Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne filed a lawsuit on Thursday challenging provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, a law passed under historic circumstances as part of an effort to combat institutionalized discrimination against racial minorities.
The American Civil Liberties Union and Project Vote announced today that they are intervening in Florida’s effort to win federal approval for its controversial changes to state election laws. #
This report is part of collaboration with WNYC’s “It’s a Free Country” to cover the 25 most captivating congressional races from around the country.
During a July redistricting hearing in Jacksonville, Fla., Democratic Rep. Corrine Brown called her district the “most popular” one in the country. Because of More…
Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning announced Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Justice granted “pre-clearance” to 76 provisions of Florida’s controversial new elections law. A federal court will rule on the remaining four provisions, which the State Department recently withdrew from Justice Department consideration. #
In a court brief filed Wednesday, the Texas attorney general’s office raised states’ rights concerns about a Voting Rights Act provision guaranteeing minority representation in congressional districts.
A suit filed last week by state Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Fort Worth) is just one of many in federal courts around Texas now alleging the Texas Legislature’s new map for U.S. Congress seats under-represents the growth in Texas’ minority populations.
In the Houston Chronicle, Veasey complained that “statewide, 90 percent More…
In addition to Georgia, Indiana is the state brought up frequently in discussions about Texas’ impending voter photo ID law. While Georgia’s Secretary of State calculates the cost of implementing photo ID at about $1.6 million, as the Texas Independent previously reported, Indiana has not broken out financial statistics More…
When the question arises of whether Texas’ imminent voter ID law will pass U.S. Department of Justice muster, GOP lawmakers routinely point to the existing law in Georgia, which, like Texas, is subject to federal scrutiny under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. If the Peach State’s experience is More…
Voter photo identification proposals in 32 states, including Texas, are the product of a coordinated effort by conservatives to reduce polling place turnout by minority groups, who turned out in unprecedented numbers during the 2008 presidential election, a progressive civil rights organization alleges in a new report.
Proponents of More…
While the new-look Texas Legislature has grabbed the spotlight with an unprecedented attack on state spending, taking place behind the scenes and on smaller stages is a familiar struggle over redistricting.
Politico reported Monday on a conflict between U.S. Reps. Lamar Smith (R-San Antonio) and Joe Barton (R-Ennis) over how More…
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