On this day in history, Thurgood Marshall was appointed to the United States Supreme Court. Thurgood Marshall was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson and sat as the first African American to serve on the highest court in the country. Thurgood Marshall’s appointment exemplifies the importance of exercising one’s right to vote and the power that the President has in appointing Supreme Court Justices. Read more about Marshall’s appointment here.
Extremely long lines and issues with voting machines caused major issues in Georgia’s most recent primary. The Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia made a statement that although she is proud of voter turnout elections should not be ran in that manner. Read more about what took place in Georgia’s most recent primary here.
Baltimore’s primary election which included primaries for the presidential election, mayoral seat, and Baltimore’s city council president took place on June 2nd, 2020. Days after the election the important local seats can still not be determined due to a number of issues with the mail in ballots which ultimately resulted in the state board of elections administrator resigning. Read more about the current status of Baltimore city elections here.
George Floyd protests have led to an increase in voter registration. Although, many may have believed the increase took place among African American voters the increase actually took place in the Latin community. Read more about the increase in voter registration here.
Recently, a number of states held their primaries. In Maryland, the state held their state and national primary elections. This was the state’s first time urging voters to vote primarily by mail due to Covid-19 restrictions. Voting in person was still allowed as an alternative for individuals who may not have received their ballot in the mail or experienced other obstacles. However, many people chose to vote in person and wait in line despite the mail-in option. What took place in this election may be a predictor of what takes place in elections come November. Read more about voters experience in Maryland’s primary election here.
Read more about this initiative started by the music industry and supported by individuals across the country here.
Many people are starting to raise questions now that 2020 elections will primarily be conducted through the mail. Read more here about how some believe that self driving cars can be a resolution to some of these problems.
The election failure that took place in Wisconsin is now being recognized as the “biggest election failure since the Voting Rights Act was enacted”. Thousands of individuals were denied the right to vote as a result of the way Wisconsin elections were handled. Read more about the current litigation here.
This resolution being voted on today is considering additional aid to the american public as well as new options for remote voting. This bill would allow individuals to utilize technology to one day cast their votes from home. For example, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, suggested members could utilize technology similar to FaceTime to call to cast their votes. Read more about this historic legislation here.
The legal fight over how to protect the right to vote is constantly growing during Covid-19. Currently reading this piece on absentee voting throughout the country.
On this special day that we honor mothers across America, we should also take a minute to honor some of the women who served as mothers and “unsung heroes” of the civil rights movement. Read about these amazing women here.
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The death of Ahmaud Arbery is yet another black mother’s son who was killed for the crime of jogging while black. The delay to charge the killers until now demonstrates why it is important to elect people who will represent justice and equality.
Read more here.
On May 6, 1960 the Civil Rights Act of 1960 was signed into law. The Act was intended to strengthen voting rights across the country. It specifically included provisions calling for the federal government to inspect local voter registration rolls and authorized court-appointed referees to help African Americans register and vote. This act also provided criminal penalties for any and all parties attempting to prevent people from voting. See the the original Act virtually here.
A lawsuit was filed this past Wednesday asserting that the price of postage for “voting by mail” in Georgia is unconstitutional. Black Voters Matter filed a federal claim arguing that the price of postage constitutes a poll tax because it essentially requires that voters pay to cast a ballot. Read more about it here. #votingrights #coronavirus #votingbymail
Last week the Superior Court found that a new law, recently added by New Hampshire’s state legislators, is unconstitutional. The law recognized as “SB3” placed multiple obstacles on the voter registration process. The new law required voters to prove their place of residence based on the exact location where they are planning to casts their vote. Additionally, the law established new repercussions on individuals who failed to comply. The Judge ultimately found these new requirements to be overly burdensome on the electoral process. It is predicted that this decision will be appealed to the New Hampshire Supreme Court. Read more about the Superior Court’s holding here.
Civil Rights Today 