Racial Justice Organizations Release "We Vote We Count" Report   - Advancement Project - Advancement Project

Racial Justice Organizations Release “We Vote We Count” Report  

Incidents in nine states throughout the country find barriers to voting

Washington, D.C. – On November 25th, the Racial Equity Anchor Collaborative, a coalition of national racial justice and civil rights organization, released its groundbreaking voting rights report “We Vote, We Count.” The report centers around the voices of people of color and describes accounts of voter interference which disproportionately affects communities of color, gathered through “People’s Hearings” in select states over several months in 2019. The report can be found online at WeVoteWeCount.org.

Witnesses at the “People’s Hearings” framed the right to vote in two ways: the right to be regarded and recognized as an eligible voter and the right to cast a ballot without undue burden.

The report also details personal experiences with voter infringement and recommendations of how to combat this issue. These stories were collected during hearings held in several cities in 2019 and listening sessions by the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on House Administration, through national court cases, and from submissions through WeVoteWeCount.org, a website where voters can share their past experiences facing interference at the polls, difficulties registering to vote, and other barriers to voting.

“The right for African-Americans to vote has consistently been under attack, and voter infringement tactics continue to evolve – from intimidation at the ballot box to outright election interference from foreign governments,” said Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP. “With the Census approaching in 2020 and less than a year out from the next presidential election, the NAACP will continue to fight back against any threats to one of the key pillars of our democracy.”

The Shelby County v. Holder decision in 2013, ruled the part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which stated that states had to get voting rules approved by the federal government, unconstitutional. Since then, several states, including Alabama, Texas, Mississippi, North Carolina, and many others have instituted restrictive voting measures that unfairly target and impact communities of color, impeding their abilities to register, vote, and national and local issues.

For example, witnesses at the field hearings in North Carolina testified that the state not only passed its controversial voter ID law, but also eliminated same-day registration and safeguards to protect out-of-precinct voting. These changes decreased the ability of “voters to cast a ballot and have it properly counted,” the report states.

In Alabama, more than 31 ID voting spots in primarily black and poor counties were closed down. “Alabama passed a strict ID requirement, hurting over 300,000 voters,” said Alabama Commissioner Sheila Tyson in her testimony. “They knew exactly what they were doing when they did it.”

Witnesses in North Dakota characterized a new voter ID law that required voters to show photo identification that includes their name, birth date and residential address as carrying an “anti-Indian undertone.” This law disproportionally impacts Native voters living on reservations where they do not have residential street addresses.

“The concerted effort of states to make voting more difficult for communities of color is a blatant attempt to prevent these communities from building power. Black and Brown voters have responded with resolve. They are demanding policymakers take action to reduce barriers to the ballot and are organizing against voter discrimination. We stand with these communities in calling for elections that ensure every American can have their vote count,” says Judith Browne Dianis, Executive Director of Advancement Project National Office.

The report also includes recommendations for mitigating voter discrimination. These solutions underscored the complex intersection between race/ethnicity, socioeconomic circumstances and access to the ballot. The witnesses at the “People’s Hearings” also acknowledged the need for better cooperation between affected voters and federal, state and local governmental entities. These include:

  • Improving training for poll workers
  • Expanding same-day registration and voting
  • Enhancing language accessibility at polling locations
  • Restoring the Voting Rights Act
  • Ending felony disenfranchisement
  • Honoring federal treaties with Native American tribes and nations
  • Enhancing language accessibility at polling locations

To learn more about the Racial Equity Anchor Collaborative and to share stories of voter interference please visit WeVoteWeCount.org. To engage on social media, use the hashtag #WeVoteWeCount.

Read the full report We Vote We Count Report today!

###

About the W.K. Kellogg Racial Equity Anchor Collaborative
Advancement Project National Office, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Demos, Faith In Action, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Congress of American Indians, National Urban League, Race Forward and UnidosUS are a collaborative of nine leading national racial equity anchor organizations supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Together we work to promote racial equity, advance racial healing, and ensure that all children, families and communities have genuine opportunities to reach their full potential.

KEEP READING

Advancement Project Reacts to Supreme Court Victory for Voters in Moore vs Harper

WASHINGTON, DC – In response to today’s Supreme Court decision on the Moore vs Harper case, Advancement Project executive director Judith Browne Dianis issued this statement: “Today’s decision is a tremendous victory for voters. We only narrowly escaped a world where the Supreme Court would have handed state legislators with the full blown power to manipulate elections and run rogue, taking away our power as voters and undermining democracy. However, this does not detract from what we already know to be true: that despite this win, access to the ballot for Black, Latinx, Indigenous…

Read More
White Paper Released as Louisiana Legislature Hears HB 396 to Streamline Voter Registration Process for People with Felony Convictions this Wednesday

