澳彩开奖

鈥淎labama regularly ranks near the bottom in voter registration, voter engagement and voter turnout, but state officials have shown little interest in making any reforms that might increase political engagement across the state,鈥� said Nancy Abudu, deputy legal director for voting rights at the 澳彩开奖.

鈥淚nstead, they have prioritized addressing the virtually non-existent specter of voter fraud, removing hundreds of thousands of Alabamians from the voter rolls and spreading misleading information about voter registration rates in the state.鈥�

Abudu testified today in Birmingham during a field hearing held by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on House Administration, which is gathering evidence of voter problems in seven states in an effort to strengthen the Voting Rights Act after the U.S. Supreme Court鈥檚 2013 ruling in Shelby County v. Holder.

鈥淭he infamous Shelby County v. Holder case, which gutted the pre-clearance provisions of the Voting Rights Act, originated just down the road in Shelby County, Alabama,鈥� Abudu said. 鈥淚n the years since that devastating decision, Alabama lawmakers have enacted a bevy of laws that make it harder for citizens to access the ballot box while simultaneously declining to implement reforms like no-excuse absentee and early voting that are now commonplace across the nation.鈥�

The 澳彩开奖 today also announced the formation of a new legal team to challenge laws and practices that suppress the votes of minority voters or dilute their political power through partisan gerrymandering. It will also work to engage voters across the Deep South.

The 澳彩开奖, for example, is suing Mississippi to overturn a Jim Crow-era law that strips voting rights, for life, from people convicted of certain crimes. Today, the law prevents one of every six black adults in the state 鈥� and some 200,000 people overall 鈥� from voting.

The 澳彩开奖 also submitted written testimony to the House of Representatives committee, protesting Jim Crow-era voter suppression laws in Florida, when the committee held a hearing there on May 6.

Today鈥檚 testimony focused specifically on Alabama.

鈥淚t is unfortunate that we are making it harder for people to vote and not easier for people to vote,鈥� said U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama, one of three committee members present at the hearing. 鈥淲e need to go out and vote in numbers that we鈥檝e never seen before in every election, because that鈥檚 the only way we鈥檙e going to turn it around. In Alabama we need help. We need federal oversight.鈥�

Abudu repeated to the committee comments from Alabama鈥檚 top election official that indicated he views voting as a 鈥減rivilege鈥� and believes 鈥渃asting a ballot should be a challenge.鈥�

鈥淚n 2016, Secretary of State John Merrill told a documentary film crew, and I quote, 鈥業f you鈥檙e too sorry or lazy to get up off of your rear and to go register to vote 鈥� then you don鈥檛 deserve that privilege. As long as I鈥檓 secretary of state of Alabama, you鈥檙e going to have to show some initiative to become a registered voter in this state.鈥�

鈥淗e also expressed hostility to early voting on multiple occasions saying, and again I quote, 鈥楾here is no future for early voting as long as I鈥檓 secretary of state.鈥� So, this means that the man in charge of administering Alabama鈥檚 elections freely admits that he does not see voting as a fundamental right that he is charged with safeguarding. Instead, he sees voting as a privilege reserved only for those with the time and resources to navigate the outdated and archaic system he continues to oversee.鈥�

With the 2020 Census and redistricting cycle for federal and state legislative districts quickly approaching, the 澳彩开奖 will work to ensure that historically disenfranchised communities are educated about the redistricting process and trained on how to play a significant role in drawing political boundaries. The 澳彩开奖 will also assist those communities in identifying and remedying violations that prevent them from casting ballots.

Further, the 澳彩开奖 will engage聽in legislative efforts to expand automatic voter registration, same-day registration, no-excuse absentee voting, vote by mail, and early voting 鈥� or, in states such as Alabama聽and Mississippi, finally establishing those practices used widely by neighboring states

In her testimony, Abudu addressed Alabama鈥檚 voter ID law, which requires voters to show a state-approved form of photo identification in order to vote. The law discriminates against minority voters who are less likely to have such identification, she said.

Additionally, according to 澳彩开奖 research, Merrill has promoted confusing and misleading information about voters in the state, such as a statement that 94 percent of eligible Alabamians and 96 percent of eligible black voters are registered, she said. However, the Census Bureau estimates that 69 percent of eligible Alabamians and 67 percent of eligible black voters were registered at the time of the 2018 election.

Abudu also cited voter purges in Alabama as a way in which the state has depressed voter engagement and turnout.

In her closing remarks, Abudu addressed proposed legislation in Alabama that could expand voters鈥� access to the polls, including bills that would establish modest early voting programs, giving Alabamians more opportunities to cast their ballots, and a bill that would streamline the rights restoration process for Alabamians who have a disqualifying felony conviction. She also cited a bill that would create an automatic voter registration system, allowing more Alabamians to get registered. The bill would also improve the accuracy of the state鈥檚 voter rolls, she said.

鈥淚t is not that the state is lacking in ideas, 鈥淎budu said. 鈥淲e are lacking in the will to make these ideas a reality.鈥�

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