Thread by @weareoversight

Voting rights have been increasingly under attack in the last decade. These efforts often aim to prevent people of color from voting.

This week, the Supreme Court is taking up a case that could undermine the remaining key provision of the Voting Rights Act.

The Voting Rights Act is the nation’s most effective defense against racially discriminatory voting policies, and it has countered discrimination and removed voting barriers across the country for decades.

But in 2013, the Supreme Court gutted Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, ruling in Shelby County v. Holder that states and localities with a history of voter discrimination no longer had to obtain DOJ approval to change voting procedures.

Today, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Brnovich v. DNC. The case revolves around two efforts to create new barriers to voting in Arizona.

In 2016, the Arizona legislature limited who could provide ballot-collection assistance to mail voters. Arizona also had a policy of entirely rejecting ballots cast in the wrong precinct. Both policies limited access for voters of color.

The suit challenges these provisions and aims to ensure all eligible Arizona voters have an equal opportunity to participate in our democracy. The court should affirm that there’s no place for racism in our elections by striking down Arizona’s racially discriminatory voting laws.

Our team is actively investigating efforts to undermine voting rights in Arizona. Learn more and track our ongoing work here:
americanoversight.org/areas_of_inves…