May 31, 2009 - June 6, 2009 | Project Vote's Blog

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Week of May 31, 2009 - June 6, 2009

DOJ Rejects Discriminatory Voter List Procedure in Ga.; Raises Concerns for New Election Law

June 4, 2009, 3:05PM

Cross-posted at Project Vote's Voting Matters Blog

By Erin Ferns

A currently challenged provision of the Voting Rights Act requires several states with a history of discriminatory election practices to seek federal approval before changing election rules. Under this provision, the Department of Justice this week rejected a Georgia voter list maintenance procedure that it deemed both discriminatory and inaccurate, according to the Associated Press.

Voting Rights Should Not Be Denied to Former Felons, Says Sotomayor and Growing Number of States

May 31, 2009, 12:45PM

As the United States has grown older, it has expanded the right to vote to nearly every group of citizens, with one notable exception: former felons. Today, 48 states have their own laws that disenfranchise convicted felons at some point during incarceration, probation, or parole. This hodgepodge of policies has created confusion for former offenders and election officials alike, and has resulted in the loss of voting rights for about 5.3 million Americans.

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