Voting Rights

Watchdog data shared with Guardian shows contributions to Republican Attorneys General Association and othersOver a dozen US companies that signed a 2021 letter urging Congress to strengthen the Voting Rights Act continue to contribute to state political groups that are actively working to undermine the legislation, according to a campaign finance watchdog.Researchers at the Center for Political Accountability (CPA), a nonpartisan organization that tracks financial disclosures, found that companies – including Airbnb, DoorDash, Target and Zillow – that signed the letter are contributing to groups known as 527 organizations that prop up key state races, according to data provided exclusively to the Guardian. Continue reading...

• North Carolina Democrats are warning that voting rights are under threat on the 61st anniversary of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. • Republican lawmakers are pushing a bill to reduce the 17-day early voting period, arguing that low primary turnout makes the current staffing requirements unnecessary. • Governor Josh Stein announced on Wednesday that he plans to veto the legislation, which previously included proposals requiring photo identification for military and overseas mail-in ballots.

• The Voting Rights Act marks its 61st anniversary amid ongoing legal and legislative battles over ballot access and voter protections. • Advocates warn that recent court rulings and new state laws are actively weakening protections specifically designed for Black voters. • Despite these challenges, election advocates report a surge in Black voter participation across several Southern primaries.

• A recent election policy roundup highlights concerns over China's collection of U.S. voter data, which some states claim occurred without notification from federal authorities. • The report also covers legal developments in Louisiana v. Callais, the FBI's investigation into the 2020 Georgia presidential election, and the prevalence of uncompetitive House races. • These events underscore ongoing vulnerabilities in election security and the complexities of redistricting battles, such as those currently unfolding in Maryland.

Rev Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III to lead August march after court rulings weakened voting rightsA coalition of civil rights leaders have announced plans to march on Washington in defense of voting rights following a string of federal and supreme court rulings that have weakened protections against racial discrimination in US elections.Reverend Al Sharpton’s National Action Network is leading the 28 August action, joined by Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters ​King, and several civil rights groups. The “March on Washington 2026: Defend the ​Vote” will take place on the 63rd anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s I Have a ​Dream speech. Continue reading...

• In the case of *Callais*, the Supreme Court has effectively gutted the remaining protections of the Voting Rights Act. • The Act previously combated racial discrimination by banning literacy tests and requiring states with histories of racial bias to obtain federal approval before altering electoral rules. • This decision is significant because it removes critical safeguards that historically enabled millions of Black citizens to register and vote.

• The article examines 250 years of American voting rights, tracing the evolution from Vermont's early broad franchise to contemporary legal disputes. • It highlights how voting access has historically moved unevenly across different states, shaped by shifting laws regarding representation and redistricting. • This historical perspective matters as it underscores the ongoing tension between expanding democratic participation and implementing restrictive election laws.

• The U.S. Supreme Court is set to begin its October term, featuring a slate of high-profile cases concerning gun rights, LGBT issues, and voting rights. • The court currently maintains a 6-3 conservative majority, which has consistently shifted American legal interpretations toward right-wing perspectives over the last decade. • Recent rulings highlight this trend, as the court has largely supported Donald Trump's immigration crackdowns, despite rejecting his efforts to limit birthright citizenship.

• The U.S. has experienced 250 years of cyclical voting rights history characterized by periods of expansion followed by rollbacks and uneven access to power. • This historical pattern provides critical context for current state redistricting battles that are actively shaping the landscape for the 2026 midterm elections. • The analysis challenges the narrative that voting rights have been a steady march toward inclusion, arguing instead that progress is often fragile and reversible.

• The Supreme Court concluded a term marked by ideological splits, delivering a mix of significant wins and losses for the Trump administration. • In the landmark case Trump v. Slaughter, the court ruled 6-3 that the president has the authority to fire members of independent agencies, such as the Federal Trade Commission, without cause. • This decision overturns the 91-year-old precedent established by Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, significantly expanding presidential power over the federal bureaucracy.

• Postmaster General David Steiner announced that the U.S. Postal Service will cease delivering mail ballots in states that refuse to provide necessary voter data. • The decision has sparked immediate alarm among Democrats and voting rights advocates who fear the move could disenfranchise voters and undermine election integrity. • This policy shift highlights a growing conflict between federal postal operations and state-level data privacy or administrative regulations.

