The Department of Justice announced on December 12, 2025 that it had sued four additional states—Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Nevada—demanding complete, unredacted voter registration lists including driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers, bringing the total number …
Department of JusticeHarmeet DhillonJena GriswoldBill GalvinAndrea Joy Campbell+4 morevoter-suppressiondoj-weaponizationsurveillance-stateelectoral-manipulationcivil-liberties+2 more
In a controversial move, the Texas Legislature voted to change quorum rules and pass a new congressional map creating five additional safe Republican seats without Democratic members present. The legislature modified procedural rules to allow passage despite the absence of Democratic lawmakers, who …
Texas LegislatureTexas RepublicansGreg AbbottTexas House DemocratsTodd Hunterredistrictinggerrymanderingquorum-violationconstitutional-crisiselectoral-manipulation+2 more
U.S. Supreme Court allowed Virginia to purge over 1,600 voters within federally protected 90-day “quiet period” before 2024 election in 6-3 emergency decision, overturning lower court rulings in Beals v. Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights. Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Executive …
U.S. Supreme CourtGlenn Youngkin (Governor)Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rightsvoter-purgesupreme-courtnvra-violationnaturalized-citizensvoter-suppression+2 more
Georgia Supreme Court unanimously ruled the GOP-led State Election Board exceeded its authority by passing rules requiring hand-counting of ballots at polling places. Chief Justice Nels Peterson wrote the Board “cannot go beyond, change or contradict” state law. The court blocked four …
Georgia Supreme CourtGeorgia State Election BoardChief Justice Nels PetersonNAACP Georgiaelection-administrationelectionsstate-courtsvoter-suppressionhand-counting+1 more
A leaked video obtained by the watchdog group Documented and shared with Mother Jones revealed that Heritage Action for America, the advocacy arm of the Heritage Foundation, was orchestrating a coordinated $24 million campaign to push voter restriction legislation across eight key battleground …
Heritage ActionJessica AndersonHeritage FoundationHans von SpakovskyBrian Kemp+4 moreheritage-foundationvoter-suppressionelectoral-manipulationdark-moneyalec+4 more
Governor Brian Kemp signed Georgia’s SB 202, the “Election Integrity Act of 2021,” implementing a sweeping 98-page voter suppression law that became the first major state enactment of Trump’s “Big Lie” and ALEC’s post-2020 model legislation. Passed on strict …
Governor Brian KempGeorgia Republican LegislatureSecretary of State Brad RaffenspergerAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)alecvoter-suppressionelectoral-manipulationgeorgiabig-lie+2 more
Throughout 2021, at least 440 bills containing voter restriction provisions were introduced across 49 states, representing the largest coordinated assault on voting rights since Jim Crow and demonstrating ALEC’s systematic model legislation deployment at unprecedented scale. The Brennan Center …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Heritage FoundationHeritage ActionRepublican state legislatorsState Policy Networkalecvoter-suppressionelectoral-manipulationbig-lievoting-rights+3 more
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, appointed despite lacking postal experience and having conflicts of interest with USPS competitors, removed 711 high-speed mail sorting machines capable of processing 21.4 million pieces per hour during the 2020 election mail voting surge. DeJoy also eliminated …
Louis DeJoyUSPSDonald TrumpFederal Courtselection-interferencevoter-suppressioninstitutional-capturemail-votingdemocracy-erosion
A Wisconsin judge orders the state Elections Commission to immediately remove over 200,000 voters from registration rolls following a lawsuit by the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL). The purge targets voters flagged as potential “movers” based on data …
Wisconsin Institute for Law and LibertyWisconsin Elections Commissionvoter-suppressionwisconsinvoter-purgerepublican-party2020-election
Governor Ron DeSantis signs Senate Bill 7066 into law, requiring people with felony convictions to pay all fines, fees, court costs, and restitution before regaining voting rights—directly undermining the intent of Amendment 4, which Florida voters approved with 65% support just seven months …
