Latest Voting rights News
North Carolina Supreme Court hears felony voting rights case
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s newly seated Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday on whether people convicted of felonies — tens of thousands statewide — should be permitted to vote if they aren’t in prison but still are serving probation or parole or have yet to pay fines. ...
Ohio lawmakers miss cutoff to put 60% question on May ballot
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio state lawmakers missed their deadline Wednesday for getting a measure on May ballots that would make it harder to amend the state Constitution. No action was planned on the deadline Wednesday. The resolution was a priority for some members of the...
Organizers: Selma celebration to go on despite tornado
SELMA, Ala. (AP) — The annual Selma celebration that commemorates the fight for voting rights will go forward in March despite the tornado damage to the city, organizers said. “The Bridge Crossing Jubilee is needed every year. But in light of the massive devastation in Selma, it...
Venezuela, Lebanon, SSudan lose UN voting rights over dues
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Venezuela, Lebanon and South Sudan are in arrears on paying dues to the United Nations’ operating budget and are among six nations that have lost their voting rights in the 193-member General Assembly, the U.N. chief said in a letter circulated Thursday. ...
Mississippi bill filings: Medicaid, initiatives, elections
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi legislators had a light workload the first two weeks of their three-month session, but they are about to get busy debating proposals that could affect health care, voting rights and other issues. Monday was the deadline to file general bills. House...
In Alabama, tornadoes rattle historic civil rights community
Zakiya Sankara-Jabar’s cellphone buzzed relentlessly as a deadly storm system that spawned tornadoes throughout the U.S. South laid waste to relatives’ homes and churches across a part of Alabama known as the Black Belt. Text messages and calls from loved ones, many of them...
Biden welcomed back to Georgia after lying low in midterms
ATLANTA (AP) — During the 2022 midterm campaign, President Joe Biden steered clear of Georgia as Sen. Raphael Warnock, like many other battleground-state Democrats, tried to distance himself from the White House amid an inflationary economy and the president's lagging approval ratings. ...
Black Caucus pushes to revive initiatives, expand Medicaid
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus will push this year to revive an initiative process, ease the restoration of voting rights for former inmates, expand Medicaid, provide oversight for welfare spending and ensure that all parts of the state have access to high-speed...
EXPLAINER: How Supreme Court case could alter US House seats
Partisan gerrymandering is back before the U.S. Supreme Court in a case stemming from the latest attempt by North Carolina's Republican-led legislature to draw U.S. House districts favoring GOP candidates. The question justices will consider Wednesday is whether state courts can rely...
White House invites in state lawmakers before 2023 sessions
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is playing host to roughly 50 Democratic state lawmakers from 31 states this week as legislatures prepare for their upcoming sessions, aiming to talk over strategy on top issues like climate change, gun violence, abortion rights and voting rights. ...
