VRA Archives | American Democracy Minute

Anti-Voter States Line Up for Showdown on 1965 Voting Rights Act at the U.S. Supreme Court

November 18, 2024November 18, 2024

The 2020 redistricting cycle featured several examples of egregious, racist gerrymandering to dilute Black voting power in the South, but also Native American voters in the West. A 2022 Louisiana case is apparently the vehicle chosen by anti-voter states to strike down what’s left of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Federal Appeals Court Says a Galveston,Texas Coalition of Black and Latinx Voters Doesn’t Qualify as a Majority Minority Voting District

August 4, 2024August 4, 2024

Black & Latinx voters sued Galveston County, TX in 2022 over racially gerrymandered voting maps intended to dilute the power of minority voters. The lower court judge in the case called the maps “mean-spirited” and “egregious,” but an appeals court just blocked minority coalitions from bringing such challenges.

The SCOTUS Majority is Bent on Dismantling the Voting Rights Act. Lacking Federal Protection, Pro-Democracy States are Enacting State VRAs

June 26, 2024June 26, 2024

We reported recently on the impact of Shelby County v. Holder, the U.S. Supreme Court majority’s decision invalidating Section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Anticipating even more erosion of the VRA, some states have passed their own state VRAs.

Eleven Years After Shelby County v. Holder, Unfettered Anti-Voter Legislatures are Stripping Voting Rights at an Alarming Rate

June 25, 2024June 26, 2024

June 25th is the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s infamous Shelby County v. Holder decision. It stripped federal oversight of states with a history of discrimination from the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Since then, over 100 restrictive voting bills have been passed by state legislatures.

The Purcell Principle: A SCOTUS Decision Intended to Avoid Voter Confusion May Now Be a Stealth Voter Suppression Tactic

May 15, 2024May 15, 2024

You may have heard references to the “Purcell principle” in news reports. What started as a U.S. Supreme Court opinion to minimize confusion and disruption close to an election, may now be a partisan voter suppression tactic.