“Good Trouble”: Who Is Upholding John Lewis’ Voting Rights Legacy?
As we honor the life and legacy of the esteemed U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a longtime Congressman from Georgia and fearless champion of civil rights and voting equality who died three years ago on July 17, 2020, we must confront the persisting battle to safeguard and enhance these fundamental rights. Both the John Lewis Voting […]
Ohio photo ID law makes voting hard for college students, but not impossible
With less than a month before Ohio’s single-issue August special election, voting rights organizations have their eyes on a population facing one of the “trickiest” paths to the polls: College students – particularly those from out of state.
Smyth County woman challenges Virginia’s process for restoring voting rights to convicted felons
Toni Heath Johnson, who served time for drug possession, had her voting rights application denied without explanation. She is part of a suit that says Virginia is violating a provision of the 1870 law that readmitted the state to the Union after the Civil War. For all of her adult life, Toni Heath Johnson has […]
KY case aiming to restore voting rights to all former felons meets to get ruling
Plaintiff Deric Lostutter (top left, clockwise), Kentucky Equal Justice Center senior litigation and advocacy counsel Ben Carter, plaintiff Robert Langdon and Fair Elections Center litigation director Jon Sherman share information about their case, Lostutter v. Commonwealth of Kentucky, in a press call Thursday. Deric Lostutter served two years in prison after violating a federal anti-hacking […]
In ‘Very Big Deal for the Survival of Our Democracy,’ SCOTUS Rejects Fringe Legal Theory
By ruling against the independent state legislature theory, said one activist, “the U.S. Supreme Court made clear that state courts and state constitutions should serve as a critical check against abuses of power by legislators.” Democracy defenders across the United States on Tuesday breathed a collective sigh of relief after half of the U.S. Supreme […]
Appeals court hears case on the restoration of voting rights for Kentuckians with felony convictions
The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Thursday on a case that could affect over 160,000 Kentuckians who are unable to vote because of a felony conviction, according to the League of Women Voters. The case, Deric Lostutter v. The Commonwealth of Kentucky, argues the current system, which grants the governor total discretion […]
Convicted felons fighting for the right to vote
LEXINGTON, Ky (WTVQ) — In a lawsuit against the commonwealth, convicted felons are fighting for the right to vote and not have to petition Governor Beshear.
Felons argue for voting rights at Sixth Circuit
A group of convicts say Kentucky’s governor cannot be vested with the sole power to decide whether to reinstate the voting rights of violent felons. CINCINNATI (CN) — Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear restored voting rights to nonviolent felons in 2019, but a group of convicted criminals argued Thursday that relief does not prevent a First […]
The Virginians Who Can’t Vote Because of Glenn Youngkin
George Hawkins had a long to-do list when he left the Greensville Correctional Center on May 3, a free man for the first time in his adult life: stay out of trouble, find work, enroll in school, and relearn the streets of Richmond, which he hasn’t known since he was locked up at age 17. […]
White House Hopefuls Face Low Barriers to Entry
White House Hopefuls Face Low Barriers to Entry: When 2020 began, Pete Buttigieg was just ending his service as the mayor of South Bend, Ind., then the 307th largest city in the country. By the end of the year, he’d been nominated to run the federal Department of Transportation, becoming arguably the single best-known individual […]
