voting rights

Stories 61 - 80 | << Prev   Next >>

Judge: Fla. Felons Don't Have to Pay to Vote

Convicted felons had been required to pay fines before they could vote

(Newser) - A Florida law requiring felons to pay legal fees as part of their sentences before regaining the vote is unconstitutional for those unable to pay, or unable to find out how much they owe, a federal judge ruled Sunday. The 125-page ruling was issued by US District Court Judge Robert...

Michelle Obama Pushes for Expansion of Mail-in Voting

'No American should have to choose between making their voice heard and staying safe'

(Newser) - Michelle Obama's voting rights group has joined a new push to expand voting-by-mail options as lockdown measures extend further into election season. The group, When We All Vote, is supporting Democratic legislation that would require states to offer absentee voting to all voters. This is the first time the...

A Big Governor&#39;s Race Takes a Nasty Turn Late
A Big Governor's Race
Takes a Nasty Turn Late
the rundown
Oct 12, 2018 9:39 AM CDT

A Big Governor's Race Takes a Nasty Turn Late

Stacey Abrams accuses Brian Kemp of suppressing black voters as secretary of state in Georgia

(Newser) - Voters in Georgia will elect a new governor next month, and the race already had been on the national radar: Democrat Stacey Abrams is hoping to become the nation's first female African-American governor. She's running against Republican Brian Kemp, currently Georgia's secretary of state, and some serious...

Judge Says Kansas Secretary of State Has to Take Classes

And overturns Kansas voter proof of citizenship law

(Newser) - A federal judge ruled Monday that Kansas cannot require documentary proof of US citizenship to register to vote, finding such laws violate the constitutional right to vote in a ruling with national implications. The ruling by US District Judge Julie Robinson is the latest setback for Kansas Secretary of State...

Supreme Court Backs Ohio's Right to Purge Voting Rolls

Those who skip a few elections are in danger of being un-registered

(Newser) - Ohio takes a relatively aggressive approach to purging its rolls of voters, and the Supreme Court on Monday declared it's perfectly legal to do so. Under Ohio law, people who skip voting in two consecutive elections and then ignore various mailings from the state are removed from registration rolls,...

She Didn't Even Want to Vote. Now She's Going to Jail for It

Convicted felon who'd been on supervised release says she didn't know she couldn't vote

(Newser) - Crystal Mason cast her vote in the 2016 presidential election just like millions of other Americans—but unlike millions of other Americans, the Texas woman was a convicted felon, and on Wednesday she was sentenced to five years for that vote in Tarrant County. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports Mason,...

13K Felons in Virginia Now Have Voting Rights

Governor is restoring rights case by case

(Newser) - Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe's autopen has had a busy month. The Democrat announced Monday that he has signed papers restoring voting rights to 13,000 former felons, and he's working on restoring rights to up to 193,000 more, reports the Virginian-Pilot . McAuliffe signed an order in April...

Va. Gov. Vows to Restore Voting Rights, Felon by Felon

Republicans say he's trying to help Clinton

(Newser) - It's safe to assume that there will be some serious hand cramping in Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s future. The Democratic governor vows to "expeditiously sign nearly 13,000 individual orders" to restore the voting rights of felons in his state, NPR reports. "And I will continue...

Virginia Ditches Civil War-Era Rule, Lets Felons Vote

Gov. Terry McAuliffe restoring rights to felons

(Newser) - Since the Civil War, convicted felons in Virginia have been stripped of their right to vote. That will change Friday as Gov. Terry McAuliffe signs an executive order restoring the voting rights of some 206,000 nonviolent and violent felons, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch . They'll also be able to...

Felons Gain New Voting Rights in Maryland

They're free to vote upon release from prison

(Newser) - Approximately 40,000 felons will likely be able to vote in Maryland's presidential primary after the state's senate expanded voting rights to criminals still on parole or probation, Frontline reports. According to the Baltimore Sun , the vote on Tuesday overrode a veto from Maryland's governor. At issue...

140K Kentucky Felons Now Have the Right to Vote

Steven Beshear wants to help nonviolent felons transition back into regular life

(Newser) - Only three states have a lifetime voting ban for all felons who can't get a gubernatorial exemption, and now that number's been knocked down to two. As one of his last moves in office, outgoing Kentucky Gov. Steven Beshear signed an executive order Tuesday that grants voting rights...

Rand Paul: I Won't Send My Son to Iraq

Senator adds that he doesn't blame Obama for the 'mess'

(Newser) - Rand Paul hit the Sunday show circuit today to stake out a position on Iraq that sets him apart from the hawks in his party. "Let's not be involved in the Syrian civil war, and let's not be involved in the Iraq civil war," the senator...

How Eric Cantor Can Turn Around His Legacy
How Eric Cantor Can Turn Around His Legacy
OPINION
Jun 16, 2014 1:38 PM CDT

How Eric Cantor Can Turn Around His Legacy

Juan Williams thinks the Majority Leader should try to fix the Voting Rights Act

(Newser) - If Eric Cantor's story ends today, history will remember him only as "the highest-ranking Republican to suffer defeat in a primary," Juan Williams observes at The Hill . But Williams thinks there's a way Cantor can use his final days to rescue his legacy: He can revive...

Holder: Let Ex-Cons Vote

Attorney general asks states to reconsider 'unjust' rules

(Newser) - Eric Holder today called on states to get rid of laws that prevent felons who have served their time from voting. The New York Times calls it a "mostly symbolic" move by the attorney general because he can't force states to do so, but the Washington Post suggests...

Judge Spikes Pennsylvania Voter ID Requirement

Issue likely headed to state Supreme Court

(Newser) - A nearly 2-year-old requirement that almost all of Pennsylvania's 8.2 million voters must show photo identification before casting a ballot was struck down today by a state judge, setting the stage for a courtroom showdown before the state's highest court. Commonwealth Court Judge Bernard L. McGinley, a...

NC Voter ID Law Runs Into Roadblock: the DOJ

Eric Holder to announce lawsuit today: source

(Newser) - North Carolina passed a controversial voter ID law in July, but if the Department of Justice has its way, the law—said to be the most sweeping of its kind in the nation—may never be enforced. The DOJ will file suit against the state today, a source tells Politico...

DoJ Fires Opening Salvo at Texas Over Voting Laws

Eric Holder wants state subjected to 'preclearance'

(Newser) - The Justice Department has made its first move since the Supreme Court struck down a key portion of the Voting Rights Act : Eric Holder said today that the department wants to require Texas to get federal permission before making any changes to voting rules . A motion asking a court to...

SOTU Guests: Ted Nugent, Mohawk Guy

A look at who will be attending tonight's State of the Union address

(Newser) - Who will be sitting in the audience when President Obama gives his State of the Union address tonight? Well, not everyone will be a fan:
  • Ted Nugent will be there as a guest of Rep. Steve Stockman, Talking Points Memo reports. Nugent wants to "counter the scams and lies
...

Gov. Christie: NJ Voters Can Vote by Email

But Ohio adds new hurdle for provisional ballots

(Newser) - With election day a mere two days off, stories are trickling in about the ballot process—starting with a historic move by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie:
  • He will let residents of the storm-ravaged state submit absentee ballots by email—just like overseas military members do, but US civilians have
...

Woman, 108, Votes for the First Time

Joanna Jenkins backs Obama

(Newser) - Joanna Jenkins was not allowed to vote in her younger years thanks to Jim Crow laws—but even after those were abolished and the Voting Rights Act passed, she never voted … until this year, at the age of 108. Whose name did she check on her absentee ballot? “...

Stories 61 - 80 | << Prev   Next >>
Most Read on Newser