ACLU-WV Releases 2020 Legislative Report Card

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia (ACLU-WV) has released its 2020 Legislative Report Card, which assigns an individual letter grade to each member of the state Legislature.

The grades were compiled by analyzing lawmakers’ votes on more than 25 pieces of legislation pertaining to key civil liberties issues including criminal justice reform, religious freedom, free speech, defense of democracy, immigrants’ rights, reproductive rights, and disability rights. Prior to any vote, ACLU-WV publicly stated its position on each of these bills on its online Bill Tracker, Policy Director Eli Baumwell said.

“A core part of the ACLU’s mission is to help educate voters about civil liberties issues,” Baumwell said. “These grades help voters understand where their representatives stand on these matters.
“Every representative should hold a deep and abiding respect for our basic liberties,” he added. “Legislators may claim to be ‘good’ on civil liberties issues based on one or two votes, but these grades allow us to see who truly shares these values,” he added.

Eight members of the West Virginia House of Delegates received a grade of “A-” or above. Three state Senators received a grade in the “A” range. Two senators and five delegates received an “F.”
ACLU-WV is also working on a comprehensive Voter’s Guide ahead of the November Election that will include the report card, in addition to a candidate questionnaire. An updated list of candidates’ answers to the questionnaire can be found at https://www.acluwv.org/en/candidate-questionnaires.

The 2020 Legislative Report Card can be found at: https://www.acluwv.org/en/news/aclu-wv-releases-2020-legislative-report-…

ACLU-WV is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that seeks to expand the protections afforded by the federal and West Virginia constitutions.