Expanding Voter Access
Appeals courts sent two lawsuits challenging Wisconsin's blocked new voter ID law directly to the state Supreme Court on Wednesday because of next week’s important elections, including the state's presidential primaries
“The months leading up to November will be a rough one for the amendment as multiple groups have pledged to sue already, including Common Cause of Minnesota, the Minnesota chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, and the League of Women Voters.”
“Ohio voters deserve better. A coalition of citizen advocacy groups, led by the League of Women Voters of Ohio, filed petitions with the Ohio attorney general this week to reform state redistricting with a constitutional amendment.”
“The right to vote, along with full and fair representation, is the most basic of political rights. Requiring voters to show photo ID and regulating groups that register voters are not necessary to assure election integrity and will create barriers to voting...”
“The League of Women Voters has asked a three-judge federal panel for permission to take part in a legal challenge to South Carolina's voter identification law, becoming the second group seeking to participate in the legal challenge.”
“Municipal and county clerks say they're ready for Wisconsin's upcoming presidential primary despite uncertainty over whether its on-again, off-again voter photo identification law will be in effect.”
“The state's [WI] top election official said Tuesday he told the state Department of Justice he did not want to immediately appeal two decisions blocking the state's new law requiring photo IDs at the polls because voters should have plenty of advance knowledge of what rules will be in place for the April 3 election. ... Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen did not heed that request and on Thursday appealed both decisions.”
“After nine hours of passionate debate, the Minnesota House early Wednesday morning, March 21, passed a Republican-sponsored constitutional amendment to require voters to show a government-issued photo identification at the polls.”
On Monday, a Dane County (WI) judge denied a motion to delay his voter ID ruling that bars enforcement of the state voter ID law.
Gwen Ifill and guests discuss the latest voter ID news from Wisconsin and Texas on this PBS Newshour segment.