National Advocacy: Fighting Voter Suppression
Lisa Ratner | Published on 6/5/2024
In May, a federal judge in Hispanic Federation v. Byrd permanently blocked part of a Florida law which targeted nonpartisan civic engagement groups if non-citizens—including permanent legal residents—helped with nonpartisan voter registration activities. Third-party organizations, including the League, could face fines of up to $50,000 for each ineligible person involved in collecting voter registration applications. The law would silence community-based groups that rely on both citizens and non-citizens to help eligible voters in their communities participate in democracy. The court ruled that the Citizenship Requirement is facially unconstitutional because it violates non-citizens’ rights to equal protection under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
In April 2024, the League and co-plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in Alabama against SB 1, which makes it a felony to help someone apply for an absentee ballot. The lawsuit argues that SB 1 violates section 208 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which states that any voter who requires assistance to vote by reason of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write may be given assistance by a person of the voter’s choice, other than the voter’s employer or agent of the voter’s union. Penalties under this extreme law range up to 20 years in prison. The law harms voters—particularly voters with disabilities, elderly voters, incarcerated voters, low-literacy voters, and Black voters, as well as nonpartisan civic engagement groups including churches and the League.