voting rights
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It's the 55th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. The Phenomenal Campaign Hopes We Honor It
Can the White House be won back in November? There are admittedly obstacles to face in the next 88 days, but one thing’s for certain: We definitely can’t win if we don’t vote. Today is the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and as voter suppression via any number of dirty tricks…
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Fair Fight's Stacey Abrams on How We Can Protect Our Right to Vote
The right to vote is one that has been fought over, died over and challenged again and again, as it was expanded to include African Americans and women after being something only for those who were white and male. While Fair Fight’s Stacey Abrams admitted in our interview that voting is not a catch-all solution…
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Black Athletes Donate $100,000 to Help Pay Debts of Former Felons in Florida So They Can Vote in 2020
Black athletes and entertainers are standing up in a major way to make sure the voices of Black people matter in this year’s elections. More Than A Vote, a group founded by LeBron James and others in June to fight against voter suppression, says it will donate $100,000 to help pay the outstanding debts of…
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Stacey Abrams To Feature In Upcoming Documentary From Amazon Studios on Voter Suppression
Former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who lost to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp in an election rife with evidence of voter suppression, will feature in a new documentary about that same pervasive issue in America’s democracy premiering in September. All In: The Fight for Democracy will open in select theaters on September 9 and go on…
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Honoring a Nation’s ‘Conscience’: How Will Lawmakers Pay Tribute to Rep. John Lewis’ Legacy?
It is hard to sum up civil rights icon and longtime congressman John Lewis’ legacy—much less find suitable ways of honoring it. But as the country grapples with losing one of its most esteemed public servants, ideas have poured forth on how to properly pay tribute to the life and deeds of a man frequently…
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Supreme Court Strikes Major Blow to Voting Rights, Won’t Change Florida Voting Rules for Felons
In 2018, Florida voters made a momentous decision: restoring the right to vote for those convicted of a felony, so long as they’ve fulfilled their prison time, parole or probation. But since then, the state of Florida has introduced what has been deemed as a modern-day voting tax for released felons, mandating that they pay…
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Mississippi to Vote on Changing Jim Crow Era Voting Law
Voting laws in this country are generally crafted to favor white people at the expense of everyone else. Whether it’s gerrymandering districts to the point where a court has to step in or closing down polling stations in predominantly Black areas, it’s sadly not uncommon to see the Black vote undermined. In Mississippi, voting rights…
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The Vote First-Look Clip: PBS Documentary on Black Women Being 'Moved to the Sidelines' of Suffrage Movement
2020 is a pivotal year for many reasons, one of those being that it’s a presidential election year. The discussion around voters’ rights and voter suppression have been recent hot topics, especially witnessing what has been happening in Kentucky as well as the ongoing push for the Senate to pass the HEROES Act. Following the…
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A Federal Judge Has Cut Down Florida's Law Requiring Former Felons Pay Fines Before Registering to Vote
Voting rights advocates in Florida and across the country are celebrating a recent federal judge ruling that opens the door for 1.5 million felons previously barred from voting to participate in the 2020 elections. U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle has gutted a state law passed by Republican legislators in Florida that requires people with…
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How to Save Our Voting Rights During the Pandemic
On Wednesday, President Trump attacked states like Michigan and Nevada for protecting voters’ from COVID-19 in upcoming elections by sending applications for absentee ballots. Voting by mail is a key way for states to protect voters’ health and safety, which states have a moral and legal obligation to do. It was yet another example of…