Voting Rights And Democracy Constitutional Accountability Center

The right to vote, essential to a well-functioning democracy, is the most enshrined right in the Constitution and is protected by five separate Amendments. CAC works to extend this fundamental right to all Americans and push back against attacks that attempt to limit the people’s access to the ballot box. Since the Supreme Court’s ruling in Shelby County v. Holder, conservative state and federal officials have proposed or passed restrictions aimed at abridging the right to vote. Discover how CAC is defending our democracy and the people’s access to the ballot box against these attacks. The Constitutional Accountability Center (CAC) is a non-profit think tank located in Washington, D.C., that seeks to advance a progressive interpretation of the Constitution of the United States.[1][2] The group has filed numerous lawsuits...

CAC was launched on June 3, 2008. Its predecessor organization was the Community Rights Counsel. Both organizations were founded and led by Douglas Kendall. [5] Advisors to CAC have included Akhil Amar, Jack Balkin, and Walter E. Dellinger III.[6] CAC is a proponent of "New Textualism", a school of thought focused on the text, structure, and enactment history of the language of the Constitution.[7] The organization makes legal arguments based in constitutional text...

CAC heads "Constitutional Progressives," a coalition anchored by the Center for American Progress and People for the American Way.[11] U.S. Supreme Court cases in which CAC has filed amici curiae briefs include: The right of a citizen to vote is not directly protected in the Constitution, and throughout our history that right has often been granted to some, but denied to others. However, through various amendments to the Constitution, the right to vote has become more and more inclusive. Voting Rights Amendments Advanced Session

Voting Rights Amendments Introductory Session Federal laws govern voting rights. Learn about the laws and how they protect your rights and make it easier for you to vote. U.S. election laws date back to Article 1 of the Constitution. This gave states the responsibility of overseeing federal elections.

Many constitutional amendments and federal laws protecting voting rights have been passed since then. Federal laws passed over the years help protect Americans' right to vote and make it easier for citizens to exercise that right: Learn more about the federal laws that protect your ability to vote with Know Your Voting Rights from the Department of Justice. Most states require you to show some form of identification before you're allowed to vote. Learn more about states' voter ID requirements. Democracy, JLPP, REPRESENTATION, VotingRights

Lydia Obasi once said, “My vote is my voice…and the voice of all who struggled, so that I may have my voice.” Voting has been a crucial part of political discourse for generations, as... In the 1700s, the right to vote was bestowed solely to white male landowners. The aftermath consisted of decades of poll taxes and literacy tests to keep the right to vote out of the hands of African American men, women, youth, indigenous groups, and immigrants from U.S. territories like Puerto Rico. Achieving the right to vote for these many groups has not been an easy road, as many individuals sacrificed their lives fighting for a voice in politics that has seemingly become forgotten in today’s... Today, along with a new wave of voter suppression, people have become apathetic and passive, unenthusiastic to engage in their civic duty of voting.

Whilst voting rates of various groups fluctuate, one thing remains constant—the massive role voting plays in the government and public policy. Contrary to what many believe, the right to vote is not just significant when choosing a president. It also allows you to elect judges who will interpret rules and the law and set precedent, state congressmen and legislatures who directly oversee your state and neighborhoods—setting state law that has a direct... Voting gives you the power to elect individuals who share the same morals to represent you and determine a better quality of life for you and your loved ones. Voting decides where your tax dollars go and how much schools, hospitals, public spaces, infrastructure, and the arts get. Voting is essential because it allows for a variety of groups to have a seat on the floor, rather than groups being disregarded and not taken into consideration for any policy.

Voting directly impacts the bills and laws that are passed, which will impact employment, housing, education, and health. For the past several years, the U.S. has seen a shift in voting policies and turmoil covering the topic of voting. Currently, states have a wide variety of differences in how they conduct voting. States like Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and Arizona have a strict deadline for voters to register, whilst other states like Virginia, Wyoming, and California have no deadline to register. As it stands, 15 states do not require a voter to present a valid form of ID to vote, and other states require signature verification.

Some states like Maine and Alaska have implemented rank-choice voting to some extent, while states like Florida and Kentucky have prohibited rank-choice voting entirely. In 2021, legislators introduced 389 bills with restrictive voting provisions in 48 states. Twenty-two bills with restrictive provisions have already been enacted. These restrictive provisions included limiting absentee voting and disability access. Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama have passed laws since 2020 restricting who can witness a person sign their absentee ballot, how many ballots a single person can witness, and who can return those ballots on... These laws have been intentionally targeting specific communities.

For example, Alabama is one of only four states that don’t allow in-person early voting, and absentee voting is more often used by Black voters who work regular jobs and can’t visit the polls... Voter suppression has become an implicit goal on many leaders’ political agenda. This has been pushed through legislation physically limiting individuals from voting and using media to create a lack of faith in the voting system to keep citizens complacent with everything going on. In the days leading up to the 2024 Presidential Election, ballots were set on fire in Oregon, Washington, and Arizona. Hundreds of ballots were damaged in these fires, and as we know in certain swing counties and states, mere votes may separate the winner and the loser. This intimidation tactic would most likely impact individuals of the Democratic party as they are more likely to mail in their ballots.

