American Civil Liberties Union

The ACLU's Voting Rights Project has worked to protect the gains in political participation won by racial and language minorities since the 1965 passage of the Voting Rights Act.


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Voting Rights : General : Press Releases view all

MCLU Working Hard to Protect Mainers' Right to Vote (10/30/2008)
PORTLAND – The Maine Civil Liberties Union Foundation today announced it would have legal help available for Maine residents who may face challenges at the polls on Election Day, Nov. 4.

Appeals Court Orders Michigan To Restore 5,500 Voters To Rolls (10/30/2008)
CINCINNATI – A federal appeals court late Wednesday cleared the way for 5,500 illegally purged voters to be returned to the rolls in time for Election Day. The U.S. Appeals Court for the Sixth Circuit rejected Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land's request not to enforce an earlier court ruling that declared the state's voter removal programs illegal. The appeals court decision is the latest victory in a lawsuit filed in September by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Michigan, Advancement Project and the law firm of Pepper Hamilton LLP.

Free Speech Groups to Challenge Ban on Political Attire at Polls (10/29/2008)
Richmond, VA - Three Virginia-based free speech organizations today announced plans to mount a legal challenge to a controversial new State Board of Elections policy prohibiting the wearing of buttons, t-shirts and other apparel with political messages in polling places.

ACLU Urges Attorney General To Reject White House Challenge Of 200,000 Registered Voters In Ohio (10/28/2008)
WASHINGTON – In a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey today, the American Civil Liberties Union demanded the Department of Justice (DOJ) reject a White House request to challenge 200,000 registered voters in Ohio. The White House's request came days after the U.S. Supreme Court denied an attempt by Ohio Republicans to challenge voters with discrepancies between the information on their registration forms and other government databases. There is considerable evidence showing these databases are fraught with errors that could lead to the wrongful disfranchisement of thousands of lawful voters.

ACLU Launches Voter Empowerment Program (10/28/2008)
ATLANTA – The American Civil Liberties Union proudly launched its voter empowerment program today. As part of this effort, the ACLU will distribute 480,000 cards in 32 states that inform voters of their rights on Election Day and how to avoid problems when casting a ballot.

Voting Rights : General : Publications view all

The Case for Extending and Amending the Voting Rights Act - Table of Contents (03/07/2006)
Table of Contents of the ACLU report outlining the continued need for the Voting Rights Act. Documents ACLU cases brought in 31 states to protect the right to vote and challenge discrimination in voting.

ACLU Calls on Congress to Renew and Restore Voting Rights Act, Says Move Would be Fitting Tribute to Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (01/13/2006)
WASHINGTON -- "Few Americans have done more to transform the civil rights in this country than the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.; he remains one of the greatest leaders of the American civil rights movement. His leadership and campaign of non-violence in the struggle for equality led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Voting While Incarcerated: A Tool Kit for Advocates Seeking to Register, and Facilitate Voting by, Eligible People in Jail (10/04/2005)
This toolkit profiles efforts to register and make voting possible by eligible people in California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., jails. It lists the various models that may be used to register such people and to make it possible for them to vote from these facilities. There is also a list of issues to address with local jail and elections officials as well as specific strategies for success. Attached are sample materials to encourage and explain voting from jail, and resources including the law and voter registration contacts and deadlines for each state.

Voting Rights Act Brochure (03/04/2005)

Voting Rights in the South, 1982 (12/29/2004)
Published in January 1982, this 132-page special report documents the ACLU's efforts to enforce the 1965 Federal Voting Rights Act and assesses the continued discrimination against minority voters throughout the South.

Voting Rights : General : Legal Documents view all

United States Student Association Foundation v. Land - Opinion of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals (10/29/2008)

ACLU Letter to Attorney General Mukasey (10/28/2008)
In a letter to Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey, the American Civil Liberties Union urges the Department of Justice (DOJ) to reject a White House request to challenge 200,000 registered voters in Ohio.

Brunner v. Ohio Republican Party, et al. - Amicus Brief (10/17/2008)

United States Student Association Foundation v. Land - Order (10/13/2008)

Myles, et al. v. Brunner - Amicus Brief (10/02/2008)

Voting Rights : General : Legislative Documents view all

Letter to Attorny General Mukasey on 2008 Election Protection (10/17/2008)
On behalf of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), we, the undersigned groups, are writing to highlight urgent priorities for the upcoming November 2008 general election. We appreciate your statement at the September 8, 2008 meeting with voting rights groups held at the Department of Justice committing to make election protection your highest priority. We urge the Department of Justice to follow through publicly, in a widely distributed public letter and/or statement, on those assurances regarding actions the Department will take in advance of the upcoming election. We believe such a letter and/or statement by DOJ will help ensure that rights of all voters, including minority voters, to participate in the election free of intimidation or harassment will be protected.

