Home : Voting Rights

De Facto Disenfranchisement - Introduction (10/01/2008)

Voting With A Criminal Record - Executive Summary (10/01/2008)
The right to vote is the cornerstone of American democracy. For many Americans, the primary source of information about voter eligibility is the voter registration form. Consequently, the availability of clear, accurate registration forms is critical to ensuring this fundamental right.

Voting With A Criminal Record - Appendix: Voter Registration Forms (10/01/2008)

ACLU Voting Rights Project Litigation (09/29/2008)
Below is an overview of the ACLU Voting Rights Project's recent litigation designed to protect the rights of voters in this election cycle and beyond. Established in 1965, the Voting Rights Project has worked to protect the gains in political participation since passage of the historic Voting Rights Act (VRA) that same year. Since its inception, the Voting Rights Project has aggressively and successfully challenged efforts that dilute minority voting strength or obstruct the ability of minority communities to elect candidates of their choice. The Project has filed more than 300 lawsuits to enforce the provisions of the VRA and the U.S. Constitution.

South Carolina County Election Board Survey on Felony & Misdemeanor Disfranchisement (09/17/2008)
The ACLU conducted a survey in the summer of 2008 of county election officials in all 46 South Carolina counties. The survey was conducted to ascertain the knowledge of elections officials about registering to vote with a criminal conviction in South Carolina.

About the Voting Rights Project (07/16/2008)

Letter to Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel Regarding the Felon Disfranchisement of 700 Georgians (04/14/2008)

Department of Justice Letter to Charles Mix County Commission (02/11/2008)

Map of Felon Disfranchisement in Europe (09/06/2007)

Human Rights Strategies for Felon Enfranchisement Campaigns (06/25/2007)
The purpose of this memo is to briefly summarize the proceedings of the April 17-18, 2007 workshop held in Miami, Florida, "Breaking Barriers to the Ballot: Human Rights and Felon Enfranchisement," geared towards educating U.S. social justice advocates on the use of human rights standards and comparative law on felon disfranchisement, and how these can be used to bolster (not replace) their efforts to end regressive practices in their respective states.