What Can We Do About Voter Suppression?

About the event

What Can We Do About Voter Suppression?

Voting is the defining political act. ‘One person one vote’ is the central democratic principle. The U.S. Voting Rights Act of 1965, which guaranteed all adults (except for those who had been convicted of a crime and some others who are neuro-atypical) the right to vote nearly 200 years after the signing of the U.S. constitution. Voter suppression—preventing or discouraging specific groups of people from voting in public elections—has occurred in many countries, including the United States. Jim Crow laws kept people from voting using grandfather clauses, poll taxes, and unevenly applied literacy tests. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v Holder reversed several protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act—Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg noted in her dissent to the opinion that “throwing out” these provisions “when [they have] worked and [are] continuing to work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet.” Voter Suppression efforts have increased following the 2013 Shelby decision—including new digital methods.

Join the CCE Public Square discussion as WSU faculty, students, and community partners will provide insight into what WSU and community partners are doing—and what you can do—to understand the recent history of voter suppression and what you can do to make sure your vote, and every vote, counts.

This discussion will take place on Wednesday, October 7 at 4 p.m. and will be streamed live via Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent out to all registrants to this GivePulse event on the afternoon of the event.

All Public Square discussions are free and open to WSU students and the public.

Contact: Ben Calabretta at ben.calabretta@wsu.edu.