Waldman discuss the speech on MSNBC and CNN and listen to him on The Takeaway.

Ideas on Democracy, Justice, and the Rule of Law

Former Representatives Voice Support for Public Financing – John Travis

• Two former New York congressmen — Sherwood Boehlert, a Republican, and Scott Murphy, a Democrat — voiced their support for Governor Cuomo's plan to enact public financing in the state.

Obama Promises Foreclosure Assistance – Mark Ladov

• The president announced an important new partnership, chaired by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, to investigate our nation's mortgage crisis.

In Debate, GOP Candidates Present Blurred View of MLK’s Vision – Nic Riley & Molly Alarcon

• Candidates sparred over laws to restore the right to vote to individuals with criminal convictions, and attacked the Voting Rights Act.

Kruger Used Campaign Contributions to Pay Legal Fees – John Travis

• Kruger paying his legal fees with campaign contributions highlights New York's notoriously weak campaign finance laws.

A Call to Albany: Restore Foreclosure Funding – Mark Ladov & Neeta Pal

• Governor Cuomo’s budget proposal failed to include a much-needed restoration of the $25 million appropriation for foreclosure prevention assistance, which last year’s budget eliminated.

What We’re Reading

• See what the Brennan Center’s reading in this daily round-up of quick hits, clips, and opinion pieces touching on key issues of democracy, justice, liberty and national security. Includes stories on the NYPD, Florida’s election law, and restoring voting rights to individuals with criminal convictions.

Read more blogs here.

• Feb. 3 – Author Jeff Clements speaks about his book, "Corporations Are Not People," at the Brennan Center in New York City.
• March 8 – The Brennan Center hosts former Inspector General Glenn Fine for a discussion on government oversight in New York City.

• The Brennan Center uncovered documents showing nearly 1,500 NYPD officers viewed an anti-Muslim film during their training. The Center released the documents to The New York Times, which launched a flood of follow-up stories.
• Faiza Patel and Liza Goitein called for NYPD oversight in a New York Times op-ed.
• See additional stories from The New York Times, Reuters, Associated Press, and WNYC.
• Read The New York Times and Newsday editorials denouncing the film.
• Listen to Liza Goitein called for more oversight of the NYPD on The Takeaway and WNYC’s Brian Lehrer show.
• Legendary writer Elizabeth Drew, writing on the 2012 election for The New York Review of Books, said the Brennan Center has done “comprehensive work in the field of protecting citizens’ rights.”
• Michael Waldman, former chief speechwriter for President Bill Clinton, provided commentary before and after Obama’s State of the Union Address. Watch him on CNN and MSNBC, listen to The Takeaway, and read The Root.
• On the second anniversary, read Mimi Marziani’s op-ed in The National Law Journal on the growing backlash against Citizens United.
• Ahead of last week’s Senate hearing on Florida’s new election law, Jonathan Brater urged the state to modernize its voter registration system.
• Liza Goitein spoke about transparency and the Republican presidential candidates.
• Sundeep Iyer co-wrote an op-ed with Hazel Dukes, president of the NAACP New York State Conference of Branches, on making sure every vote counts in the 2012 election.
• The Richmond Times-Dispatch cited the Brennan Center’s research in an op-ed opposing the state’s proposed voter ID law. NPR also reported on laws that will make it harder to vote in 2012.
• Myrna Pérez spoke to Mother Jones about bilingual ballots.
• Adam Skaggs commented on the agreement in Massachusetts by Elizabeth Warren and Scott Brown on Super PAC spending.