Laws That Protect Your Right to Vote

Laws That Protect Your Right to Vote No American who is qualified to vote should ever be denied the right and opportunity to do so. That seems so simple. So basic. How can government by the people work if certain groups of the people are not allowed to vote? Unfortunately, in our nations history, some people have been, either intentionally or unintentionally, denied their right to vote. Today, four federal laws, all enforced by the U.S. Department of Justice, work in concert to ensure that all Americans are allowed to register to vote and enjoy an equal opportunity to cast a ballot on election day. Preventing Racial Discrimination in Voting For many years some states enforced laws clearly intended to prevent minority citizens from voting. Laws requiring voters to pass reading or intelligence tests, or pay a poll-tax denied the right to vote the most basic right in our form of democracy to untold thousands of citizens until the enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Also See: How to Report Voter Rights Violations The Voting Rights Act protects every American against racial discrimination in voting. It also ensures the right to vote to people for whom English is a second language. The Voting Rights Act applies to elections for any political office or ballot issue held anywhere in the nation. Most recently, the federal courts have used the Voting Rights Act to end practices amounting to racial discrimination in the way some states elected their legislative bodies, and chose their election judges and other polling place officials. Voter Photo ID Laws Twelve states now have laws requiring voters to show some form of photo identification in order to vote, with about 13 more considering similar laws. The federal courts are currently struggling to decide whether some or all of these laws violate the Voting Rights Act. More states moved to adopt photo ID voting laws in 2013, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Voting Rights Act did not allow the U.S. Department of Justice to automatically apply federal oversight of new election laws in states with histories of racial discrimination. While supporters of photo voter ID laws argue that they help prevent voter fraud, critics like the American Civil Liberties Union, cite studies showing that up to 11% of Americans lack an acceptable form of photo ID. Persons most likely to not have acceptable photo ID include minorities, elderly and disabled persons, and financially disadvantaged persons. State photo voter ID laws come in two forms: strict and non-strict. In strict photo ID law states, voters without an accepted form photo ID – driver’s license, state ID, passport, etc. are not allowed to cast a valid ballot. Instead, they are allowed to fill out â€Å"provisional† ballots, which remain uncounted until they are able to produce an accepted ID. If the voter does not produce a an accepted ID within a short period of time after the election, their ballot is never counted. In non-strict photo ID law states, voters without an accepted form photo ID are allowed to use alternative types of validation, such as signing an affidavit swearing to their identification or having a poll worker or election official vouch for them. In August 2015, a federal appeals court ruled that a Texas strict voter ID law discriminated against black and Hispanic voters and thus violated the Voting Rights Act. One of the strictest in the nation, the law required voters to produce a Texas driver’s license; U.S. passport; a concealed-handgun permit; or an election identification certificate issued by the State Department of Public Safety. While the Voting Rights Act still prohibits states from enacting laws intended to disenfranchise minority voters, whether photo ID laws do so or not, remains to be determined by the courts. Gerrymandering Gerrymandering is the process of employing the process of â€Å"apportionment† to improperly redraw the boundaries of state and local election districts in a way that tends to predetermine the results of elections by diluting the voting power of certain groups of people. For example, gerrymandering has been used in the past to â€Å"break up† election districts populated by mainly black voters, thus lessening the chances of black candidates being elected to local and state offices. Unlike photo ID laws, gerrymandering almost always violates the Voting Rights Act, because it typically targets minority voters. Equal Access to the Polls for Disabled Voters Approximately 1 in five eligible American voters has a disability. Failing to provide disabled persons easy and equal access to polling places is against the law. The  Help America Vote Act of 2002  requires the states to ensure that voting systems, including voting machines and ballots, and polling places are accessible to people with disabilities. In addition, the law require that assistance at the polling place is available to people with limited English skills. As of Jan. 1, 2006, every voting precinct in the nation is required to have at least one voting machine available and accessible to persons with disabilities. Equal access is defined as providing persons with disabilities the same opportunity for participation in voting, including privacy, independence and assistance, afforded other voters. To help in evaluating a precincts compliance with the Help America Vote Act of 2002, the Justice Department provides this handy  checklist for polling places. Voter Registration Made Easy The National Voter Registration Act of 1993, also called the Motor Voter law, requires all states to offer voter registration and assistance at all offices where people apply for drivers licenses, public benefits or other government services. The law also prohibits the states from removing voters from the registration rolls simply because they have not voted. The states are also required to ensure the timeliness of their voter registration rolls by regularly removing voters who have died or moved. Our Soldiers Right to Vote The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act of 1986 requires the states to ensure that all members of the U.S. armed forces who are stationed away from home, and citizens who are living overseas, can register and vote absentee in federal elections.

