Constitutional Accountability Center Constitutional Accountability Center

Voting Rights and Democracy

Ensuring the integrity of our elections by protecting the people’s ability to exercise their constitutional right to vote
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Suffrage Parade | American Press Association, (Public Domain)

Summary

The right to vote, essential to a well-functioning democracy, is the most enshrined right in the Constitution and is protected by five separate Amendments. CAC works to extend this fundamental right to all Americans and push back against attacks that attempt to limit the people’s access to the ballot box.

Voting Rights and Democracy in Brief

Vote Here sign | Lettawren, Flickr

Since the Supreme Court’s ruling in Shelby County v. Holder, conservative state and federal officials have proposed or passed restrictions aimed at abridging the right to vote. Discover how CAC is defending our democracy and the people’s access to the ballot box against these attacks.

Featured Case

Voting Rights and Democracy September 6, 2024

In re: Georgia Senate Bill 202

The Materiality Provision in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits states from denying the right to vote over paperwork errors or omissions that are immaterial to a voter’s qualifications to vote. In 2021, Georgia passed an omnibus election law, known as S.B. 202, that requires voters mailing in an absentee ballot to write their birthdate on the envelope (“the Birthdate Requirement”). If a voter makes an error or fails to include the date altogether, Georgia law mandates that her ballot be rejected.  The District Court for the Northern District of Georgia held that the Birthdate Requirement likely violated the...

Case Timeline

Current
  • CAC files amicus brief in the District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

Related Issue Areas

Civil and Human Rights See More
Corporate Accountability See More