Fighting Voter Suppression

Editorial Note: This piece was first published on my Huffington Post Blog. 47 years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law to prevent voter discrimination.

Forty-seven years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the historic Voting Rights Act (VRA) into law.

“A landmark federal law used to block the adoption of state voter identification cards and other election rules now faces unprecedented legal challenges.”

“Janice Horn, retired librarian and board member of League of Women Voters, testified she went to a PennDOT office in her home county of Clarion and found it staffed by a contract worker who said she could not answer any questions about voter ID...”

“Kicking off today’s testimony was Olivia Thorne, president of the League of Women Voters (LWV) of Pennsylvania and a 35-year member of the organization. The LWV is an organizational plaintiff in the lawsuit.”

Leading up to the June 5th recall elections, LWV of Wisconsin worked with the nonpartisan Wisconsin Election Protection coalition to train citizens as volunteer election observers.

“The first legal test for Pennsylvania’s tough new voter identification law began Wednesday, with state lawyers calling the measure a completely rational step, while opponents attacked it as an unnecessary, unjustified and partisan scheme that will deprive countless people of their right to vote.”

"What we saw were issues that could lead to disenfranchisement," said Andrea Kaminski, executive director for Wisconsin's League of Women Voters.”

“Sixty-year-old Wilola Lee of Philadelphia says she's voted in almost every presidential election since the '70s. ... But, in November, under the voter identification law passed in Pennsylvania, Lee may not be able to cast a ballot.”