Imagine if everyone in Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx suddenly lost the right to vote.
That's about the number of people — 5 million and counting — affected by changes already adopted or currently pending in state legislatures around the country. When all is said and done, millions more could lose the right to vote.
— Human Rights Day — more than 100 civil, labor, and human rights organizations from across the country — including and the ACLU — will take a “Stand for Freedom” in New York City to protest the attack on voting rights. The march and rally will begin at the Manhattan headquarters of leading voter suppression funders, the Koch brothers, and will conclude outside the United Nations.
This year, legislatures in 34 states were pressed to pass laws that would undermine voting rights. Fourteen states have passed such laws. Early voting, Sunday voting and same-day registration are under attack. Unfair restrictions on the formerly incarcerated will strike tens of thousands from the voting rolls. Photo ID requirements represent the greatest barrier to voting since the poll tax.
More than a century ago, extremists attacked voting rights to help establish segregation. Now they’re attempting to suppress voter turnout among groups that typically cast ballots in favor of social justice and civil rights. This tightly coordinated effort targets the voting rights of the elderly, the poor, students and people of color.
Myths about widespread voter fraud are used to justify barriers to voting, but study after study has shown that voter fraud . The limited fraud that occurs typically involves absentee ballots, which photo ID requirement do not address. It is important to protect the integrity of the election process, but not at the cost of disenfranchising eligible voters.
will assemble at 10 a.m. at 61st Street and Madison Avenue, near the Koch brothers Manhattan offices. Starting at 11 a.m., we will march to Dag Hammarskjold Plaza (47th Street and 2nd Avenue) for a noon rally.
Come march with me and ACLU Executive Director, Anthony Romero.
The right to vote is at the heart of our democracy. Help us protect it.
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News & CommentaryDec 2024
Voting Rights
Election Day is Over. Why is the Electoral College Voting Now?Election Day is Over. Why is the Electoral College Voting Now?
The Electoral College meets December 17th to certify the results of the 2024 election, but why? The ACLU breaks down if the process is worth keeping. -
New York Supreme CourtDec 2024
Voting Rights
New York Communities for Change v. Nassau CountyNew York Communities for Change v. Nassau County
This case in New York state court centers on the landmark John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York (NYVRA) and the New York Municipal Home Rule Law (MHRL). The NYVRA, like several other state voting rights acts enacted in recent years, expands upon the federal Voting Rights Act’s protections against racial vote dilution. The MHRL prohibits racial discrimination and partisan gerrymandering in local-level redistricting. The ACLU’s Voting Rights Project and State Supreme Court Initiative, alongside the New York Civil Liberties Union, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and Steptoe LLP filed a lawsuit on behalf of voters of color in Nassau County, New York alleging that a redistricting plan implemented in 2023 for Nassau County’s legislative districts dilutes the voting strength of Black, Latino, and Asian residents and is gerrymandered for partisan advantage in violation of the NYVRA and the MHRL. -
ArizonaNov 2024
Voting Rights
American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona v. RicherAmerican Civil Liberties Union of Arizona v. Richer
We sued elections officials in Arizona to extend the mail ballot “cure” deadline after ballot processing delays threatened to disenfranchise thousands of voters without notice. -
Press ReleaseNov 2024
Voting Rights
Civil Rights Groups Respond to Flawed Trial Court Opinion on New York Voting Rights ActCivil Rights Groups Respond to Flawed Trial Court Opinion on New York Voting Rights Act
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — On November 7, a New York State Supreme Court trial judge issued an opinion striking down the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York (NYVRA). Today, the Legal Defense Fund, American Civil Liberties Union, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, New York American Civil Liberties Union, and Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law issued the following statement in response to the ruling: “The NYVRA is unquestionably constitutional, and protects the freedom to vote for all New Yorkers by helping to ensure voters are not subjected to discrimination when participating in the political process. “The Nov. 7 decision by a state trial judge is deeply flawed and plainly incorrect. We fully expect the decision to be reversed on appeal. It flies in the face of basic legal principles and constitutes a stunning overreach in striking down the entire law, including provisions that are not at issue in the case. “To put it simply, the NYVRA does not discriminate, it bans discrimination – and in doing so protects New Yorkers’ most fundamental right. “New York is stronger when everyone has an equal opportunity to vote.”