Vol. 45, No. 1: Voting Rights

Featured

Civil Rights & Constitution

Voter Registration in Today's Democracy: Barriers and Opportunities

by Terry Ao Minnis and Niyati Shah

Minnis and Shah explore the barriers and opportunities of voter registration in today’s democracy and what needs to be considered when seeking to modernize the voter registration system.

Civil Rights & Constitution

"Use It or Lose It": The Problem of Purges from the Registration Rolls of Voters Who Don't Vote Regularly

by Paul M. Smith

Deleting registrants from voting rolls because they have not voted in several elections or because they have not confirmed their address has resulted in hundreds of thousands not being able to vote when they go to cast their ballot.

Election

Looking at the Nineteenth Amendment through a Twenty-First Century Lens

by Elizabeth M. Yang

As we near the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, granting suffrage to women, Yang examines through a modern lens whether or not the amendment has been successful in fulfilling its promise of equal rights for women in our political process.

Civil Rights & Constitution

Fines, Fees, and the Right to Vote

by Malia Brink

In several states, a current form of poll tax persists, banning people who have failed to pay fines from voting. This form of voter suppression is ultimately discriminatory, as it disproportionately harms people of color.

Civil Rights & Constitution

How the Native American Vote Continues to be Suppressed

by Patty Ferguson-Bohnee

Many Native Americans living on reservations continue to be excluded from the democratic process of voting because they cannot provide a residential address and may have a form of ID not compliant with voting laws.

Civil Rights & Constitution

Improving Voter Turnout: A Candidate's Perspective

by Bobbi M. Bittker

Getting a first-hand look at the voting process as a candidate running for Town Council, Bittker highlights some of the ways our voting system is broken.

Election

Following the Blueprint: How a New Generation of Segregationists is Advancing Racial Gerrymandering

by Nancy G. Abudu

Despite the success of the Voting Rights Act as a piece of civil rights legislation, redistricting and gerrymandering perpetuate segregation and threaten minority voices from being heard. The annexation in Louisiana post-Katrina is a prime example.

Election

Ballot Measure Inaccessibility: Obscuring Voter Representation

by Rachel Hvasta

Confusing and often intentionally misleading ballot measures continue to act as a barrier to true voter representation.

Civil Rights & Constitution

How to Help Protect Our Elections and Get Out the Vote

by Claire L. Parins

Voter suppression is an issue that undermines democracy. As the 2020 elections near, there are four areas of particular concern that have emerged: voting registration list purges; polling place changes; old and defective voting machines that do not record votes; and challenges for vulnerable communities, including students from out of state, lower-income communities, and communities where English is a second language.

Civil Rights & Constitution

Human Rights Hero: Olivia Coley Pearson

by Sara Totonchi

For assisting a first-time voter, Olivia Coley Pearson was charged with multiple felonies. Though the charges were eventually dropped, this was another clear attempt to intimidate minority voters in a state where voter suppression takes many forms.

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Vol. 45, No. 1: Voting Rights

Voting Matters

Featured

Voter Registration in Today's Democracy: Barriers and Opportunities

"Use It or Lose It": The Problem of Purges from the Registration Rolls of Voters Who Don't Vote Regularly

Looking at the Nineteenth Amendment through a Twenty-First Century Lens

Fines, Fees, and the Right to Vote

How the Native American Vote Continues to be Suppressed

Improving Voter Turnout: A Candidate's Perspective

Following the Blueprint: How a New Generation of Segregationists is Advancing Racial Gerrymandering

Ballot Measure Inaccessibility: Obscuring Voter Representation

How to Help Protect Our Elections and Get Out the Vote

Human Rights Hero: Olivia Coley Pearson

ABA Resources

The ABA

Connect

Renew Your ABA Membership

American Bar Association TM American Bar Association

Vol. 45, No. 1: Voting Rights

Voting Matters

Featured

Voter Registration in Today's Democracy: Barriers and Opportunities

"Use It or Lose It": The Problem of Purges from the Registration Rolls of Voters Who Don't Vote Regularly

Looking at the Nineteenth Amendment through a Twenty-First Century Lens

Fines, Fees, and the Right to Vote

How the Native American Vote Continues to be Suppressed

Improving Voter Turnout: A Candidate's Perspective

Following the Blueprint: How a New Generation of Segregationists is Advancing Racial Gerrymandering

Ballot Measure Inaccessibility: Obscuring Voter Representation

How to Help Protect Our Elections and Get Out the Vote

Human Rights Hero: Olivia Coley Pearson

ABA Resources

The ABA

Connect