Voting Rights Project

The right to vote is generally considered a fundamental aspect of the American experience. Unfortunately, public policies exist or have been proposed concerning public access to the polls, that have a disparate impact to disenfranchise protected classes. This denial of the right to vote manifests through access to registration, access to polls, and re-districting minority communities to minimize their impact influencing elections.

The Voting Rights Project will prevent, reduce, and eliminate barriers to voting for minority and low-income residents within Illinois and throughout the Midwest region. Through legislation, litigation and community outreach, we hope to address disenfranchisement issues with an emphasis on voter protection, re-districting, and voter registration requirements.

This Project will address issues such as:

• Re-districting, to minimize the impact of minority votes
• Voter identification requirements that have disparate impact disadvantaging low income individuals, African-Americans, Latinos, students, and the elderly
• Denial of access to the polls

We invite law firms and individuals to lend the power and prestige of the private bar to our efforts in this area by becoming members of the Lawyers' Committee. In addition, we are seeking volunteers to join our Educational Opportunity Advisory Board. The board will serve as a network of professional resources for the Committee's work in championing equality in the classroom.

Please contact Staff Attorney Marissa Liebling for more information on becoming a member of the Lawyers' Committee or to join the Advisory Council.