Latest Voting rights News
Nebraska lawmakers pass a bill to restore voting rights to newly released felons
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers passed a bill Thursday to restore the voting rights of those convicted of felonies upon the completion of their sentences, including prison and parole time. The bill, introduced for years by Omaha state Sen. Justin Wayne, passed by a wide...
Tennessee bill to untangle gun and voting rights restoration is killed for the year
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee lawmakers have killed a bipartisan bill for the year that would have let residents convicted of felonies apply to vote again without also restoring their gun rights. Democratic Rep. Antonio Parkinson and Republican Sen. Paul Bailey advanced the...
Editorial Roundup: Minnesota
Minneapolis Star Tribune. April 4, 2024. Editorial: No hostility to voting in Minnesota, please Legislature should pass Voting Rights Act to counteract efforts to suppress participation. Minnesota is known for its relatively high voter participation...
Tennessee bill untangling gun and voting rights restoration advances, but faces uncertain odds
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee residents convicted of felonies can apply to vote again without restoring their gun rights under a bipartisan bill that faces some GOP skepticism as it advances late this session. The effort by Democratic Rep. Antonio Parkinson and Republican Sen....
States move to shore up voting rights protections after courts erode federal safeguards
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — An appeals court ruling that weakened a key part of the Voting Rights Act is spurring lawmakers in several states to enact state-level protections to plug gaps that the ruling opened in the landmark federal law aimed at prohibiting racial discrimination in voting. ...
Editorial Roundup: Mississippi
Greenwood Commonwealth. March 5, 2024. Editorial: House Weighs Fix To Felon Voting Ban Mississippi’s lifetime ban on most — but not all — felons is being challenged in the courts and at the state Capitol. This is something the Legislature can fix,...
Kamala Harris leads Bloody Sunday memorial as marchers' voices ring out for voting rights
SELMA, Ala. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris told thousands gathered for the 59th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday attacks on civil rights marchers in Selma, Alabama, that fundamental freedoms, including the right to vote, are under attack in America even today. Harris joined...
Democratic lawmakers ask Justice Department to probe Tennessee's voting rights restoration changes
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A group of Democratic Tennessee lawmakers is asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate how the state has further restricted the process for people with felony records to get their voting rights back. According to the letter, 22 Democratic...
Vice President Harris to mark 'Bloody Sunday' anniversary in Selma
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Selma, Alabama, on Sunday to commemorate the 59th anniversary of a landmark civil rights moment. Harris will speak as part of the annual remembrance of “Bloody Sunday,” on the bridge where, on March 7, 1965, white...
EU welcomes Polish plan to address concerns about democratic backsliding
BRUSSELS (AP) — Senior European Union officials on Tuesday welcomed a plan by Poland’s new government to address concerns about democratic backsliding and expressed hope that it could end years of legal wrangling. Poland has been at loggerheads with the EU's executive branch...
