Latest Voting rights News
Mississippi should restore the voting rights of former felons, Democratic candidates say
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi should stop defending a Jim Crow-era portion of its state constitution that permanently strips voting rights from people convicted of certain felonies, the Democratic nominees for two statewide offices said Thursday. Greta Kemp Martin faces...
DeSantis' redistricting map in Florida is unconstitutional and must be redrawn, judge says
A Florida redistricting plan pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis violates the state constitution and is prohibited from being used for any future U.S. congressional elections since it diminishes the ability of Black voters in north Florida to pick a representative of their choice, a state judge...
Thousands converge on National Mall to mark the March on Washington’s 60th anniversary
WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands converged Saturday on the National Mall for the 60th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington, saying a country that remains riven by racial inequality has yet to fulfill his dream. “We have made progress, over the last 60...
Houstonians worry new laws will deter voters who don't recall the hard-won fight for voting rights
HOUSTON (AP) — Sylvia Ann Miller-Scarborough remembers when people of color had to pay a poll tax to vote in Houston. She recalls her grandmother, undeterred by such obstacles, reminding her how important it was to be heard at the ballot box. Miller-Scarborough worries that much of...
Mississippi seeks new court hearing to revive its permanent stripping of some felons' voting rights
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A court ruling striking down Mississippi's practice of permanently stripping voting rights from people convicted of certain felonies should be reconsidered and reversed, the state said Friday as it asked for new hearing by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. ...
Alabama Democratic Party infighting case should be dismissed, national party tells judges
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Democratic National Committee asked a federal appeals court on Thursday to dismiss a case centered on Alabama party infighting that could test the requirements of the Voting Rights Act. The DNC argued that the lawsuit, which challenged 2019 bylaws...
Deal over Florida's redistricting plan could lead to restoration of Black-dominant district
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Voting rights groups that sued state officials over a Florida redistricting plan championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis have agreed to narrow the scope of the lawsuit to a single congressional seat that was redrawn and diminished Black voting power in north Florida. ...
Court blocks Mississippi ban on voting after some crimes, but GOP official will appeal ruling
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi is violating the U.S. Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment by permanently stripping voting rights from people convicted of some felonies, a federal appeals court panel ruled in a split decision Friday. Two judges on the 5th U.S....
Plaintiffs in voting rights case urge judges to toss Alabama's new congressional map
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Voting rights activists are returning to court to fight Alabama's redrawn congressional districts, saying state Republicans failed to follow federal court orders to create a district that is fair to Black voters. Plaintiffs in the high-profile redistricting...
Tennessee now requires court order or proof of pardon to restore felon voting rights
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee has begun requiring felons who want their voting rights back to first get their full citizenship rights restored by a judge or show they were pardoned. Election officials say the step is required after a June court ruling. But attorneys...