Additionally, Republican officials have weaponized the media to cast doubt on the voting system, fueling conspiracies of voter fraud and stolen elections. Donald Trump has said on multiple occasions that the Democrats rigged the 2020 election, that mail-in-ballots cause massive fraud, and that we have a bad voting system. False accusations that have been fact-checked and debunked and the use of negative rhetoric surrounding our voting system may encourage individuals not to vote because they do not believe that it would make a... Through research, lawsuits, and advocacy, the Brennan Center is fighting voter suppression on every front. False claims of fraud are driving attempts to interfere with the independent, nonpartisan counting of votes and certification of election results. Americans are increasingly living in a nation divided, where how easy it is to vote depends on where they happen to live.

We promote solutions that would modernize and standardize voting access policies across the nation and make it easier for eligible Americans to register and to vote. Our aging voting infrastructure leaves the U.S. election system vulnerable to attack and causes long lines that keep some people from casting a ballot. Meanwhile, election officials are coming under unprecedented attack. The Brennan Center has proposed legislation to fund much-needed updates to our election infrastructure. We support constitutional reforms that would eliminate the Electoral College in favor of direct election of the president by a national popular vote.

See highlights from CAC’s recent work, including media appearances, ongoing litigation, newly published scholarship, and upcoming events. CAC pursues a litigation strategy unique among progressive legal organizations by relying on the Constitution’s text and history. Our powerful amicus briefs provide invaluable arguments to Supreme Court Justices, legal scholars, and fellow advocates. Our clients include current and former bipartisan Members of Congress, state and local officials, law professors, and various nonprofit organizations. CAC’s efforts help to secure important legal victories in the Supreme Court, lower federal courts, and state supreme courts. CAC produces scholarship showing that the Constitution’s text and history command progressive results.

We publish comprehensive accounts of some of the most important and contentious topics in modern constitutional and federal law through issue briefs, white papers, insights, and our think tank series. Our legal experts also inform public discussion around these topics by giving written and oral testimony in congressional committee hearings. As of October 2025, the Supreme Court is poised to issue rulings in two cases that could fundamentally reshape American democracy. At stake is the future of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the single most effective piece of civil rights legislation in the nation’s history. The Court’s decisions in Louisiana v. Callais and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians v.

Howe will determine how, and even if the law’s remaining protections against racial discrimination in voting can be enforced for generations to come. So WhatIf SCOTUS narrows or curtails the enforcement paths under the Voting Rights Act, the practical ability to challenge discriminatory voting laws could be dramatically reduced—meaning that even if discriminatory practices remain or increase,... This would shift much of the burden of protection onto the Department of Justice, which has limited resources compared to the hundreds of private lawsuits historically brought. For minority communities—especially in states with histories of voter-suppression or weak protections—this could translate into diminished electoral power, fewer avenues for accountability, and a higher likelihood that new restrictive voting laws go unchallenged. To understand the cases before the Supreme Court today, you must first understand the century-long struggle that made the Voting Rights Act necessary. The law was not a beginning, but a corrective measure designed to fulfill a constitutional promise that had been broken for nearly 100 years.

In the aftermath of the Civil War, the United States ratified three transformative amendments to the Constitution. The 14th Amendment (1868) guaranteed all persons “equal protection of the laws,” and the 15th Amendment (1870) was even more explicit, declaring that the right of citizens to vote “shall not be denied or... WASHINGTON, DC – Following oral argument at the Supreme Court this morning in Louisiana v. Callais on whether to reverse a district court decision that held unconstitutional the map the Louisiana legislature enacted to remedy a prior violation of the Voting Rights Act, Constitutional Accountability Center Director of the... Gans issued the following reaction: The Voting Rights Act is the nation’s most important civil rights law that helps safeguard the multiracial democracy our Constitution guarantees.

In this morning’s argument, the Court’s conservative wing seemed poised to gut the Voting Rights Act’s nationwide prohibition on discriminatory results, repeatedly suggesting that any use of race to remedy a state’s racially discriminatory... This idea that the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments—added to the Constitution to ensure that Black Americans would be full members of the body politic—bars legal remedies for racial vote dilution designed to cancel out... The text and history of the Fifteenth Amendment give Congress broad powers to eradicate all forms of racial discrimination in voting, authorizing enforcement measures, such as the Voting Rights Act, to ensure that voters... The Framers of the Fifteenth Amendment understood that race mattered, and that made it critical to give Congress broad powers to squelch efforts to suppress or cancel out the votes of Black Americans. In this morning’s oral argument, the Court’s conservative Justices turned a blind eye to this core part of the Fifteenth Amendment’s text and history. The Voting Rights Act was passed to vindicate the Fifteenth Amendment’s promise of a participatory democracy open to all regardless of race.

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