Overview
#VotingRights became urgent after the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013, tracking ongoing battles over voter suppression, gerrymandering, and election access.
2013: Shelby County v. Holder
Supreme Court Decision
- June 25, 2013: SCOTUS struck down VRA Section 4 (5-4 decision)
- Removed federal preclearance for states with discrimination history
- Chief Justice Roberts: “Our country has changed”
- Justice Ginsburg dissent: “Like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm”
Immediate Impact
- Within hours, Texas, North Carolina implemented voter ID laws
- Polling places closed in Black neighborhoods
- Early voting reduced
- #VotingRights trended as alarm bell
2016-2020: Suppression Escalates
Voter ID Laws
- 36 states enacted stricter ID requirements 2013-2020
- Disproportionately affected Black, Latinx, elderly, student voters
- Millions lacked required IDs
Purges & Closures
- Georgia (2018): Kemp purged 1.4M voters as Secretary of State while running for governor
- Polling place closures: 1,688 closed 2013-2018 (mostly in communities of color)
- Long lines (8+ hour waits) in Black neighborhoods, not white suburbs
Wisconsin (2020)
- April primary during COVID: Milwaukee had 5 polling places (normally 180)
- Forced in-person voting during pandemic
- People waited hours, risked infection
2020 Election: “Stop the Steal” vs. Voting Rights
Record Turnout Despite Obstacles
- 66% turnout (highest since 1900)
- Mail voting expansion (pandemic necessity)
- Early voting records shattered
Trump’s Big Lie
- False claims of voter fraud
- #StopTheSteal vs. #ProtectTheVote
- 60+ lawsuits thrown out
- Culminated in January 6 insurrection
2021-2023: Legislative Battles
State Restrictions
- 2021: 19 states passed 33 restrictive voting laws
- Limits on mail voting, ballot drop boxes
- Shortened early voting windows
- Criminalized giving food/water to voters in line (Georgia)
- Partisan election boards given more power
Federal Reform Attempts
- For the People Act (HR1): Sweeping voting reforms, killed in Senate
- John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act: Restore preclearance, blocked
- Freedom to Vote Act: Compromise version, also failed
- Manchin, Sinema refused to eliminate filibuster
Tactics of Suppression
Voter ID Laws
- Strict photo ID requirements
- Student IDs often not accepted, gun licenses are
- Closing DMVs in Black neighborhoods (harder to get IDs)
Purges
- “Use it or lose it” rules (Georgia, Ohio)
- Exact match signature requirements
- Felony disenfranchisement (5.2M disenfranchised, disproportionately Black)
Gerrymandering
- Extreme partisan maps (Wisconsin, North Carolina, Maryland)
- Supreme Court ruled federal courts can’t review partisan gerrymandering (2019)
- State courts became battleground
Polling Place Closures
- Especially in rural, Black, Latinx communities
- Forces long drives, multi-hour waits
- Discourages participation
Counter-Mobilization
Stacey Abrams & Georgia
- 2018: Abrams lost governor race by 55K votes amid suppression
- Founded Fair Fight Action
- Registered 800K new Georgia voters by 2020
- Helped flip Georgia blue (Biden, 2 Senate seats)
Grassroots Organizing
- Black Voters Matter, Souls to the Polls
- College student registration drives
- Indigenous voter mobilization
Litigation
- NAACP, ACLU sued over restrictive laws
- Some laws struck down, many upheld
- Supreme Court conservative majority sided with restrictions
Felony Disenfranchisement
Scale of Problem
- 5.2 million Americans can’t vote due to felony convictions
- 1 in 16 Black adults disenfranchised (vs. 1 in 56 non-Black)
- Some states restore rights after sentence, others never
Amendment 4 (Florida, 2018)
- Voters approved restoring rights to 1.4M felons (64%)
- GOP legislature required all fines/fees paid first (poll tax)
- Majority still can’t vote
Youth Vote
Barriers
- College students targeted (ID requirements, purges)
- Out-of-state students vote where? (confusion)
- Campus polling places closed
Mobilization
- March for Our Lives generation registered peers
- TikTok voter registration drives
- 2020: Youth turnout surged 11% over 2016
Indigenous Voters
Unique Barriers
- Reservations lack street addresses (required for registration)
- Nearest polling place: 100+ miles away
- Voter ID laws (tribal IDs often rejected)
Organizing
- North Dakota (2018): Heidi Heitkamp lost by 3,000 votes, Indigenous suppression suspected
- Four Directions, Native organizers fought back
- 2020: Navajo Nation helped flip Arizona
International Comparisons
U.S. vs. Other Democracies
- Most countries: automatic registration, Election Day national holiday
- U.S.: registration burden on individuals, Tuesday voting (workday)
- Early voting, mail voting: standard elsewhere, controversial in U.S.
2024: Ongoing Crisis
Election Denier Officials
- Secretaries of State, election board members who believe Big Lie
- Threat to certify results
- “Independent State Legislature” theory (give legislatures power to override voters)
Federal Inaction
- No voting rights bills passed
- Supreme Court unlikely to help
- State-level battles intensify
Data & Impact
Who It Affects
- Studies: Voter ID laws reduce turnout 2-3% among Black, Latinx voters
- Polling place closures: 4-6% turnout reduction
- Millions affected cumulatively
Partisan Skew
- GOP-controlled states enact 90%+ of restrictions
- Democratic states expand access (automatic registration, mail voting)
- Divergence growing