Voter Suppression: Coming to a State Near You?
If you're planning on voting in November, here's a few things you should know.
| Mon Sep. 17, 2012 3:00 AM PDT
Since the start of 2011, more than 180 bills have been introduced in 41 states (and counting) that could make it harder for you to register to vote, prove that you're eligible to vote, vote early, or vote by mail. In fact, the Brennan Center for Justice estimates that at least 5 million voters nationwide could be affected by these bills. Thanks, local legislators!
To find out how new restrictions might affect your vote, click on the hypothetical profiles we've created below. You can also track where your state's restrictions currently stand at our database, powered by research from theBrennan Center for Justice, National Conference of State Legislatures, and ProCon.org, which are monitoring these bills.
I tried but could not embed the cute chart, so click the Block the Vote and check it out.
Block The Vote
Choose a voter to see how these laws could affect someone like you.
Jose is a Latino student at a Florida high school. He just turned 18 and isn't registered to vote yet.
For many years, Jose's US government teacher has been helping her students register to vote. But Florida passed onerous new restrictions on voter registration efforts. Rather than risk paying a $1,000 fine for turning in her students’ registration forms late, Jose's teacher has decided to abandon voter registration this year. The restrictions disproportionately target African American and Latino voters, as well as first-time voters like Jose, who are more likely to register through drives than whites.
202,000 votes nationwide are threatened by this type of restriction
STATES WHERE SIMILAR LEGISLATION IS ALREADY IN PLACE OR BEING PROPOSED
