April, 27 2020, 12:00am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Email:,press@lawyerscommittee.org
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Releases State Election Law Resource
Easily Searchable Tables on Voter Registration, Absentee Balloting, In-Person Voting and More.
WASHINGTON
Today, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights published an online resource that allows users to easily search information about every state's election procedures. Complicated state level procedures for voting are often confusing and difficult to navigate in the best of times. This problem is only exacerbated during a public health emergency. The new online resource developed by Lawyers' Committee is designed to provide voters and advocates with up-to-date information and clarity on election procedures in one user friendly location.
The online State Election Law Overview resource provides detailed information to voters and advocates on several relevant topics, including voter registration, absentee balloting, and in-person early voting. Users can search relevant information both by issue area across all states and D.C., and by state across all issue areas. This allows the user to not only compare across states, but also to see how the various voting restrictions in a particular state can, together, impact voter access. The information in the online resource will be regularly updated by Lawyers' Committee staff during the 2020 Election Cycle to account for changes to election procedures.
"To ensure that voters can safely and effectively cast ballots during the ongoing public health emergency, we must first identify the state-level restrictions that are impeding ballot access," said Ajay Saini, Counsel at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. "States that require voters to provide an excuse to cast an absentee ballot, or that restrict the availability of early voting, are creating unnecessary public health risks. Our goal is to provide advocates with the tools necessary to determine where those unnecessary risks exist, so that they can do the hard work of pushing their states to adjust and make voting safe for everyone. This online resource will aid in that effort."
The online resource is a helpful tool for determining states with significant restrictions on alternatives to in-person Election Day voting. For instance, the accumulated information shows that at least eight states fail to make in-person early voting available to all voters. This means voters in those states may face long lines on Election Day. Similarly, sixteen states require voters to provide an excuse to qualify for a mail-in ballot, although at least eight have adopted adjustments during the public health emergency designed to allow expanded access for voters practicing social distancing. In addition, the online resource provides detailed information about identification requirements not just for in-person voters, but for the few states that require mail-in ballot voters to submit copies of identification. This and additional information can prove helpful in efforts to deconstruct barriers to the ballot box.
The online resource is available on Lawyers' Committee's website by clicking here. This resource can also be found on the COVID-19 Racial Justice Initiative page on our website under the Voting Rights Amid COVID-19 and the Resources tabs.
For more information, contact press@lawyerscommittee.org.
The Lawyers' Committee is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to enlist the private bar's leadership and resources in combating racial discrimination and the resulting inequality of opportunity - work that continues to be vital today.
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