[av_textblock size=’12’ font_color=” color=”] DURHAM, N.C. On April 21, the U.S. Supreme Court is slated to consider whether or not is will hear an appeal to a lower court’s ruling that found North Carolina’s 2013 voter suppression law “targeted African-American voters with almost surgical precision.” This is the fourth time the appeal has been scheduled […]
Election Information for Southern States
Election Day has arrived! Here are the times polls are open in states across the South and links to where you can find your polling place: North Carolina: Polls are open 6:30 am – 7:30 pm. Find your polling place at http://vt.ncsbe.gov/pollingplace_search/ Virginia: Polls are open 6:00 am – 7:00 pm . Find your polling […]
SCSJ releases Supreme Court response to North Carolina’s Emergency Voting Case
SCSJ releases Supreme Court response to North Carolina’s Emergency Voting Case Durham, NC — On Thursday, August 25, the League of Women Voters, represented by SCSJ, and other plaintiffs in State of North Carolina v. North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP asked the Supreme Court deny the State’s request to stay the Fourth Circuit’s […]
Federal judges order NC to redraw racially gerrymandered legislative districts
DURHAM, N.C. — Voters and voting rights advocates won a major court victory today in North Carolina, where three federal judges unanimously found that 28 of the state’s legislative districts are racially gerrymandered and must be redrawn after the November 2016 election. The three-judge court in the Middle District of North Carolina found that […]
Judge orders remedial actions in Wake County redistricting case
Raleigh, NC — This morning, August 9, a judge overseeing the Wake County redistricting case ordered a series of actions to resolve the unconstitutional redistricting for the Wake County Board of Commissioners and the Wake County School Board. The following is the list of actions to correct the situation, as ordered by the judge. County […]
Court will not reconsider unconstitutional election map ruling in Wake County
Durham, NC — On July 26, the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit denied the petition for rehearing en banc filed by the Wake County Board of Elections in litigation over the method of electing the School Board and County Commission. This decision means that the lower court must now implement the Fourth Circuit’s […]
Votes Not Counted: Charise's Story
Each post in SCSJ’s “Votes Not Counted” series tells the story of a person qualified to vote before the passage of North Carolina’s Monster Voter Suppression Law, whose ballot was unjustly denied this year. Below is Cherise’s story. If you know another eligible voter whose vote has been denied, please email sarah@scsj.org. Charise Dill is […]
Votes Not Counted: Mahendri's Story
Each post in SCSJ’s “Votes Not Counted” series tells the story of a person qualified to vote before the passage of North Carolina’s Monster Voter Suppression Law, whose ballot was unjustly denied this year. Below is Mahendri’s story. If you know another eligible voter whose vote has been denied, please email sarah@scsj.org. Mahendri is a […]
A look at NC's modern-day poll taxes
The 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified in 1964, prohibiting the government from issuing taxes on voting participation in federal elections. The Amendment laid the foundation for expanded voter protection from poll taxes at all levels of government. The poll tax had long-been a principal impediment to African American participation in elections and […]
The truth about voter fraud truthers
This post is a response to Ron Christie’s recent article, “Hey Eric Holder: Voter ID Isn’t Stuck in 1965.” The truth about voter fraud truthers In what can only be described as a bewildering exercise in editorial end-zone dancing, Ron Christie, writing for the Daily Beast, argued recently that Federal District Court Judge Thomas Schroeder’s […]
Amicus brief filed in Alabama redistricting case
This fall the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a redistricting case from Alabama that is likely to have implications for the constitutionality of North Carolina’s legislative and congressional redistricting maps. In both Alabama and North Carolina, legislators stated that they believed they were required by the Voting Rights Act to draw majority-black […]
SCSJ Opposes Voter Suppression in Federal Court
Attorneys from the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, the ACLU Voting Rights Project, and the ACLU of North Carolina appeared in federal court this week to argue for a preliminary injunction that would prevent North Carolina from enforcing its voter suppression bill, H.B. 589, during the November 2014 election. The hearing included testimony from North […]
SCSJ's Allison Riggs discusses voter suppression on the Rachel Maddow Show
On July 29, 2013 SCSJ staff attorney Allison Riggs appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show to discuss proposed voter suppression measures in North Carolina and throughout the U.S. Below is Allison’s interview with guest host Melissa Harris Perry. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Please help fund SCSJ’s voting […]
Votes Not Counted: Mat's Story
Each post in SCSJ’s “Votes Not Counted” series tells the story of a person qualified to vote before the passage of North Carolina’s Monster Voter Suppression Law, whose ballot was unjustly denied this year. Below is Mat’s story. If you know another eligible voter whose vote has been denied, please email sarah@scsj.org. Mat Windsor was […]
What is racial gerrymandering and why should I care?
Recently Slate writer David Weigel wrote a detailed article discussing the effects of racial gerrymandering on politics in North Carolina, one of the states where SCSJ is deeply engaged in voting rights work. In addressing redistricting issues in North Carolina, Weigel writes that the state underwent a 2011 redistricting overhaul at the hands of a […]
SCSJ client Montravias King featured on Rachel Maddow Show (twice)
On August 15, 2013 the Rachel Maddow Show dedicated a lengthy segment to evolving voter suppression efforts in North Carolina. One of the featured examples was the story of Montravias King, who SCSJ is representing in his efforts to run for City Council. The local board of elections has ruled that Mr. King may not […]
Pasquotank Candidate on Rachel Maddow 9PM August 15
Pasquotank Candidate and SCSJ client Montravias King is doing a phone interview on Rachel Maddow tonight! The Pasquotank County Board of Elections on Tuesday barred Elizabeth City State University senior Montravias King from running for city council, ruling his on-campus address couldn’t be used to establish local residency. Following the decision, the head of the […]
New NC voting law facing legal battle
See video coverage of SCSJ’s press conference on the federal lawsuit challenging limits to early voting, ending same-day registration, and eliminating out-of-precinct voting here: WBTV 3 News, Weather, Sports, and Traffic for Charlotte, NC New NC voting law facing legal battle Posted: Aug 12, 2013 4:27 PM EST Updated: Aug 13, 2013 6:39 PM […]