Voting Rights
Every generation has a moment of awakening. This year provided a few seminal moments that threatened to either rip the Nation apart or bring us together. The Asian American community became the target for those looking to blame COVID-19 on someone. Instantly, our community was dealing with the dual pandemic of the coronavirus and racism. Several politicians stoked those embers of hate with rhetoric that firmly put a bullseye on the back of every Asian American.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) has been vital to the prevention of actual and threatened discrimination aimed at Asian Americans in national and local elections, and for increasing the community’s access to the ballot. It is our nation’s most successful and consequential civil rights law; Advancing Justice – AAJC has worked to reauthorize, restore and enforce the VRA throughout the organization’s history as it has protected and advanced the voting rights of Asian Americans across the country.
Advancing Justice – AAJC Applauds House Vote on John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
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WASHINGTON, DC — August 24, 2021 ― Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC applauds the U.S. House of Representatives passage of H.R. 4 - the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Civil rights groups like Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC are calling for widespread support of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to now pass the Senate.
Fair Districting Builds an Inclusive Democracy
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Washington, DC – The U.S.
Redistricting has been used in the past to exclude our communities from political power. How district lines are drawn influences who runs for public office and who is elected. The lines also affect how responsive elected representatives are to your community when they make decisions important to your lives, from ensuring safe schools to adopting immigration policies.
Testimony to the House Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties on Enhancing the Voting Rights Act
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC submitted this testimony for the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties hearing on “The Need to Enhance the Voting Rights Act: Practice-Based Coverage." The testimony details the history of discrimination against Asian Americans, demographics of the Asian American community, the ongoing discrimination Asian Americans face in the Post-Shelby County world, and the need to restore and strengthen the VRA through modernizing how to determine coverage for Section 5 preclearance, including the importanc
Asian American Civil Rights Organizations Denounce Supreme Court Decision in Brnovich v. DNC
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Asian Americans Advancing Justice, an affiliation of five independent Asian American civil rights organizations, condemns the Supreme Court’s decision in Brnovich v. DNC, a reckless and discriminatory affront to everyone’s freedom to vote.
The affiliation released the following statement today:
Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC Calls On Congress to Protect Freedom to Vote Following Supreme Court Decision in Brnovich v. DNC
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Washington, D.C.—Today, the Supreme Court upheld Arizona’s discriminatory voting rights laws in a 6-3 decision in Brnovich v. DNC. The Court reached this decision by imposing onerous hurdles that communities of color must overcome in order to protect their right to the franchise.
Advancing Justice - AAJC President and Executive Director John C. Yang issues the following statement:
Settlement Agreement in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division
Six advocacy groups representing the steering committee of the nonpartisan Just Democracy Illinois coalition have reached a legal settlement with Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White to fix key problems with the rollout of Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) in Illinois.