voter suppression
Recent research suggests that voter suppression laws and tactics in over 30 states could prevent up to 3 million people from accessing safe and fair elections in competitive states in the 2020 general election. COVID-19 has led to the closing of hundreds of polling locations, further disenfranchising already marginalized groups. Social worker students can play a key role in fighting voter suppression by advocating for fair and safe elections for their clients and constituencies. Read below to learn more about voter suppression and how to combat it.
What is voter suppression?
“Voter suppression” refers to any effort, either legal or illegal, that prevents specific groups from exercising their constitutional right to vote, whether by laws, administrative rules, and/or tactics. Voter suppression is a systemic issue that disproportionately affects people of color, women (especially trans or married women), students, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income or unhoused voters. An analysis of 2018 election data found that on average, Black voters waited 45% longer to vote than white voters, and Latinx voters wait 46% longer.
Art by Ashley Lukashevsky / Provided by Amplifier
MODERN DAY VOTER SUPPRESSION
Though Jim Crow-era voter suppression measures such as poll taxes and literacy tests are now a thing of the past, voter suppression efforts have resurfaced over the past two decades, aided by a 2013 Supreme Court decision eviscerating a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, further unleashing a new wave of voting suppression measures. As of February 3, 2020, legislators have introduced at least 35 bills restricting voting access in 15 states.
Art by Ashley Lukashevsky / Provided by Amplifier
A History of Voter Suppression
View the presentation slides below made by Jaime Estades, Esq., MSW to learn more about the history of voter suppression.
Resources for combatting Voter Suppression
American Civil Liberties Union - Block the Vote: Voter Suppression in 2020
A comprehensive list of voter suppression methods, as well as a list of advocacy and litigation efforts aimed at protecting voting rights
And Still I Vote
A campaign to raise awareness about voter suppression, started by The Leadership Conference of Human and Civil Rights. Their site and social media accounts provide a wealth of educational materials.
Brennan Center for Justice - Vote Suppression
Reports, expert briefs, proposed solutions, and other resources to educate the public about voter suppression
Demos - Combatting Wrongful Voter Purges: A Toolkit
A toolkit to help local leaders and communities identify and act on the warning signs of a wrongful voter purge and to understand how federal law restricts such purges
How to help the post office: Things you can do to support the USPS right now
An article with four tips on how to support the USPS, a service that it crucial for support mail-in ballots
League of Women Voters - Fighting Voter Suppression
Information about the League of Women Voters’ year-round efforts to combat voter suppression through advocacy, grassroots organizing, legal action and public education
More Than a Vote
A coalition of athletes and artists combating systemic Black voter suppression by educating, energizing, and protecting the Black community.
The Sentencing Project - 6 Million Lost Voters: State-Level Estimates of Felony Disenfranchisement, 2016
A report on the scope and distribution of felony disenfranchisement in the United States as of the November 2016 election.