Results for: Voting Rights

An attempt by Pennsylvania officials to prevent voter disqualification on mail-in ballots has instead led to the rejection of some ballots. The issue stems from voters failing to fill in the final two digits of the year on the return envelope, despite the state’s new advice to count such ballots. Counties across the state have varying interpretations of the situation, with some accepting the ballots while others continue to reject them. The number of affected voters remains unclear, but the problem has been observed in multiple areas.

A federal judge has invalidated a North Carolina law criminalizing voting for individuals with felony convictions, ruling that the law was enacted with discriminatory intent and continues to disproportionately impact Black voters. This decision comes amidst concerns about voter suppression tactics targeting Black Americans ahead of the 2024 election.

Mississippi lawmakers took steps to restore voting rights to 32 people convicted of felonies. However, a broader bill that would have restored suffrage to more people with criminal records failed, highlighting the state’s piecemeal and discriminatory approach to disenfranchisement. The Jim Crow-era list of disenfranchising crimes has been challenged in court, but the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld it in 2022. Despite lawmakers acknowledging the flaws in the current system, they are only considering restoring voting rights to a limited number of individuals who have completed their sentences and rehabilitation.