Opinion | How readers are working to renovate our democracy (News Clips) 10/19/2023 This opinion was originally published in the Washington Post. One of my recent columns offered a list of FAQs about democracy…
College Voter Guide: Q&A (Blog) 10/17/2023 Student loans. Protecting the environment. Racial justice. Affordable housing. Reproductive rights. Young people’s…, How do I know if I’m registered to vote? If I’m not, how do I register? You can check your registration, register for the first time, or…, I'm already registered at my hometown address. Should I change my registration to my campus address? If you’re registered to vote at the…, Can I vote somewhere other than my assigned polling place? If you plan to vote in person on Election Day, you must vote at your assigned…, I don't have transportation. Can I still vote? Absolutely! Check to see if your assigned polling place is within walking distance. Early…, What should I take with me to the polls? You may not need to bring anything to the polls, but to make things easier, you can bring:…, How do I decide who to vote for? Ultimately, your values and your community’s needs determine who you vote for. There are many ways to find…
League Joins Effort to Encourage Disclosure of Campaign Bundlers (Legal Document) 10/5/2023 To Whom It May Concern: As the third-quarter campaign finance filing deadline approaches, we, the undersigned organizations, urge you to publicly…
A Racial Gerrymandering Case at the Supreme Court: Alexander v. SC State Conf. of the NAACP (Blog) 10/3/2023 The Supreme Court’s 2022 Term brought us redistricting wins (though the fights were a little too close for comfort in Allen v. Milligan and Moore v.…, If map drawers use race as a predominant factor while redistricting but can’t show a compelling reason for doing so, the resulting districts are…, South Carolina’s Racially Gerrymandered Map After the 2020 Census, states were required to redraw their congressional districts to reflect…, In their complaint, the plaintiffs argue the legislature impermissibly used race when redrawing the map because they chose to use race over…, South Carolina appealed to the United States Supreme Court, which automatically hears appeals on racial gerrymandering claims. In its appellate…, The brief also detailed how the enacted congressional districts artificially divided Charleston County and its main economic assets by placing tens…, Without the protection of Section 5, voters seeking to challenge racial discrimination in redistricting must file suit in federal court, as the…
LWVUS Joins Comments for Mental Health Parity Under Private Health Insurance (Legal Document) 10/2/2023 The League of Women Voters of the United States joined public comments on the proposed rule on mental health parity under private health insurance…
The Hyde Amendment: An Abortion Barrier Hiding in Plain Sight (Blog) 9/28/2023 Content warning: This blog contains brief mentions of medical treatment in cases of rape and incest The Hyde Amendment prohibits the use of federal…, Medicaid is a joint federal-state program that provides medical benefits to people living with low incomes, including more than 16 million women of…, Upon the Hyde Amendment’s passage in 1980, the number of abortions funded by federal Medicaid dollars dropped from roughly 300,000 per year to a few…, South Dakota is the one state in violation of the federal standard and only funds abortions in cases of life endangerment. Seventeen states use state…, For individuals on federal medical programs who live in the 32 states and DC where state funds are not used for abortion services beyond federal…
Supreme Court Review: The October 2022 Term (Blog) 9/26/2023 This blog is intended for educational purposes and does not reflect the policy positions of the League of Women Voters. During the 2022…, These decisions reveal a Court majority that, while unwilling to completely upend well-established checks and balances and protections against racial…, After the North Carolina Supreme Court struck down gerrymandered congressional maps under the state constitution’s free and equal elections clause,…, But the opinion contained a caveat giving federal courts a role in interpreting state court decisions on state law, stating “federal courts must not…, Ms. Smith claimed that she planned to expand her business by building unique, tailored wedding websites for couples but refused to create any…, The majority opinion stated that Ms. Smith’s websites constituted expressive content — content that was personal to her. Given the content’s…, Given the widely diverging interpretations of this ruling by the majority and dissent, the effect of this ruling is unclear. This decision will…, Fundamentally, the Court’s opinion ensures that Section 2 remains a viable tool to challenge redistricting maps that fail to give voters of color an…, The Voting Rights Act and the rights it protects cannot be truly secure until there are laws and elected officials at all levels of government…, SFFA argued the institutions’ policies violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which applied to these universities due to…, By striking down affirmative action in higher education admissions, the Court’s six conservative majority made clear that they do not like to view…
LWVUS Joins Letter Urging Congress to Support SNAP for College Students (Legal Document) 9/22/2023 The League of Women Voters of the United States joined a sign-on letter urging Congress to support the Enhance Access to SNAP Act. This…
LWVUS Joins Comments on Nondiscrimination Protections in HHS Grant-Funded Services (Legal Document) 9/11/2023 The League of Women Voters of the United States signed onto comments to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding its…
LEAGUE VICTORY: Court Strikes Down Florida’s Congressional Map (Press Release) 9/7/2023 Tallahassee, FL — A Florida trial court has sided with plaintiffs including the League of Women Voters of Florida in the case Black…