Ron DeSantisFlorida LegislatureRepublican Partyvoter-suppressionfloridaamendment-4poll-taxron-desantis+1 more
Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp refuses to recuse himself from overseeing the 2018 gubernatorial election despite being the Republican candidate, creating an extraordinary conflict of interest. While running against Democrat Stacey Abrams, Kemp maintains control over voter registration, ballot …
Brian KempStacey AbramsGeorgia Secretary of Stateconflict-of-interestgeorgiabrian-kempelectoral-manipulationvoter-suppression
The Supreme Court rules 5-4 to uphold Ohio’s aggressive voter purge system—the most severe in the nation—that removes voters from registration rolls if they fail to vote in a single federal election and don’t return a mailed confirmation notice. Justice Samuel Alito’s majority …
On a single day in late July 2017, Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s office removes 560,000 Georgians—8% of the state’s registered voters—from the voter rolls in what may be the largest mass purge in U.S. history. The purge uses Georgia’s aggressive “use it or lose …
Brian KempGeorgia Secretary of Statevoter-suppressiongeorgiabrian-kempvoter-purgeracial-discrimination
President Trump signed an executive order creating the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, chaired by Vice President Mike Pence with Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach as vice chair and day-to-day administrator. The commission was established after Trump made unsubstantiated …
Donald TrumpKris KobachMike PenceMatthew Dunlapvoter suppressiondisinformationtrump administrationrepublican party
A federal judge rules that Texas’s voter ID law, widely considered the strictest in the nation, was intentionally designed to discriminate against Black and Latino voters. The ruling finds “a pattern of conduct unexplainable on grounds other than the race factor” and marks the …
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals strikes down North Carolina’s comprehensive voter suppression law (HB 589) in a scathing ruling that finds the legislature “target[ed] African Americans with almost surgical precision.” Judge Diana Gribbon Motz’s opinion exposes how North …
Fourth Circuit Court of AppealsDiana Gribbon MotzNorth Carolina General Assemblyvoting-rightsnorth-carolinavoter-suppressionracial-discriminationhb-589
Within hours of the Supreme Court’s Shelby County v. Holder decision gutting the Voting Rights Act, North Carolina Republicans introduce and rapidly pass House Bill 589, one of the most comprehensive voter suppression laws in the nation. The law imposes strict voter ID requirements, eliminates …
North Carolina General AssemblyRepublican Partyvoter-suppressionnorth-carolinarepublican-partyvoting-rightsracial-discrimination
The Supreme Court strikes down Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in a 5-4 decision, effectively nullifying Section 5’s preclearance requirement that prevented jurisdictions with histories of racial discrimination from changing voting laws without federal approval. Chief Justice …
In the 2012 congressional elections, North Carolina Democratic candidates receive over 50% of the statewide popular vote but win only 4 of the state’s 13 congressional seats—a stark demonstration of how the Republican-drawn maps from 2011 effectively nullify voter preferences. The results …
Democratic PartyRepublican PartyNorth Carolina General Assemblygerrymanderingelectoral-manipulationnorth-carolinaredmapvoter-suppression
Conservative activist James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles released heavily edited hidden camera videos purporting to show ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) employees advising them on tax evasion, human smuggling, and child prostitution. O’Keefe selectively edited …
James O'KeefeHannah GilesACORNvoter suppressiondisinformationrepublican partymedia manipulation
ALEC’s Public Safety and Elections Task Force approved the “Voter ID Act” model legislation at its July 2009 Atlanta meeting, with final Board of Directors approval on August 27, 2009. The model bill was created in direct response to Barack Obama’s 2008 election victory and …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Hans von SpakovskyHeritage FoundationALEC Public Safety and Elections Task Forcealecvoter-suppressionelectoral-manipulationcorporate-influencestate-capture+2 more