ACLU Applauds Joint House Hearing on DOJ Role in 2008 Election (09/23/2008)
On behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and its hundreds of thousands of members, activists and fifty-four affiliates nationwide, we applaud the Judiciary and House Administration Committees for holding this oversight hearing of the Department of Justice (DOJ), Civil Rights Division’s preparation for the 2008 general election. We welcome this opportunity to submit these comments regarding the appropriate role of DOJ in the upcoming November 2008 elections.

ACLU Applauds Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on DOJ Role in 2008 Elections (09/09/2008)
On behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and its hundreds of thousands of members, activists and fifty-three affiliates nationwide, we applaud the Judiciary Committee for holding this oversight hearing of the Department of Justice (DOJ), Civil Rights Division’s preparation for the 2008 general election. We welcome this opportunity to submit these comments regarding the appropriate role of DOJ in the upcoming November 2008 elections.

ACLU Letter to Committee on House Administration Leadership on the Universal Right to Vote by Mail Act of 2007 (04/01/2008)

ACLU Testimony for Senate Rules and Administration Committee on Disfranchisement Resulting From Myths About In-Person Voter Fraud (03/11/2008)
On behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and its hundreds of thousands of members, activists, and fifty-three affiliates nationwide, we commend the Committee for examining how the myth of in-person voter fraud is being used to disfranchise American citizens. We wish to submit this letter as written testimony for the Committee hearing record on March 12, 2008.

Voting Rights : General : Resources view all

Voting Rights Project - 2008 Election Monitoring (11/20/2008)
For the 2008 Presidential Election year, the ACLU Voting Rights Project expanded its outreach program of assisting voters with election-related problems and questions.

ACLU Letter to Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney's Office (10/21/2008)
The American Civil Liberties Union and other voting rights groups sent this letter to Hamilton County Special Prosecutor Michael O’Neill urging him to suspend investigations of voters where there is no specific, credible evidence of fraud.

ACLU Voting Rights Project Litigation (09/29/2008)
An overview of the ACLU Voting Rights Project's recent litigation designed to protect the rights of voters in this election cycle and beyond.

The Case for Extending and Amending the Voting Rights Act - Introduction and Summary (03/06/2006)
Voting Rights Litigation 1982-2006: A Report of the Voting Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union

Voting Rights Act Timeline (03/04/2005)

Voting Rights : General : Court Cases

Project Vote, et al. v. Madison County Board of Elections, et al. (09/24/2008)
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Ohio filed a federal lawsuit challenging an Ohio county that is denying absentee ballots to newly registered voters in violation of directives sent by Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on behalf of the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, 1Matters, Project Vote and two individual voters.

United States Student Association Foundation et al. v. Land et al. (09/17/2008)
Advancement Project, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Michigan and the law firm of Pepper Hamilton LLP filed a federal lawsuit challenging two statewide voter purge programs that could potentially disfranchise hundreds of thousands of Michigan voters in advance of the November 2008 presidential election. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Detroit against Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, Michigan Bureau of Elections Director Christopher M. Thomas, and Ypsilanti Clerk Frances McMullen.

Voting Rights : General : Press Releases view all

MCLU Working Hard to Protect Mainers' Right to Vote (10/30/2008)
PORTLAND – The Maine Civil Liberties Union Foundation today announced it would have legal help available for Maine residents who may face challenges at the polls on Election Day, Nov. 4.

Appeals Court Orders Michigan To Restore 5,500 Voters To Rolls (10/30/2008)
CINCINNATI – A federal appeals court late Wednesday cleared the way for 5,500 illegally purged voters to be returned to the rolls in time for Election Day. The U.S. Appeals Court for the Sixth Circuit rejected Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land's request not to enforce an earlier court ruling that declared the state's voter removal programs illegal. The appeals court decision is the latest victory in a lawsuit filed in September by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Michigan, Advancement Project and the law firm of Pepper Hamilton LLP.

Free Speech Groups to Challenge Ban on Political Attire at Polls (10/29/2008)
Richmond, VA - Three Virginia-based free speech organizations today announced plans to mount a legal challenge to a controversial new State Board of Elections policy prohibiting the wearing of buttons, t-shirts and other apparel with political messages in polling places.

ACLU Urges Attorney General To Reject White House Challenge Of 200,000 Registered Voters In Ohio (10/28/2008)
WASHINGTON – In a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey today, the American Civil Liberties Union demanded the Department of Justice (DOJ) reject a White House request to challenge 200,000 registered voters in Ohio. The White House's request came days after the U.S. Supreme Court denied an attempt by Ohio Republicans to challenge voters with discrepancies between the information on their registration forms and other government databases. There is considerable evidence showing these databases are fraught with errors that could lead to the wrongful disfranchisement of thousands of lawful voters.

ACLU Launches Voter Empowerment Program (10/28/2008)
ATLANTA – The American Civil Liberties Union proudly launched its voter empowerment program today. As part of this effort, the ACLU will distribute 480,000 cards in 32 states that inform voters of their rights on Election Day and how to avoid problems when casting a ballot.

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