Voting Rights
More on Voting Rights
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Friday, four members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) introduced the Secure Elections Act, which would provide local communities and state governments with the resources needed to strengthen election systems against cyberattacks. The bill was introduced by Reps. Tom Rooney (R-FL), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Trey Gowdy (R-SC), and Jim Himes (D-CT), all of whom have played a role in the HPSCI investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Monday, August 6, marks the 53rd anniversary of the enactment of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The VRA, which passed after the Selma to Montgomery marches exposed the brutality of voter suppression in the South, abolished discriminatory voting practices and required federal oversight of election changes in areas with a history of voter discrimination. In 2013, key components of the law were gutted by the Supreme Court in its Shelby County v. Holder decision.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday, the House passed two amendments introduced by Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL) increasing funding for civil rights movement historic preservation funding in Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19). Rep. Sewell’s amendments to the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act increased historic preservation funding in the bill by $4.5 million.
On Wednesday, June 27, media are invited to join a #RestoreTheVOTE panel hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Civil and Voting Rights Task Force. This week marks the fifth anniversary of Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court decision that gutted parts of the Voting Rights Act (VRA).
WHEN: Wednesday, June 27, 2018
2:30 PM – 4:00 PM
WHERE: Rayburn Room 2362-A
Washington, DC 20515
WHO:
Lawmakers
On Tuesday, December 19, Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell along with Members of Congress from 18 of the 21 states targeted by Russian hackers in 2016, called on House Speaker Paul Ryan to take immediate action to protect state voting systems from cyberattacks and to bolster state election infrastructure.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday, October 31, Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell (D-AL) sent a letter to Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, urging him not to pursue prosecution of nearly 700 crossover voters. Secretary Merrill has given county officials until November 6 to verify crossover voting information that can be used by local district attorneys to press charges against voters.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday, the Trump Administration’s Election Integrity Commission held a series of public presentations in New Hampshire, receiving testimony from political allies and long-time advocates for discriminatory voter restrictions.
Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, President Trump’s Voter Fraud Commission convened for the first time. The meeting follows a rocky start for the Commission, during which voting rights, good government, and privacy advocates voiced serious concerns related to the Commission’s transparency, its request for personally-identifiable voter information, the history of appointed commissioners, and its conduct.
Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell (D-AL) releases the following statement:
WASHINGTON – Today, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and Judiciary Committee Democrats sent letters to the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors raising concerns that recent requests of them from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the White House voter fraud commission (Commission) may lead to voter suppression and privacy violations.
Washington, D.C. – On Thursday, the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity requested personal voter data from all fifty states, including voter names, birthdays, the last four digits of Social Security numbers, and voting history dating back to 2006.