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Democracy Explainers

ConstitutionDemocracyElectionsVoting RightsLocal ElectionsState ElectionsGovernmentState GovernmentRacial JusticeSupreme CourtHistoryMovementsProtestCensusDistrictingLocal GovernmentStatehood

The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact

Agreement between states to ensure the winner of the national popular vote is elected President.

Help America Vote Act (HAVA)

Federal law to improve election administration through reforms such as mandatory minimum standards and funding to meet standards.

Election Assistance Commission (EAC)

The only federal agency charged with improving voting systems and helping states with other critical functions of election administration.

Runoff Election

Elections between the two top candidates from a primary or general election often when the winner has not won both the most votes and earned at least 50% of the vote.

Voter Rolls and Voter Purging

The list of registered voters who can cast a ballot in an election. Several states have recently abused their power to purge millions of voters from the rolls.

The 19th Amendment

In 1920, the 19th Amendment extended voting rights to women as it prohibited the U.S. and states from denying the right to vote on the basis of sex.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965

The VRA outlawed discriminatory voting policies and established concrete ways to enforce and prevent discrimination.

Pride and the Stonewall Uprising

Pride honors the 1969 Stonewall Uprising and celebrates the LGBTQ+ community.

Shelby v Holder

The US Supreme Court's 2013 decision gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965 paving the way for levels of voter suppression not seen in decades.

Juneteenth

Juneteenth marked the end of slavery and the beginning of the fight for citizenship for Black Americans.

National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA)

The NVRA, revolutionized voter registration across the country establishing voter registration requirements and policies to facilitate those requirements.

Bloody Sunday Anniversary

The events of March 7, 1965 were considered to be a turning point for civil rights & led directly to passage of the Voting Rights Act.

The March on Washington

In 1963, leaders of the civil rights movement organized the March on Washington to protest ongoing racial inequity.

The 26th Amendment

In 1971, the 26th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution lowered the voting age to 18.

D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Territories

Residents of DC, PR, and other U.S. territories have fundamentally different rights and representation than residents of the 50 states.

The For the People Act (H.R. 1/ S. 1)

The For the People Act proposes a sweeping set of reforms to expand Americans’ access to the ballot box and fight corruption.

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