The ACLU of Alabama and Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Host Evening for Voting Rights

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — On October 4, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the ACLU of Alabama will host Right to the Ballot: Then and Now, an event focused on Alabama’s history of voter suppression and how it has evolved in recent years.

Past efforts to suppress African American communities from voting involved barriers like literacy tests and poll taxes. That changed with the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, particularly in the Southeast. However, the recent Supreme Court ruling in Shelby v. Holder overturned federal oversight of state voting laws, allowing for a new wave of modernized voter suppression tactics like voter ID laws.

“Voting is one of the most effective and important ways for the people to make their views known in government. Our aim is to make the information surrounding voting as clear, easy, and accessible as possible. By providing information on the process, we hope to encourage voters to be active, informed participants in our democratic system,” said Lucia Hermo, Public Advocacy Director at the ACLU of Alabama.

This event will provide context for Alabama voters on the importance of local elections and tools on voter education that will allow them to stay engaged and counter voter suppression. The program will include presentations on the history of voter disenfranchisement and gerrymandering, the modernization of voter suppression, and an overview of the ACLU of Alabama’s Midterms Voter Guide.

The event will be at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in the Rev. Abraham Woods Community Meeting Room on October 4, 2018 at 5pm.