• Descendants of civil rights activists, including Cassie Schwerner of the Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility, are warning that the U.S. is regressing in its commitment to voting rights. • The concern centers on the erosion of protections for voters, specifically citing a 2013 Supreme Court decision that removed the requirement for certain jurisdictions to seek Department of Justice approval before changing voting laws. • This shift is viewed as a betrayal of the sacrifices made by those who died fighting for the landmark Voting Rights Act as the nation nears its 250th anniversary.

• Survivors of activists who died fighting for voting rights are warning that the U.S. is regressing as the nation nears its 250th anniversary. • The concerns center on the erosion of the Voting Rights Act, a landmark law enacted six decades ago to protect minority voters. • A critical turning point was the 2013 Supreme Court decision that removed the requirement for jurisdictions with discriminatory histories to seek Department of Justice approval before changing voting rules.

• The United States is reflecting on the evolution of voting rights as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary. • Current political debates center on the implementation of voter identification and proof-of-citizenship requirements to prevent election fraud. • Former President Donald Trump has urged Congress to establish these specific requirements on a nationwide scale to protect election integrity.

Lawmakers cite rushed timeline and public input despite pressure to redraw districts after supreme court opinionGeorgia Republicans declined to redraw the state’s congressional map during a special session, citing a rushed timeline and incomplete understanding of the ramifications of a recent US supreme court decision that effectively gutted a major section of the Voting Rights Act.“We believe that it’s important to do things the Georgia way, responsibly, transparently, and with ample opportunity for public input,” said Jon Burns, the Georgia house speaker. Continue reading...

• A new survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research reveals that Americans remain deeply divided yet anxious regarding the future of voting, free speech, and gun rights. • Despite political polarization, the data underscores a broad, deep-seated consensus among citizens on the fundamental importance of protecting personal freedoms. • The findings highlight significant societal tension as the U.S. navigates conflicting views on how to balance individual liberties with public safety and democratic integrity.

With election denialists installed in key positions, officials using series of measures to change voting rulesThe Trump administration is waging war on voting rights using justice department lawsuits, FBI investigations, and an executive order to limit voting by mail, moves mirroring the US president’s false claims he lost the 2020 election due to voting fraud, say election experts and ex-officials.Since Donald Trump began his second term, numerous 2020 election denialists have been installed in key agencies such as the DoJ, the FBI and elsewhere to pursue widely discredited claims of fraud, which can intimidate election workers and voters in swing states that Trump lost to Joe Biden in 2020. Continue reading...

Agents seized phones and laptops of Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a group that does voter registration workThe FBI raided the office of a voting rights group in Ohio on Thursday, prompting immediate concerns the Trump administration is cracking down on such organizations ahead of the midterm elections.FBI agents raided the Cleveland office of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a grassroots group that does voter registration work, said Prentiss Haney, a board member of the group. Agents seized computers and phones, he said, and also showed up at homes of people affiliated with the group throughout the state and interviewed them. Continue reading...

Guardian reporters Fabiola Cineas and Adria Walker held a Reddit Q&A about Louisiana v Callais – here’s a rundownIn April, the supreme court’s decision in Louisiana v Callais struck a massive blow to the Voting Rights Act, eliminating a key provision that gave minority voters representation in Congress.Within days of the decision, Republican-led states in the south moved to redraw congressional maps to erase majority-Black districts. Some of those maps have already gone into effect ahead of the midterms. Continue reading...

• On May 27, the Supreme Court upheld the Election Commission of India’s authority to conduct Special Intensive Revisions of electoral rolls to ensure voter list accuracy. • The ruling reinforces that citizenship is the fundamental basis for voting rights, aiming to prevent non-citizens and illegal immigrants from participating in elections. • This decision is significant as it validates the Commission's power to remove ineligible names, thereby tackling illegal immigration through administrative scrutiny.

Demonstration, held at historic location where the ‘Mississippi Plan’ was enacted, comes as southern states race to dilute Black voting powerThousands of Mississippians, along with allies from other southern states, gathered at the state’s War Memorial Building auditorium on Wednesday in support of voting rights. It was the latest in a series of actions protesting the supreme court’s recent decision gutting the provision of the Voting Rights Act preventing racial discrimination, and held on a site integral to the state’s history of Black disenfranchisement.Section 2 “stopped states, counties, cities, from passing redistricting maps that discriminate against Black voters and it led to the biggest growth of Black political power since Reconstruction”, said Amir Badat, the southern states director at the voting rights group Fair Fight Action. Continue reading...

