-
Jul 31, 2024 | 
truthout.org | Patrick Berry
After Donald Trump became the first former president to be convicted of a crime, many believed that the Florida resident would be barred from voting in the 2024 election because of the state’s harsh felony disenfranchisement law, which denies voting rights to more than 1 million people. However, Trump’s eligibility to cast a ballot this fall will depend on how he is sentenced in New York for falsifying business records.
-
Feb 13, 2024 | 
brennancenter.org | Michael Waldman |Patrick Berry
Today, the New Mexico Senate unanimously concurred with a House amendment on S.B. 5, a bill to protect voters, election workers, and election officials from gun violence. The legislation, which had bipartisan support, would ban open carry in and around polling places and at ballot drop boxes. It awaits Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s signature.
-
Dec 18, 2023 | 
brennancenter.org | Ashleigh Maciolek |Patrick Berry
Over the past few years, states across the country have passed laws that make voting more difficult and elections more vulnerable to partisan interference, and 2023 is no exception. But it is critical to remember that there is also flourishing pro-democracy movement that has pushed many states to make important strides in the opposite direction. Between January 1 and October 10, at least 23 states enacted 47 laws that expand access to voting.
-
Oct 18, 2023 | 
brennancenter.org | Michael Waldman |Patrick Berry
Noteworthy Developments The new veto-proof Republican majority in the North Carolina legislature has curtailed voting access and disrupted election processes by passing an omnibus restrictive voting bill and an election interference bill. Although Gov. Roy Cooper (D) vetoed both, the legislature overrode those vetoes.
-
Oct 16, 2023 | 
brennancenter.org | Patrick Berry |Eliza Sweren-Becker |Sara Carter
In 2018, two-thirds of Florida voters approved Amendment 4, a state constitutional amendment that automatically restored voting rights for most people with felony convictions — except those convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense — who had completed the terms of their sentence, including probation and parole. An estimated 1.4 million people were expected to have their rights restored by the amendment. However, state lawmakers and Gov.
-
Aug 28, 2023 | 
brennancenter.org | Alicia Bannon |Michael Li |Patrick Berry |Lawrence Norden
You’re reading the State Court Report newsletter. Click here to receive it in your inbox twice a month. It’s vacation time for many Americans, but the state courts aren’t resting.
-
Aug 18, 2023 | 
brnw.ch | Patrick Berry |Eliza Sweren-Becker
A federal appeals court ruled this month that Mississippi’s lifetime ban on voting for people convicted of certain felonies violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. The remarkable 2–1 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which will re-enfranchise tens of thousands of people, is a powerful example of how litigation and out-of-court advocacy can be complementary tools for restoring voting rights.
-
May 25, 2023 | 
brennancenter.org | Robyn Sanders |Andrew Garber |Patrick Berry |Gabriella Sanchez
When the Tennessee House of Representatives expelled two members for their political speech in April, it was unprecedented. The chamber’s actions appear to have been racially motivated, as only the Black elected officials were thrown out while a third, white official who engaged in the same conduct was spared. Days earlier, house leadership had blocked Democratic Reps. Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, and Gloria Johnson from speaking out in favor of gun reform.
-
May 18, 2023 | 
brennancenter.org | Patrick Berry
Over the last 20 years, there has been significant, bipartisan momentum to restore voting rights to Americans previously convicted of felonies. However, millions of people remain disenfranchised today because of Jim Crow–era voting bans. Most of those citizens aren’t in prison — they’re living in and contributing to their communities, yet they’re denied a voice in our democracy. Congress can and should change that by passing the Democracy Restoration Act, a bill introduced today by Sen.
-
Apr 26, 2023 | 
brennancenter.org | Patrick Berry |Will Wilder
Florida’s voter eligibility requirements for people with past felony convictions are incredibly complicated. But there’s no way would-be voters with such convictions could know any of that if they’re just looking at Florida’s uniform statewide voter registration application. It’s an unacceptable omission that has had, and continues to have, dire consequences for Floridians across the state — and it violates federal law.
