The efforts to secure the franchise for as many as possible was a critical component to the progressive community’s overall success in the 2020 elections. But the fight for voting rights is not over; not even close. The country watched the protracted legal effort by former President Trump and his allies to overturn the results of a legitimate election. While those groups failed more than 60 times in court, they had some success in perpetuating the myth of rampant voter fraud. Using that justification, state legislators across the country are attempting to erect as many hurdles to voting and fair legislative districts as possible in 2021, including the passage of a sweeping omnibus voter suppression law by Georgia’s lawmakers in March. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court is considering this term the fate of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, No. 19-1257 (2021). The outcomes of these fights will impact the LGBTQ+ community‚ as well as all communities of color across the nation, for decades to come. This panel focuses on three highly relevant topics to voting rights: (1) the fight against legislative efforts to restrict access to the ballot; (2) the effort to secure fair, non-partisan electoral districts following the 2020 census; and (3) the future of voting rights litigation after the Supreme Court’s 2021 decision in Brnovich. Panelists are leaders in organizations on the cutting edge of voting rights and redistricting, including Fair Fight Action, the National Redistricting Foundation, and Perkins Coie Political Law Group.
Voting Rights in 2021 and Beyond: Combating Harmful Legislation, the Fight for Fair Electoral Districts, and the Future of the Voting Rights Act After Brnovich
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