A Free the Vote Washington coalition sign in Richland, Washington. The coalition is encouraging people with past felony convictions to register to vote, which has been their right since a […]Read More
Jacob Johns speaks at an event September 19, 2023 in Spokane, Washington after unveiling his “Free the Vote” mural. (Credit: Jeff Ferguson) Listen (Runtime :57) Read Jacob Johns is an […]Read More
A Federal Judge has ruled that Washington State must adopt and enact new legislative maps for the Yakima Valley region by February 2024. Read More
The Washington Supreme Court denied the appeal challenging the constitutionality of the Washington State Voting Rights Act on the Latino voting rights lawsuit against Franklin County. The Court’s opinion came only a month after the judges heard oral arguments from the parties involved. Read More
The Washington State Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the Latino voting rights lawsuit against Franklin County. The hearing comes one year after Latino voters settled an agreement with the county to create single-member district systems for elections. But during the case, a Franklin County citizen challenged the constitutionality of the Washington State Voting Rights Read More
Dolores Huerta spoke about her years of activism at the WSU Pullman campus April 3. (Credit: College Assistance Migrant Program) Listen (Runtime 1:07) Read Civil rights activist Dolores Huerta spoke […]Read More
Hispanic leaders said they might sue the City of Pasco over its newly approved redistricting map. They insist the map dilutes the Latino vote. But council members insist the map complied with the Washington State Voting Rights Act requirements.Read More
Un votante devuelve su papeleta en Washington. Foto: Johanna Bejarano. LEA Grupos de defensa del derecho al voto están ayudando a los hispanos del centro de Washington a entender el […]Read More
Listen (Runtime 0:56) Read Voting rights advocacy groups are helping Hispanic people in Central Washington understand the election process. Some citizens have not voted in past elections because they’ve had […]Read More
Private voting booth at Benton County Auditor Listen Thousands of Benton and Franklin County adults are living with disabilities. Most are legally eligible to vote. As the general election approaches, […]Read More
An investigation by the King County Sheriff’s Office into a ballot drop box surveillance effort organized by conservative activists has wrapped up without criminal charges.Read More
Ahead of the first Fourth of July since an attack on the Capitol, fueled by baseless claims of voter fraud, and as several GOP-led states work now to enact stricter voting rules, majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents express worry about the health of democracy.Read More
Democrats' massive election overhaul bill aimed at protecting and expanding voting rights and reforming campaign finance laws has stalled in the Senate.Read More
Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday signed a bill automatically restoring voting rights to people who have been released from prison after committing felonies, even if they are still on parole — a measure sponsored by a lawmaker who was herself formerly incarcerated.Read More
Major League Baseball's 2021 All-Star Game will be played in Colorado's Coors Field, the league says, after it canceled plans for Atlanta to host baseball's midseason centerpiece. The change came in response to Georgia's controversial new voting law, which the MLB says is against its values.Read More
This summer's Major League Baseball Draft and the All-Star Game won't be held in Atlanta, MLB officials announced Friday. The withdrawal of the two events from the city in July is in response to Georgia's recently enacted voting restrictions, which critics, including President Biden, have denounced as "Jim Crow in the 21st century" because they say the legislation will Read More
Washington state lawmakers have voted to automatically restore voting rights to people who have been released from prison after committing felonies,
even if they’re still on parole. With the support of majority Democrats, the state Senate passed the measure 27-22 Wednesday night, following earlier approval by the House. It now heads to Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, who is Read More
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday signed a massive overhaul of election laws, shortly after the Republican-controlled state legislature approved it. The bill enacts new limitations on mail-in voting, expands most voters' access to in-person early voting and caps a months-long battle over voting in a battleground state.Read More
The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments Tuesday in a major voting rights case that could give state legislatures a green light to change voting laws, making it more difficult for some to vote.Read More
The decision means about 127,000 ballots cast by drive-through voting in the Houston area will be counted. It follows a similar ruling by the Texas Supreme Court on Sunday.Read More
The director of the museum, Deborah L. Hughes, suggests that the best way to honor Anthony would be to take a clear stance against voter suppression and to advocate for human rights for all.Read More
Lewis began his nearly 60-year career in public service leading sit-ins at segregated lunch counters in the Jim Crow-era South. He went on to serve in Congress for more than three decades.Read More
Yakima County is being sued over how it runs elections. In a lawsuit filed Monday, plaintiffs argue the current at-large voting system dilutes Latinx votes. That would violate the Washington State Voting Rights Act. A 2012 lawsuit against the city of Yakima claimed a similar disenfranchising voting system. Federal courts agreed in that case.Read More
Legislation to automatically restore the voting rights of convicted felons when they are released from prison has died unexpectedly in the Washington Senate. Majority Democrats abruptly ended debate on the controversial bill Wednesday evening when they realized they lacked the 25 votes needed to pass the measure.Read More
The NY Philharmonic has commissioned 19 women to create new works to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment. It's called Project 19.Read More
Tribes had sued because the law required voters to present identification with their home's street address — which often doesn't exist on reservations. Emergency rules will broaden the ID allowed.Read More
Yakima's next council will likely be different. Only two Latina candidates ran for office this year, and just one has a lead — a narrow one — over her opponent. Yakima’s population is nearly half Latinx. Read More
When he was just 26 years old, Emmet Jopling Bondurant II argued and won a foundational voting rights case in the Supreme Court. This week, he returns to take on partisan redistricting.Read More
A bill in the Washington Senate seeks to improve voting rights for Native Americans. The Native American Voting Rights Act is sponsored by John McCoy, the only tribal member in the state Senate.Read More
The Supreme Court has upheld a state law requiring voters' IDs to have street addresses, which many reservations do not use. Native American groups are now scrambling to prepare for Election Day.Read More
Judges in North Carolina said Tuesday that there isn't enough time to approve a new map before a new session of Congress — despite finding the map to be unconstitutionally gerrymandered.Read More
Youth age 16 and 17 will soon be able to pre-register to vote in Washington. That’s just one of several voting-related bills the governor is scheduled to sign into law soon.Read More
