voting rights Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Hispanic leaders would challenge the City of Pasco’s new redistricting map

By Johanna Bejarano December 16, 2022

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

Organizaciones ayudan a los votantes hispanos a entender el proceso electoral

By Johanna Bejarano November 5, 2022

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… Continue Reading Organizaciones ayudan a Read More

Organizations help Hispanic voters understand the electoral process

By Johanna Bejarano November 4, 2022

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… Continue Reading Read More

Voting access for people with disabilities in Washington

By Dori Luzzo Gilmour October 27, 2022

table with a voting booth, a disabled parking sign

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,… Continue Reading Voting access for people Read More

No Charges In Washington Ballot Drop Box Surveillance Investigation

By Austin Jenkins September 1, 2022

Signs like this one at the Broadview library branch in north Seattle popped up at some King County ballot drop boxes in July. They prompted concerns about voter intimidation and ultimately an investigation by the King County Sheriff's Office.

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. Continue Reading No Charges In Washington Ballot Drop Box Read More

Poll: Two-Thirds Of Americans Believe Democracy Is Under Threat, But For Different Reasons

By PBS Newshour July 4, 2021

Electioneers greet voters outside the Hamilton County Government Center

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

With No GOP Votes, Republicans Block Democrats’ Sweeping Voting Rights Legislation In The Senate

By NPR News June 22, 2021

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks Tuesday after the weekly Senate Republican Policy luncheon. McConnell united his caucus in opposition to Democrats' election overhaul bill. CREDIT: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Democrats' massive election overhaul bill aimed at protecting and expanding voting rights and reforming campaign finance laws has stalled in the Senate. Continue Reading With No GOP Votes, Republicans Block Read More

Gov. Jay Inslee Signs Bill To Restore Voting Rights To Washington Parolees

By NWPB News April 8, 2021

File photo, Dec. 2020. State Rep. Tarra Simmons, D-Bremerton, holds blank voter registration forms as she poses for a photo at her home in Bremerton, Wash. Simmons was incarcerated herself before being released and becoming a lawyer, and then winning a state House seat in 2020. CREDIT: Ted S. Warren/AP

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

MLB Moves All-Star Game To Colorado Amid Uproar Over Georgia Voting Law

By NPR News April 6, 2021

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

MLB Moves All-Star Game From Atlanta Over Georgia’s New Voting Law

By NPR News April 3, 2021

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, pictured in January, on Friday said the organization unwaveringly supports "fair access to voting." Kevin D. Liles/AP

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 Legislature Passes Bill Granting Voting Rights To Felony Parolees

By NWPB News March 26, 2021

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 Governor Signs Election Overhaul, Including Changes To Absentee Voting

By NPR News March 25, 2021

Voters stand in line to cast their ballots during the first day of early voting in the U.S. Senate runoffs at Lenora Park in Atlanta in December 2020. CREDIT: Tami Chappell/AFP via Getty Images

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

High Noon For The Future Of The Voting Rights Act At The Supreme Court

By NPR News March 2, 2021

The U.S. Supreme Court, where conservatives have a 6-3 majority, is to consider a case that could gut the Voting Rights Act of 1965. CREDIT: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

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. Continue Reading High Noon For The Future Of Read More

Federal Judge Dismisses Effort To Throw Out Drive-Through Votes In Houston

By NPR News November 3, 2020

Voters drop off mail-in ballots last month at a drive-through polling place in Houston. Some 127,000 voters cast their ballots at drive-through locations in the Houston area. CREDIT: Callaghan O'Hare/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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. Continue Reading Federal Judge Dismisses Effort To Throw Out Read More

Susan B. Anthony Museum Rejects President Trump’s Pardon Of The Suffragist

By NPR News August 21, 2020

This 1895 portrait of Susan B. Anthony was painted by Carl Gutherz when Anthony was president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, a group dedicated to women's voting rights. Courtesy of National Portrait Gallery

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. Continue Reading Susan B. Anthony Museum Read More

Rep. John Lewis, A Force In The Civil Rights Movement, Dies At 80

By NPR News July 18, 2020

Rep, John Lewis, who spoke at the 1963 March on Washington, said it was a moral obligation to stand up for his beliefs. CREDIT: Susan Walsh/AP

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. Continue Reading Rep. John Lewis, A Force In The Civil Read More

Déjà Vu All Over Again: Suit Alleges Latinx Voters Disenfranchised By Yakima County Election System

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa July 13, 2020

Dulce Gutierrez, right, Assistant Mayor of Yakima, speaks Jan. 5, 2018, during a news conference at the Capitol in Olympia about the need to address voter access in the state.

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

Felon Voting Rights Bill Dies On Washington Senate Floor In The Middle Of Debate

By Austin Jenkins February 19, 2020

File photo - Washington prison - Courtesy of Washington Department of Corrections

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