This Week in the Fight to Vote • November 29 – December 6

By Chris deLaubenfels, Director of Policy and Communications, Let America Vote

North Carolina still gerrymandered

A three-judge panel in North Carolina ruled that a congressional district map drawn recently drawn by lawmakers will stand for 2020. This came after North Carolina’s former congressional map was thrown out for being an extreme partisan gerrymander. While the new congressional map is less gerrymandered than the former map, it still gives Republicans a 8-5 seat advantage. This decision, while an improvement, has been deemed a win for gerrymandering.

Fight to restore voting rights in Mississippi

This week, an appeals court heard oral arguments in a lawsuit challenging Mississippi’s law disenfranchising individuals impacted by the justice system. The challenge is brought on behalf of Mississippians who have had their right to vote permanently taken away for being convicted of 10 specific felonies. The plaintiffs argue that the law permanently banning people from voting is cruel and unusual punishment and is an equal protection violation. We need to fight back against felony disenfranchisement across the country! 

New Hampshire allowed to suppress the youth vote

Last week, a federal judge denied a motion that would have blocked a New Hampshire voting law that will suppress student voters from going into effect before the 2020 presidential primary. The new law requires voters to to obtain a licence and pay to register their vehicle in order to vote. This is a poll tax to suppress the vote of college students.

Federal judge calls out Florida’s attempt to keep eligible voters from voting

A federal judge in Florida benchslapped lawyers representing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis for attempting to “run out the clock” to keep eligible Florida voters from voting. After Floridians overwhelmingly voted to restore voting rights to individuals with felony records in 2018, Florida Republicans passed a law requiring individuals to pay a poll tax to restore their right to vote. No person’s right to vote should be dependent on their ability to pay.

Good news in voting rights

Proposed bipartisan legislation may bring automatic voter registration to Ohio. 

A new Wisconsin voting law will help make voting more accessible to voters with disabilities.

U.S. House Democrats are set to vote on a bill to restore the Voting Rights Act. This is great news. Voter suppression has been rampant since the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder.

This week’s must read

Check out A Graphic Guide to the 2020 US Census for a comic book look into the importance of next year’s census