Protecting Eligible Voters
Coinciding with the nation’s tense immigration debate of recent years is a strong belief among certain partisans that undocumented people are somehow undermining the democratic process.
Instances of non-citizens attempting to cast a ballot are extremely rare, but this drummed up fear has real consequences: it excludes legitimate voters who do not have documentary proof of citizenship, such as seniors, students living away from home, or married people who adopt the surname of their spouses.
Further, proof-of-citizenship policies essentially quash community-based voter registration drives, which are responsible for reaching large numbers of potential voters at markets, churches, and other public places where one is unlikely to carry birth certi cates and passports.
Ensuring that eligible Americans are not prevented from registering and voting due to unnecessary and discriminatory bureaucratic hurdles like proof-of-citizenship requirements is one of Project Vote’s key missions.
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Citizenship checkoff on Michigan ballots sows confusion, hassles for voters
When Rich Robinson went to vote in East Lansing on Tuesday morning, he was surprised to see a question on his application for a ballot asking if he is a U.S. citizen. Read more
Project Vote Applauds Michigan Governor Snyder’s Veto of Voter Suppression Package
Today, Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan vetoed a package of voter suppression laws—including HB 5061, SB 754 and SB 803—passed by the state legislature. Project Vote Executive Director Michael Slater issued the following statement in response Read more
GOP Michigan gov. vetoes voter ID laws
The nonpartisan group Project Vote, meanwhile, applauded the Republican governor for "doing right by Michigan voters and taking an important stand against the current onslaught of voter suppression laws." Read more
Voting Rights Organizations Challenge Florida Voter Purge Program
Today, civil and voting rights organizations filed a lawsuit on behalf of Florida plaintiffs affected by Gov. Rick Scott's illegal voter purge program. Read more
Longtime voter’s eligibility questioned in Volusia
Eileen Selis was born in Pennsylvania, and has voted in almost every presidential election since Dwight D. Eisenhower's re-election in 1956. But that hasn't stopped the state of Florida from questioning her right to vote. Read more
Civil Rights Groups File ‘Most Expansive’ Lawsuit Against Florida Over Voter Purging
To date, dozens of Floridians and U.S. citizens have come forward stating that they were wrongly identified as “non-citizens” and are at risk of losing their right to vote. Read more
Voter advocates sue Fla. over purge
“This program clearly is using faulty data to purge people from the rolls." Read more
More Lawsuits Over Florida Voter Purge
Civil and voting rights organizations filed suit today alleging the purge violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which bans discrimination in voting practices. Read more
Voting Rights Coalition Files Suit Over Florida Voter Purge
“This lawsuit will protect eligible voters in every county in Florida from walking into a polling place only to find that the state has erroneously decreed they cannot participate in this election,” Catherine M. Flanagan of Project Vote said. Read more
Voter groups file suit against state to stop non-citizen voter purge
Voter groups and two Miami-Dade women who were wrongly targeted in the state’s non-citizen voter purge sued the state today in U.S. District Court in Miami. Read more