Electoral Votes by State for 2020

Electoral Votes by State for 2020 The number of Electoral College votes to be cast by each state was last adjusted by state population totals from the 2010 decennial census conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Results of the decennial census are also used in apportionment – the process by which the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives is divided among the states. Here is the list of electoral votes to be cast by each state in the 2020 presidential election. Alabama - 9, unchanged. The states population increased by 332,636 or 7.5 percent to 4,779,736 in 2010.Alaska - 3, unchanged. The states population increased by 83,299 or 13.3 percent to 710,231 in 2010.Arizona - 11, an increase of 1 electoral vote. The states population increased by 1,261,385 or 24.6 percent to 6,392,017 in 2010.Arkansas - 6, unchanged. The states population increased by 242,518 or 9.1 percent to 2,915,918 in 2010.California - 55, unchanged. The states population increased by 3,382,308 or 10 percent to 37,253,956 in 2010.Colorado - 9, unchanged. The states population increased by 727,935 or 16.9 percent to 5,029,196 in 2010.Connecticut - 7, unchanged. The states population increased by 168,532 or 4.9 percent to 3,574,097 in 2010.Delaware - 3, unchanged. The states population increased by 114,334 or 14.6 percent to 897,934 in 2010.District of Columbia - 3, unchanged. The states population increased by 29,664 or 5.2 percent to 601,723 in 2010.Florida - 29, an increase of 2 electoral votes. The states population increased by 2,818,932 or 17.6 percent to 18,801,310 in 2010. Georgia - 16, an increase of 1 electoral vote. The states population increased by 1,501,200 or 18.3 percent to 9,687,653 in 2010.Hawaii - 4, unchanged. The states population increased by 148,764 or 12.3 percent to 1,360,301 in 2010.Idaho - 4, unchanged. The states population increased by 273,629 or 21.1 percent to 1,567,582 in 2010.Illinois - 20, a decrease of 1 electoral vote. The states population increased by 411,339 or 3.3 percent to 12,830,632 in 2010.Indiana - 11, unchanged. The states population increased by 403,317 or 6.6. percent to 6,483,802 in 2010.Iowa - 6, a decrease of 1 electoral vote. The states population increased by 120,031 or 4.1 percent to 3,046,355 in 2010.Kansas - 6, unchanged. The states population increased by 164,700 or 6.1 percent to 2,853,118 in 2010.Kentucky - 8, unchanged. The states population increased by 297,598 or 7.4 percent to 4,339,367 in 2011.Louisiana - 8, a decrease of 1 electoral vote. The states population increased by 64,396 or 1.4 percent t o 4,533,372 in 2010. Maine - 4, unchanged. The states population increased by 53,438 or 4.2 percent to 1,328,361 in 2010.Maryland - 10, unchanged. The states population increased by 477,066 or 9 percent to 5,773,552 in 2010.Massachusetts - 11, a decrease of 1 electoral vote. The states population increased by 198,532 or 3.1 percent to 6,547,629 in 2010.Michigan - 16, a decrease of 1 electoral vote. The states population fell by 54,804 or 0.6 percent to 9,883,640 in 2010.Minnesota - 10, unchanged. The states population increased by 384,446 or 7.8 percent to 5,303,925 in 2010.Mississippi - 6, unchanged. The states population increased by 122,639 or 4.3 percent to 2,967,297 in 2010.Missouri - 10, a decrease of 1 electoral vote. The states population increased by 393,716 or 7 percent to 5,988,927 in 2010.Montana - 3, unchanged. The states population increased by 87,220 or 9.7 percent to 989,415 in 2010.Nebraska - 5, unchanged. The states population increased by 115,078 or 6.7 percent to 1,826,341 in 2010. Nevada - 6, an increase of 1 electoral vote. The states population increased by 702,294 or 35.1 percent to 2,700,551 in 2010.New Hampshire - 4, unchanged. The states population increased by 80,684 6.5 percent to 1,316,470 in 2010.New Jersey - 14, a decrease of 1 electoral vote. The states population increased by 377,544 or 4.5 percent to 8,791,894 in 2010.New Mexico - 5, unchanged. The states population increased by 240,133 or 13.2 percent to 2,059,179 in 2010.New York - 29, a decrease of 2 electoral votes. The states population increased by 401,645 or 2.1 percent to 19,378,102 in 2010.North Carolina - 15, unchanged. The states population increased by 1,486,170 or 18.5 percent to 9,535,483 in 2010.North Dakota - 3, unchanged. The states population increased by 30,391 or 4.7 percent to 672,591 in 2010.Ohio - 18, a decrease of 2 electoral votes. The states population increased by 183,364 or 1.6 percent to 11,536,504 in 2010.Oklahoma - 7, unchanged. The states population increased by 30 0,697 or 8.7 percent to 3,751,351 in 2010. Oregon - 7, unchanged. The states population increased by 409,675 or 12 percent to 3,831,074 in 2010.Pennsylvania - 20, a decrease of 1 electoral vote. The states population increased by 421,325 or 3.4 percent to 12,702,379 in 2010.Rhode Island - 4, unchanged. The states population increased by 4,248 or 0.4 percent to 1,052,567 in 2010.South Carolina - 9, an increase of 1 electoral vote. The states population increased by 613,352 or 15.3 percent to 4,625,364 in 2010.South Dakota - 3, unchanged. The states population increased by 59,336 or 7.9 percent to 814,180 in 2010.Tennessee - 11, unchanged. The states population increased by 656,822 or 11.5 percent to 6,346,105 in 2010.Texas - 38, an increase of 4 electoral votes. The states population increased by 4,293,741 or 20.6 percent to 25,145,561 in 2010.Utah - 6, an increase of 1 electoral vote. The states population increased by 530,716 or 23.8 percent to 2,763,885 in 2010.Vermont - 3, unchanged. The states population increased by 16,9 14 or 2.8 percent to 625,741 in 2010. Virginia - 13, unchanged. The states population increased by 922,509 or 13 percent to 8,001,024 in 2010.Washington - 12, an increase of 1 electoral vote. The states population increased by 830,419 or 14.1 percent to 6,724,540 in 2010.West Virginia - 5, unchanged. The states population increased by 44,650 or 2.5 percent to 1,852,994 in 2010.Wisconsin - 10, unchanged. The states population increased by 323,311 or 6 percent to 5,686,986 in 2010.Wyoming - 3, unchanged. The states population increased by 69,844 or 14.1 percent to 563,626 in 2010. While it will not change their number of Electoral College votes, population changes in three key presidential battleground states since the 2016 election could affect their influence on the outcome of the 2020 election. The continued population boom in Florida (29 electoral votes) all but assures its long-held status as a key swing-state. Arizona (11 electoral votes) jumps onto the list of 2020 swing states, while Nevada’s (6 electoral votes) record-setting growth between 2017 and 2018 could place the state even further out of reach for President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign. How the 2020 Census Could Change the Electoral Map While it will not affect the 2020 state-by-state Electoral College vote, the results of the 2020 U.S. Census could transform the electoral map going forward. The resulting decennial reapportionment process promises to reshape the political makeup of the House of Representatives in 2022 and the Electoral College for the 2024 presidential election. Updated by Robert Longley