South curbs voters’ rights

Oct 4, 2011

The South has been a hotbed of activity in 2011 in passing controversial legislation that experts say will restrict access to voting, according to a new study by the Brennan Center for Justice.

“In total, at least 19 laws and two executive actions making it more difficult to vote passed across the country, at least 42 bills are still pending, and at least 68 more were introduced or failed,” the report said.  “The extent to which the states have made voting more difficult is unprecedented in the last several decades, and comes after a dramatic shift in political power following the 2010 election.”

Among the measures passed:

• Photo identification laws requiring voters to show a government-issued photo ID.  These bills were signed in 11 states, including Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee.  An estimated 11 percent of Americans — 21 million people — don’t have such identification.

• Proof of citizenship.  Some 12 states introduced legislation that would require proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, for someone to register or vote.  These laws passed in Alabama, Kansas and Tennessee.

• Making it harder to register to vote. Thirteen states introduced bills to end election day and same-day voter registration, limit mobilization efforts and reduce other opportunities, the report said.  Florida, for example, passed a law restricting voter registration drives and another measure making it harder for people who move to stay registered and vote.

• Cutting early and absentee days. Florida, Georgia and Tennessee were among states that enacted bills to reduce early voting periods.

• Making it harder to regain voting rights. Florida and Iowa reversed earlier executive actions that made it easier for past felons to get their voting rights restored.

The chart below highlights where changes have occurred.  Read the full report at:  Brennan Center.

 

In the Center for a Better South’s 2009 “Agenda for a Better South,” we encouraged Southern lawmakers to cultivate governance, which seems counter to what is happening in voting across the country. Our call was:  “Each Southern state should develop and implement a benchmark citizen trust survey by 2011. By 2015, each state’s levels of trust in state government should increase by 20 percent over the benchmark.”