"No voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any State or political subdivision to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color."
- Voting Rights Act of 1965, Section 2
CC Image Courtesy of hjl on Flickr
Since its inception, the United States has been a beacon in the world for democratic principles. These principles have been physically manifested in the voting booths where so many Americans go to choose their leaders. With this being said though, America still can improve in how it holds elections. In 2008, the last Presidential election, only an estimated 61.7% of eligible voted in the Presidential election. Despite this being a relatively high number for the country, there is clearly significant room for improvement. There is also the issue of felon disenfranchisement, a process which has kept felons from voting after their sentences are over.
The ACLU strongly believes in the importance of the democratic process and seeks to promote voting regulation that incentivizes as many people to vote as possible. Compromising the ease by which we all vote is only comprimising our democratic principles. In addition, the ACLU believes that public education on voting issues is crucial so that all citizens are aware of their importance and their rights as voters. A great example of this is our Get Your Vote Back program, which informs felons how to get their voting rights back after they are out of jail.