The fight over the restoration of voting rights continues in Florida. The state supreme court ruled that Amendment 4, which potentially returned the right to vote to more than1 million people in Florida, required the completion of fines and fees before voting rights could be restored. Read the story here.
Asides
Federal judge lets North Dakota Republicans block Native Americans from voting.
Here’s an example of modern day voter suppression.
Republicans’ voter ID law is designed to disenfranchise Native Americans. It’s working.
— Read on slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/11/federal-judge-lets-north-dakota-republicans-block-native-americans-from-voting.html
Advocacy group urges reforms to felon voting restoration process | KGAN
Iowa is the latest state to initiate efforts to eliminate barriers to restore the right to vote to previously incarcerated persons. “Governor Kim Reynolds is again pitching the years-long process of amending the Iowa Constitution to automatically restore felons’ voting rights at the end of their sentence, but in the meantime, advocates are calling for changes to make the process easier and faster.” Source: Advocacy group urges reforms to felon voting restoration process | KGAN
100 years later, voting and women’s rights still need protection | Research Shows
Synergy exists between women’s rights and the right to vote. The women’s suffrage movement ignored women and men of color. 2020 offers an opportunity to work together to ensure that the right to vote is afforded to all people. #2020 #freedom #vote
This article, by Ann Luther and Sheila Kirby of the League of Women Voters of Maine, was originally published on the Bangor Daily News opinion page on December 31, 2019. By Ann Luther and Sheila Ki…
Source: 100 years later, voting and women’s rights still need protection | Research Shows
Think the Constitution guarantees your right to vote? Think again – The Boston Globe
This article argues for a constitutional amendment that would guarantee the right to vote. It highlights the recent gains in rights of restoration work as examples for the need for uniform standards.
Federal Judge Blocks NC’s Voter ID Law, Citing State’s ‘Sordid History’ of Racist Voter Suppression | Common Dreams News
A federal judge in North Carolina blocked it’s voter ID law finding, among other things, troubling racial disparities. “The evidence suggests that minority voters are not just less likely to have an acceptable form of ID, but that the legislature excluded photographic ID that could have greatly reduced that discrepancy,” the judge wrote.
Watch Night 2020
January 1st is a significant day in civil rights history. On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation which proclaimed that “all persons held as slaves … are, and henceforward shall be free.” It is said that slaves in the confederate states watched all night on December 31, 1862, to see what freedom looked like on January 1st. Accordingly, 157 years later, in the African American culture, we continue to attend watch night services on New Year’s Eve. Maybe in 2020, we can truly see what freedom looks like. #freedom #watchnight #vote
