Tonight, the president spoke powerfully of the need to reform the way we run elections in America. His appointment of a new bipartisan commission is an important step. This should be a critical part of the larger mission of modernizing elections so every eligible citizen can vote and have that vote counted.

Following a presidential election marred by long lines and confusion at the polls, the Brennan Center for Justice highlighted a proposal today to modernize voter registration and bring America’s election system into the 21st century — just days after President Obama mentioned voting reform in his inaugural address.

The voting rights of thousands of Colorado citizens were protected today as a state district court judge blocked Secretary of State Scott Gessler’s controversial interpretation of Colorado’s mail ballot election law.

Following reports that Charles Webster, Chair of the Maine Republican Party, plans to use tactics that could harass and intimidate African-American voters, the ACLU of Maine and the Brennan Center for Justice today formally requested an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights division.