After flipping the House of Representatives from red to blue in the 2018 midterm elections, Democrats vowed to tackle voter suppression as their first act. The midterm elections were fraught with charges of voter suppression in several states including North Dakota, Florida, Georgia and Ohio.
Some went to court and prevailed on the side of voting rights while others upheld attempts to suppress largely minority voting rights.
In response, House Dems plan to strengthen the Voting Rights Act weakened due to a Supreme Court decision gutting the Voting Rights Act. Democrats also plan to institute automatic voter registration.
“The bill would establish automatic voter registration and reinvigorate the Voting Rights Act, crippled by a Suprem… https://t.co/xV78CwwQzI— Resistbot (@Resistbot) 1542085580.0
“Other provisions would overturn the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, which declared political spending is F… https://t.co/PIPdOzEGhq— Resistbot (@Resistbot) 1542085603.0
I can’t wait for the @SenateGOP to vote against automatic voter registration. Presently, one party is trying to exp… https://t.co/SPbUYJTMv4— Resistbot (@Resistbot) 1542085800.0
Elijah Cummings says "voter suppression" is an oversight priority for House Democrats: "We cannot have a country wh… https://t.co/lLrY9cOzed— Kyle Griffin (@Kyle Griffin) 1541950212.0
As of October 2018, eight states and the District of Columbia provide automatic voter registration to their residents. Maryland, New Jersey, Washington and Massachusetts also plan to implement automatic registration.
Seventeen states and Washington DC allow same day voter registration, meaning voters can register and vote on the same day and often in the same place. Automatic voter registration would reduce the number of voters needing to register in each election cycle dramatically.
Many of the states that use automatic voter registration do it through their Department of Motor Vehicles and issuance of driver's licenses and state IDs. Unless a resident opts-out of registering to vote, they are automatically registered when their license or ID is issued.
After public outcry over voter suppression efforts in the 2018 midterms, the public support for the voting rights reforms Democrats propose ran high.
Voter suppression, perhaps more than any other force in our politics, prevents this nation from becoming a represen… https://t.co/I6KTa27Bq6— Jamil Smith (@Jamil Smith) 1542080968.0
Good morning. Florida Republicans write laws to deny the right to vote to 20% of African-Americans. They gerrym… https://t.co/Cv558VmXBZ— Chris Murphy (@Chris Murphy) 1541944090.0
@resistbot Some bad shit did happen in this and all elections: 1. Voter Suppression 2. A dysfunctional electorial p… https://t.co/kKoQVKpMOe— Drew Xray (@Drew Xray) 1542085853.0
People decried voter suppression efforts days after the election.
The topic is still on the minds of many in the United States.
Florida GOP's history of voter suppression: Illegally purged 12,000 voters in 2000 7 hour lines in 2012 Shut dow… https://t.co/4oEei12KqC— Ari Berman (@Ari Berman) 1541948537.0
The George W. Bush presidency was brought to us by voter suppression in FL. Remember that. All of this is connected.— Bree Newsome Bass (@Bree Newsome Bass) 1541897081.0
The party that engaged in rampant voter suppression to hang onto power is now accusing Democrats of stealing electi… https://t.co/pZmXVo5h4Z— Ari Berman (@Ari Berman) 1541896679.0
RT if you think elections are decided before anyone cast a ballot because of rampant voter suppression laws institu… https://t.co/m5gpItceVK— Ari Berman (@Ari Berman) 1542075791.0
House Dems' first bill includes: -Automatic voter registration -Restoration of the Voting Rights Act -Public fin… https://t.co/DzF7oAi3xu— Public Citizen (@Public Citizen) 1542058959.0
We have to institute automatic voter registration, re-establish the enforcement provision of the Voting Rights Act,… https://t.co/F37aqRsNfr— Julie Oliver (@Julie Oliver) 1542053635.0
.@HouseDemocrats owe it to voters - and all those denied their fundamental right to vote - to champion a new, stren… https://t.co/21ayCstoez— Max Burns (@Max Burns) 1541695044.0
@ghostdansing @Frequentj @nprpolitics This is the answer to Republican voter suppression. Let's hold Democrats to t… https://t.co/nPoo6mhm6h— IvoteBluePA (@IvoteBluePA) 1542079483.0
While Democrats may not get their bill passed through a Republican controlled Senate or a GOP President, voters will know who voted for and against their right to vote.