Grassroots Group Aims to Counter Voter ID Laws
A Pennsylvania judge recently struck down that state’s Voter Identification Law. The move fueled efforts of a national voting rights initiative launched in Atlanta last summer.
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The Pennsylvania law will probably head to the state Supreme Court. But Voting Rights Project President Michael Sargeant says the ruling is a step in the right direction.
“It moves in line with the goals of the Voting Rights Project, which is to encourage free, fair and accessible elections,” Sargeant says.
The group says Voter ID laws suppress turnout for some groups, such as minorities, students, and seniors. They’d like to see the laws, passed in 34 states, overturned. That’s unlikely in Georgia, where the state Supreme Court upheld the Voter ID law.
That’s not lost on Stacey Abrams. She’s Georgia’s House Minority Leader and also chairs the Voting Rights Project.
“If Voter ID laws are going to exist, unfortunately, let’s make sure that we make every other aspect of getting access to the right to vote easier and simpler,” Abrams says.
Abrams says Georgia Democrats are trying to do that by proposing two new voter registration bills. One allows online registration. The other allows for one-time, portable voter registration. That means Georgia voters wouldn’t have to re-register to vote if they change jurisdictions.
Sargeant says the Voting Rights Project could introduce similar ideas in other states.
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