The Supreme Court upheld Indiana’s strict photo voter ID law in Crawford v. Marion County, ruling 6-3 that the state’s interest in preventing voter fraud and maintaining public confidence in elections justified the burden imposed on voters without qualifying identification. The decision …
Supreme CourtJohn Paul StevensIndiana LegislatureACLURepublican National Committeevoting-rightssupreme-courtvoter-idvoter-suppressionindiana
The systematic politicization of the Department of Justice Voting Section under the Bush administration culminated in scandal and resignations as congressional investigations revealed that career civil rights attorneys had been replaced with partisan operatives who blocked voting rights enforcement …
Alberto GonzalesHans von SpakovskyBradley SchlozmanJohn TannerMonica Goodlingvoting-rightsdoj-politicizationvoter-suppressioncivil-rights-divisionbush-administration
Hans von Spakovsky, serving as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice, led the department’s approval of Georgia’s controversial photo ID law in August 2005 despite unanimous objections from career Justice Department attorneys and …
Hans von SpakovskyDepartment of Justice Civil Rights DivisionGeorgia LegislatureHarold MurphyCareer DOJ Attorneysvoter-suppressionvoting-rights-actdoj-politicizationcivil-rights-rollbackjudicial-oversight+2 more
President George W. Bush signed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) into law, making sweeping reforms to the nation’s voting process following controversies in the 2000 presidential election. HAVA mandated provisional ballots for voters whose eligibility is questioned, allowing approximately 1.9 …
George W. BushElection Assistance Commissionelection manipulationvoter suppressiontechnologyfederal legislation
Throughout the 1990s, as the prison population exploded due to War on Drugs policies and “tough on crime” legislation, states expanded and entrenched felon disenfranchisement laws, creating a new form of mass voter exclusion that disproportionately impacted Black and Latino communities. …
State LegislaturesALECThe Sentencing ProjectRepublican Governorsvoting-rightsfelony-disenfranchisementmass-incarcerationvoter-suppressionalec
The Republican National Committee signed a consent decree in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey prohibiting tactics that could intimidate Democratic voters, settling a lawsuit filed by the Democratic National Committee over the 1981 New Jersey gubernatorial election. In that …
Republican National CommitteeDemocratic National CommitteeDickinson R. Debevoisevoter suppressionrepublican partyvoting rightsracial justice
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law, outlawing discriminatory voting practices that have disenfranchised millions of African Americans since Reconstruction. The legislation passes the Senate 77-19 on May 26 and the House 333-85 on July 9, overcoming a 24-day …
President Lyndon B. JohnsonMartin Luther King Jr.John LewisSouthern Democratic SenatorsRichard Russellvoting-rightscivil-rightssouthern-strategyinstitutional-resistancevoter-suppression
On June 21, 1964, three civil rights workers—James Chaney, 21, of Mississippi; Andrew Goodman, 20, of New York; and Michael Schwerner, 24, of New York—were murdered by the Ku Klux Klan with the direct participation of Neshoba County law enforcement officials. The killings, during the first week of …
James ChaneyAndrew GoodmanMichael SchwernerKu Klux KlanCecil Price+5 morecivil-rightsvoter-suppressionviolenceinstitutional-racismlaw-enforcement-complicity
The 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified on January 23, 1964, abolishing the poll tax as it applies to primary elections leading to general elections for federal office. The poll tax—a fee required to vote—has been used primarily in Southern states since Reconstruction as a means of …
U.S. CongressState legislaturesCivil rights movementvoting-rightspoll-taxvoter-suppression24th-amendmentcivil-rights-legislation
On July 6, 1887, the Hawaiian League—a secret organization of white American and European businessmen, lawyers, sugar planters, and missionary descendants—backed by the armed Honolulu Rifles militia, forces King Kalakaua at gunpoint to sign a new constitution that radically restructures the Hawaiian …
King KalakauaHawaiian LeagueSanford B. DoleLorrin ThurstonHonolulu Rifles+4 moreinstitutional-capturesystematic-corruptionindigenous-rightsvoter-suppressioncolonial-exploitation+1 more