New Orleans, LA – Today, Voice of the Experienced (VOTE), Advancement Project, and political scientist Dr. Ariel White released a new white paper titled “No Surrender, No Retreat! Removing Barriers to the Ballot Box for Formerly Incarcerated People in Louisiana.” The white paper unveils the 64-parish survey of the registrars of voters, while also highlighting the historical challenges faced by Louisiana voters with felony convictions when trying to register to vote.   Shockingly, only 23 out of 46 parishes, or 50%, correctly stated that…

Read More
Plaintiffs Challenging Florida’s SB 90 React to 11th Circuit Reversal

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, a panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a district court decision and allowed Florida to continue to force communities of color to navigate unnecessary obstacles in order to vote.  This decision undercuts the thorough analysis of the district court which rightfully found that Florida’s SB 90 was adopted with the intent to discriminate against Black voters in violation of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments as well as section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Additionally, the 11th Circuit reversed the decision by the lower court…

Read More
Advancement Project Releases Poll and Focus Group Data on Gen Z Voters of Color Spanning Four States

Advancement Project Releases Poll and Focus Group Data on Gen Z Voters of Color in Michigan, Florida, Georgia, and Virginia Issues that rose to the top include abortion access, the economy, and systemic racism and discrimination WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, Advancement Project released findings from a poll and focus groups of Gen Z voters of color (Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and Asian American and Pacific Islander) in Michigan, Florida, Georgia, and Virginia ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. This survey was conducted by HIT Strategies in September 2022.  “We know that when our…

Read More
BREAKING: Court Denies Motion from Civil Rights Groups Challenging Georgia’s Voting Line Relief Ban

GEORGIA – The United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia denied a motion for a preliminary injunction to suspend the line relief ban in Senate Bill 202. Line relief is the practice of distributing food, water and other support to voters stuck waiting in line at a polling place. The plaintiffs include local Black faith leaders and Georgia civil rights groups. In response, Jess Unger, Staff Attorney for the Power and Democracy program at Advancement Project National Office, released this statement: “The criminalization of people providing food and water to voters who are waiting to cast their…

Read More
Hearing in Lawsuit Challenging Georgia Anti-Voting Rights Law Weighs Impact of Line Relief Restrictions

GEORGIA —  The United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia will be hearing motions for a preliminary injunction in the consolidated litigation challenging SB 202 (In Re Georgia Senate Bill 202). This hearing will consider the “line relief” provision that criminalizes those who provide voters waiting in line with food and water, which disproportionately impacts communities of color in Georgia who face some of the longest waiting times at the ballot box in the country.  SB 202 creates significant barriers for Black, Latinx and other voters of color…

Read More
Advancement Project National Office Condemns New Anti-Voting Rights Law in Florida that Creates Office of Election Crimes, Mandates Special Voter-Fraud Police Officers

FLORIDA – Moments ago, Governor DeSantis signed into law a bill passed by the Republican Florida legislature that claims to fight “voter fraud” by creating an Office of Election Crimes and mandating the appointment of “special” members of law enforcement.  This comes on the heels of the conclusion of a trial challenging SB 90, another anti-voting rights measure in Florida. This law was successfully challenged in court by several national and Florida civil rights and voting rights groups, including Advancement Project. Similar anti-voting rights bills…

Read More
Civil Rights Organizations Celebrate Decision in Florida Voting Rights Trial

Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker released a landmark decision today in the nationally-watched voting rights trial on Florida’s SB 90 bill to strike down key provisions of the law. This restrictive voting law passed by the Republican-majority legislature and Gov. DeSantis  would have put in place new constraints on the use of drop boxes and organizations conducting voter registration drives, among other measures that would significantly hinder access to the vote for millions of state residents.

Read More
Trial Challenging Florida’s SB 90 Voter Suppression Law Begins Today

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. —  A trial challenging SB 90 (League of Women Voters v Lee), a Florida measure to make it harder and in many ways impossible for Black and Brown people to vote, kicked off on Monday, Jan. 31. This is one of the first trials of the year challenging anti-voting laws at the state level. It comes just as national voting rights efforts have stalled, with the Senate recently failing to change rules on the filibuster to pass voting rights.  SB 90 was passed by the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis in spring…

Read More
Advancement Project National Office Statement on the Senate’s Failure to Pass Voting Rights Legislation

WASHINGTON — Last night, the Senate blocked the Freedom to Vote John R. Lewis Act from advancing to a final passage vote. In response to this, Judith Browne Dianis, Executive Director of the Advancement Project National Office released this statement: “Last night, all 50 Senate Republicans and two Senate Democrats voted to maintain the filibuster and block the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act from advancing to a final vote. These bills would protect voters and undo many of the barriers and restrictions that bar thousands of Black, Latinx, Asian, and…

Read More