Following the 2016 election, the fight for voting rights remains as critical as ever. Politicians across the country continue to engage in voter suppression, efforts that include additional obstacles to registration, cutbacks on early voting, and strict voter identification requirements. Through litigation and advocacy, the ACLU is fighting back against attempts to curtail an essential right in our democracy, the right to vote.
In addition to litigation, we are advocating for policies that make it easier for everyone to vote, such as the expansion of same-day and online voter registration.
Recent voting rights events:
In June 2013, in a massive blow to civil rights and democracy, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the current coverage formula of the Voting Rights Act. The ACLU has been fighting this rollback of voting rights through both advocacy and litigation and is working to expand the right to vote for all Americans by challenging criminal disenfranchisement laws and expanding same-day and online voter registration.
On April 24, 2020, the Spirit Lake Nation and Standing Rock Sioux Tribe have filed a binding agreement with the state of North Dakota settling a longstanding fight over voting rights for Native Americans. Once approved by the court, the agreement will be enforceable by court order and will provide essential safeguards to protect Native Americans’ right to vote, easing the financial and logistical burdens that North Dakota’s voter ID law placed on tribes. Learn more here.
