Two New Reports Highlight Impact of Voter Suppression in Southern States, Emphasizing Disproportionate Impacts on Voters of Color
The Southern Poverty Law Center published a report, A More than Decade-Long Erosion: Update on the Impact of Shelby v. Holder in the Deep South, that examines trends in voter suppression laws over the past year, a decade after the Supreme Court dismantled the core protections of the Voting Rights Act. In the absence of the Voting Rights Act’s federal protections, states in the Deep South have trended towards greater criminalization of voting, attacks on third-party voter registration, felony disenfranchisement, and other voter suppression tactics. The report gives a snapshot of new state laws undermining voting rights and political representation in the Deep South, emphasizing that these laws have a disproportionate impact on Black voters and carry on the legacy of racist Jim Crow laws designed to minimize Black communities’ political power.
Meanwhile, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice and SOLVE published a report, State of the South: Voting Rights Under Assault, that highlights how strict voter ID requirements, voter registration challenges, felony disenfranchisement, early voting restrictions, criminalization of voting, prison gerrymandering, and unfair voting maps interact to suppress voter turnout in the South – the region with the lowest voter turnout rates, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Because the South is home to the most eligible Black voters in the country, and Black voters make up a significant share of the electorate in many southern states, the attack on voting rights in the South amounts to an attack on the voting rights of Black Americans and other people of color. Voter suppression contributes to stark racial turnout gaps and perpetuates white supremacy. The report also spotlights legal and policy wins for voter access in the South, as well as ongoing advocacy and organizing efforts to secure voter protections.
New Report Provides Snapshot of Civic Engagement among Transgender Americans
The Advocates for Trans Equality Education Fund recently released a report, Civic Engagement in the 2022 US Transgender Survey, that provides data on voter registration, voter turnout, and other forms of civic engagement among transgender Americans surveyed in 2022.
Despite obstacles to voting, including strict voter ID laws that disproportionately affect transgender citizens, voting-eligible transgender Americans are registered to vote at a rate (82%) higher than that of the general population (73%). Three-quarters of transgender citizens who were eligible to vote in 2020 cast their ballots, compared to two-thirds of the general population.
The report also describes the policy priorities of U.S. Transgender Survey respondents. Among transgender Americans who were surveyed, 27% ranked housing and homelessness as one of their highest-priority issue areas – the fifth most commonly-cited of all policy priorities. Read the full report here.
Become an Our Homes, Our Votes Affiliate!
Our Homes, Our Votes convenes a network of affiliates, which are nonpartisan organizations that are committed to boosting voter turnout among low-income renters and elevating housing as an election issue. Advocacy organizations, direct service providers, resident councils and tenant associations, local governments, and other related organizations are welcome to become Our Homes, Our Votes affiliates.
Benefits of participating in the affiliates network include:
- Access to a listserv where NLIHC staff and campaign partners exchange ideas and announce opportunities related to nonpartisan voter engagement.
- Invitations to biweekly affiliates office hours, an agenda-free, drop-in, optional space where affiliates can workshop their nonpartisan election plans. Office hours take place every other Friday from 1 to 3 pm ET.
- Invitation to a post-election virtual gathering to debrief on the election cycle and brainstorm next steps for nonpartisan civic engagement.
- Enhanced access to Our Homes, Our Votes tools and resources, including customized TurboVote referral links to track the impact of nonpartisan voter engagement activities.
To learn more about the affiliates network and apply to join, visit: https://www.ourhomes-ourvotes.org/affiliates
Order Bilingual Our Homes, Our Votes Swag on Shopify!
Celebrate voter participation with new Our Homes, Our Votes swag! Visit Shopify for an expanded collection of Our Homes, Our Votes apparel, accessories, stickers, buttons, and more. The collection includes brand-new TurboVote magnets, which direct voters to NLIHC’s online voter registration and information platform. All swag is available in both English and Spanish. Check it out at: https://nlihc.myshopify.com/
For bulk orders, please reach out to [email protected].