Top House Democrat calls out SEC schools for silenceCampaign comes as states move to redraw voter mapsHakeem Jeffries, the top US House Democrat, has amplified calls for Black athletes to boycott public universities in states that have moved to limit voting rights, saying an “unprecedented moment, featuring an unprecedented attack on Black political representation” requires an “unprecedented response”.Jeffries’s comments came Tuesday as the NAACP launched its “Out of Bounds” campaign. The campaign targets universities in eight states – Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Georgia – whose athletic programs generate more than $100m in revenue. Those eight states have moved to draw new voter maps after the supreme court’s Louisiana v Callais decision severely weakened the Voting Rights Act. Continue reading...

Eight southern states have moved to draw new maps after Callais decision, severely weakening the Voting Rights ActThe NAACP on Tuesday launched a campaign urging Black athletes, their families, alumni and fans to boycott athletic programs of public universities in states that “have moved to limit, weaken or erase Black voting representation”.In the announcement of the “Out of Bounds” campaign, the civil rights giant name-checked eight states – Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Georgia – whose flagship public athletic programs generate more than $100m in annual revenue. Each of those states has moved to draw new maps to limit Black voting representation, following the supreme court’s Louisiana v Callais decision severely weakening the Voting Rights Act. Continue reading...

The US supreme court demolished the 1965 Voting Rights Act when it ruled in Louisiana v Callais in April that states can’t consider race in redistricting. Southern states from Tennessee to Alabama have rushed to erase majority Black districts, sparking chaos for the midterm elections. Kai Wright talks with Stacey Abrams, voting rights activist and former Georgia house minority leader, about the fallout from the decision and why she thinks the way forward is still through engaging more voters to participate in democracy: ‘They have fractured communities and said we’re going to scatter these seeds. Our job is to grow.’ Continue reading...

People came to Montgomery by bus, car and plane to march on the state capitol with local and national leaders Thousands of people from across the country descended on Montgomery, the capital of Alabama, on Saturday. They arrived by bus, by car and by plane to gather for the All Roads Lead to the South rally, following the supreme court’s Louisiana v Callais decision last month, which essentially gutted the Voting Rights Act and severely limited protections against voting discrimination.Organized by a coalition of national and local civic engagement groups, the rally took place outside the Alabama state capitol building, in the same plaza where the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches – three nonviolent demonstrations in support of Black voting rights – are enshrined. Continue reading...

The US supreme court dealt a devastating blow to the 1965 Voting Rights Act when it ruled in Louisiana v Callais in April that states cannot consider race in redistricting. Southern states from Tennessee to Alabama have rushed to erase majority-Black districts, sparking chaos for the midterm elections. Kai Wright talks to Stacey Abrams, a voting rights activist and former Georgia house minority leader, about the fallout from the decision, and why, despite it all, she still believes the way forward lies in engaging more voters to participate in democracy. ‘They have fractured communities and said we’re going to scatter these seeds. Our job is to grow,’ she saysSupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...

Mississippi politicians are threatening to redraw the district of Bennie Thompson, the state’s lone Democrat in CongressThe supreme court decision that effectively gutted the Voting Rights Act (VRA) “was red meat to the Republican legislators of the south” the US House representative Bennie Thompson said.Conservative lawmakers in Mississippi, where Thompson is both the state’s lone Black and only Democratic congressional representative, have used the opportunity to explicitly target him, threatening to redraw the second congressional district, that he represents. Continue reading...

Organizers, including Selma foot soliders, say ruling is latest chapter in long battle over Black disenfranchisement in USThe supreme court’s recent decision to gut the Voting Rights Act is an affront to everyone who marched, bled and died to make that law possible, civil rights activists said.“When we look at the supreme court’s action against the Voting Rights Act, it’s really a kneecap – a way to discriminate, to silence voters who fought so hard for this right,” said Sheyann Webb-Christburg, who, at eight years old, marched with civil rights leaders in Selma, Alabama, in 1965. Continue reading...