Across the United States, backed by the Supreme Court, some states are attempting to pass a barrage of voter suppression laws, aimed at attacking and dismantling the Voting Rights Act and in a nod toward Jim Crow laws of the not so distant past, make it harder for Black folks, communities of color, the disabled, seniors and the working-poor as a whole to vote. Already, close to 20 states have passed over two dozen new bills which cut away at basic rights.
While the anti-democratic strategy has long relied on shutting down polls, pushing for longer lines, and gerrymandering, the current wave of voter suppression laws comes as the Right in the post-Trump era has embraced an anti-democratic turn: promoting white nationalist political talking points wholesale, forming alliances with fascist far-Right groups, pushing conspiracy theories that call for widespread violence against political enemies, and moreover helped plan, defend, and now mythologize an attempted storming of the US capitol in order to stop the counting of electoral votes in order to block Biden’s victory.
As the reactionary base shrinks with age and younger generations shift more to the Left, the far-Right is doubling down on its increasingly fascistic base, which celebrates a turn away from democracy while calling for mass violence against both “elites” and “the Left.” If voter suppression is allowed to continue without grassroots opposition, political parties may be given the ability to hold onto power and manipulate the outcome of future elections.
KPFA is dedicated as a grassroots, community based institution to providing the communities we serve with resources and information in the ongoing fight for equal rights, democracy, and an end to racial apartheid.
Key State Breakdown
- Track Voter Suppression Bills Introduced in Your state Here
- Track Enacted Laws Here
- Track ACLU Court Cases
Ways to Contact Your Representatives to Make Your Voice Heard
Get Organized
- Find a Local League of Women Voters Group
- ACLU Events in California
Resource Guide
- ACLU Anti-Voter Suppression Resources
- Protect Democracy’s Threat to Democracy Index
- Brennan Center for Justice Voter Suppression Resource Hub
- Protect the Vote Voting Tools