Expanding Voter Access

Voters Won Today: League of Women Voters Prevails in Major Federal Voting Rights Case (Press Release)

"Politicians have no business standing in the way of our right to vote."

League of Women Voters v. Newby Appeal Brief (Article)

LWVUS and the state Leagues of Alabama, Georgia and Kansas filed a brief on appeal for LWV v. Newby. At stake is a pivotal decision which could affect voter registration access for tens of thousands of voters before Election Day. Every day, eligible voters in these three states are being prevented from registering to vote—and civic groups like the League are being prevented from conducting effective voter registration drives—because of a recent decision by Brian Newby, Executive Director of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, to unilaterally approve requests from Alabama, Georgia and Kansas to require documentary proof of citizenship when an applicant uses the federal mail voter registration application form. The Help America Vote Act of 2002 requires the EAC itself to approve any changes, but Mr. Newby ignored that obligation. The League is asking for these restrictions to be nullified in time for voters to fully register and participate in this year’s election.

Court Denies Motion for Preliminary Injunction in LWVUS v. EAC Executive Director Brian Newby (EAC) (Press Release)

"We will appeal to protect the critical rights of voters in these three states, especially during this election year,” said Chris Carson, president of the League of Women Voters U.S.

TAKE ACTION: Repair the Voting Rights Act (Blog)

June 25 marks the three-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision to gut key provisions of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). We’ve had three years of bad laws that make voting harder in states all across the country. But there is a solution. Tell Congress to repair and modernize the Voting Rights Act TODAY!

League Initiates Making Democracy Work® Campaign for 2016 Elections (Press Release)

League set agenda for the next biennium and elected unanimously Chris Carson of Burbank, California as the organization's 19th national president.

Hundreds of League of Women Voters Activists Storm Capitol Hill for Voting Rights (Press Release)

“Our members are fanning out across the Capitol to tell their elected representatives that it is well past time to right this wrong. We need them to pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA),” President MacNamara said.

League Members to Lobby Congress on Voting Rights (Blog)

Hundreds of League members from around the country will be lobbying their U.S. Senators and Representatives on Capitol Hill to advocate for the Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA).

League Urges Congress Repair Voting Rights Act (Legal Document)

The League sent a letter to members of the U.S. House and Senate urging them to move the Voting Rights Advancement Act forward.

What’s Happening in the States? A Voters’ Rights Legislative Round-up (Blog)

Action on voting rights in 2016 looks very similar to last year. On the whole, states are passing less restrictive election laws, and even better, more and more states are reforming their election process to help voters.

North Carolina’s Restrictive Election Law Approved by Federal Court (Press Release)

“This decision sends a dangerous signal to voters across the country, one the League is prepared to fight at every opportunity,” said President MacNamara.