Civic groups are taking action against what they call voter suppression tactics in the South.

This week Alabama Values, Southern Leadership for Voter Engagement (SOLVE), and Groundwork Project joined forces with other organizations to discuss recent legislation such as Alabama House Bill 209.

The bill's provisions would forbid individuals from aiding in the distribution, ordering, requesting, collecting, obtaining, or delivering of an absentee ballot application or absentee ballot on behalf of someone else.

During the briefing, Dillion Nettles - policy and advocacy director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama - said the bill also criminalizes civic organizations and individuals wanting to assist others in exercising their right to vote by limiting who can help get the ballots or applications.

"But that is a very narrow group of individuals," said Nettles. "You essentially have to be someone who works as an election official or works in the absentee election managers office, you have to be a next of kin of that individual, or someone who lives with them. "

If it passes, HB 209 would establish felony charges for people who break the law.

According to Kiana Jackson - research and coalition organizing manager at New Disabled South - this bill not only hinders organizations that facilitate voting accessibility, but also creates greater hurdles for older adults and individuals with disabilities.

"We know that about 7.5% of disabled people are not able to have a voter ID, compared to able bodied people at 4%," said Jackson. "So there are huge gaps in even how we vote but then particularly when we talk about accessibility and you're putting more and more barriers in place."

HB 209 is through the House and awaits action by the State Governmental Affairs Committee.

Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.




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The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lower-court ruling on a 5-to-4 vote Thursday, deciding Alabama's 2022 congressional maps violated the Voting Rights Act.

The decision safeguards Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which bans voting practices of discrimination based on race, color or membership in specific language groups. As a result, Alabama may see new congressional maps soon.

Kathy Jones, president of the League of Women Voters of Alabama, praised the ruling as a "momentous day" for voters and voting-rights advocates, by guaranteeing Black voters in Alabama can fairly select their preferred candidate, knowing their votes matter.

"This ruling supports the decision of the three-judge panel that these maps diluted voting power based on race," Jones asserted. "It is a powerful declaration that Black voices in Alabama will no longer be ignored. We are pleased that we are one step closer to finally achieving equal representation in our state."

Mapmakers distributed residents into districts in such a way to only allowed Black voters to elect candidates in one district, despite comprising about 27% of the state's voting-age population. The district court's unanimous decision had said not one, but two, compact congressional districts should have been formed with majorities or near-majorities of Black voters.

Jones added the ruling offers federal protection for those fighting other laws labeled as voter suppression, including House Bill 209, which would have made it criminal for civic organizations or individuals to help others vote by limiting those who could provide assistance with absentee ballots or applications.

Although the bill failed to pass during this year's legislative session, if it returns next year, Jones pointed out they can now rely on the high court's ruling for support.

"We fought it from beginning to end," Jones emphasized. "If they do decide to pass this bill next year over our opposition, then we will have legal protections to go after the state."

Even as she expressed optimism, Jones noted there's still work to be done to create more equity in voting. A statement from the National Redistricting Foundation indicated pending lawsuits over congressional districts in Georgia and Texas could also be affected.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.


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The Biden administration has unveiled a plan to combat the rise in antisemitism across the U.S. In New York, Anti-Defamation League data finds incidents of hate against Jewish people increased 39% between 2021 and 2022. The new plan aims to increase safety and security for Jewish communities, and increase awareness and education about antisemitism.

Myra Clark-Siegel, regional director of American Jewish Committee, Westchester/Fairfield, with the American Jewish Committee, said this should have been created before.

"It is not a small undertaking to bring the federal government together, to marshal the resources across 40 different government agencies, which is what this plan does," she said. "And, I think that there is a real recognition to do something."

She added once the policies and provisions of the plan are launched, any shortcomings or additional areas needing to be addressed will become apparent. A report from the American Jewish Committee finds 38% of Jewish people changed their behavior out of fear of antisemitism in 2022. But, 91% of non-Jewish Americans understand antisemitism is a serious problem that affects everyone, including Jewish people.

One pillar of the plan is to reverse the normalization of antisemitism and anti-Jewish discrimination. Along with a flurry of antisemitism awareness campaigns across numerous federal agencies, this includes adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism.

But, Clark-Siegel noted a wrinkle in using it.

"It's a working definition; it's not legally binding," she explained. "It's, instead, a definition so that we understand what antisemitism is, and then we can develop the tools and the resources to address it."

She added municipalities and states can adopt this working definition to build on their antisemitism plans. In 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul signed a package of hate-crime prevention legislation. Along with this, funding was allocated to community-based organizations for them to strengthen safety measures and protect people against hate crimes.


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On Wednesday, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed a trio of bills that sought to reduce gun violence.

Assembly Bill 354 would have cracked down on so-called "ghost gun" sale loopholes and prohibited guns at polling places. AB 355 would have raised the legal age to possess assault weapons from 18 to 21.

And SB 171 would have prohibited anyone convicted of a hate crime from owning, purchasing or possessing a firearm for 10 years.

Executive Director of Battle Born Progress Annette Magnus said she's "never been so disappointed about three bills" in her life.

At a news conference, Magnus said gun owners like herself - and the majority of Nevadans - support what she called "commonsense measures."

"We are here now to express our disappointment and disgust for the fact that he was willing and able to sign these measures into law to protect Nevadans, the day after yet another shooting that happened in New Mexico," said Magnus, "and he vetoed them as the first bills of session."

Magnus called Lombardo's action a "slap in the face."

In a statement, the governor said he won't support "legislation that infringes on the constitutional rights of Nevadans." He said he saw the bills as "in direct conflict with legal precedent and established constitutional protections."

Assembly Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui - D-Las Vegas - was among supporters of the bills, and is a survivor of the October 2017 shooting spree in Las Vegas that took 58 lives and left hundreds injured.

Jauregui said after Lombardo spent time consoling the families of that tragedy, she expected him - in her words - "to have the basic empathy to realize his responsibility to prevent future mass shootings and gun violence tragedies."

"It is disappointing for the governor to reject these commonsense measures that would save lives," said Jauregui. "I desperately wish the governor would put the safety of Nevadans ahead of partisan politics."

Jauregui added that rejecting the bills puts the governor "out of touch with everyday Nevadans."

Participants at the news conference said they'll continue to work for gun-violence prevention in the state.