Tell Congress: Approve $4 billion in funding for a free and fair 2020 election before it’s too late.
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[INSIDER]
Protect Election 2020
The $2 trillion stimulus passed by Congress in March allotted $400 million toward this year’s elections. It’s a start, but not nearly enough. Covid-19 could keep millions from voting for the rest of the year. Congress needs to provide at least $4 billion for state and local officials to ensure our elections in 2020 are free, fair, safe, and secure.
Part of this funding will increase capacity for voting by mail. While some form of voting by mail already exists nationwide
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, election officials need significant financial support to prepare for the drastic increase in mail ballots they’ll receive this year. This isn’t a partisan issue — Americans of all stripes want to vote by mail for the 2020 elections.
Sign our petition today to send a message to Congress. Americans deserve free, fair, and safe elections — and the time to start preparing is now. Congress must approve at least $4 billion in funding for the 2020 election before it’s too late.
JOIN THE FIGHT
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Gerrymandering Meets the Coronavirus in Wisconsin
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Thanks to one of the most aggressive gerrymanders in U.S. history, Wisconsin Republicans not only have a near supermajority in the state assembly, but it would be virtually impossible for them to lose their legislative majority with the way the state’s district lines are currently drawn. This allowed them to ignore calls to postpone the state’s primary election, putting voters in a position where they had to choose between their democracy and their health. Learn more about how gerrymandering has taken an important check and balance away from Wisconsin voters.
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Letter to the Attorney General: Help States Safely Reduce Their Prison Populations
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The Brennan Center and a broad coalition of allies across the political spectrum submitted a letter to Attorney General William Barr urging the Department of Justice to expand the Bureau of Prison’s response to Covid-19 and help states reduce their prison populations in response to the pandemic. America’s prisons and jails present unique health dangers and are especially vulnerable to the spread of infectious disease. Read the letter.
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Courts’ Responses to Covid-19 Leave a Patchwork of Policies
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While most federal and state courts are taking sensible precautions in response to the coronavirus, 63 of the country’s 68 immigration courts remain open in some capacity. An immigration court in New York City closed for just one day after a judge tested positive for the virus. Learn more about the different ways that courts are responding (or not responding) to the pandemic.
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The Census in the Latino Community
The Brennan Center spoke to three experts about how to improve the Latino count this spring amidst the coronavirus pandemic. They all agree: one thing that everyone can do right now to support their community is get people to fill out the census.
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A version of this interview also appears in Spanish
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Coronavirus, Location Tracking, and Civil Liberties
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To help combat the coronavirus pandemic, the CDC and state and local governments are tracking people’s movements and analyzing the effectiveness of stay-at-home orders with anonymized cell phone location data. The impulse to turn to high-tech tools in this time of crisis is understandable and might be a useful part of our response to Covid-19, but at the same time, history offers reason to proceed with caution
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New York’s Latest Bail Law Changes Explained
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New York’s new bail reform law had been in effect for a mere three months when the state legislature amended it earlier this month. The purpose of the original law was to reduce the number of people awaiting trial behind bars simply because they could not afford bail. The revisions mean there are now more situations where judges can impose cash bail. Fortunately, the heart of the original law remains intact. Learn more about this law and why society benefits when fewer people are locked up awaiting trial.
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EVENTS: Brennan Center Live is going virtual! Check out the Brennan Center’s upcoming virtual events:
The Fight for a Fair Count: Keeping the 2020 Census on Track
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Monday, April 20 | 6:00 p.m. – 7:15 p.m. ET
With Janai Nelson (Associate Director-Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense Fund), Adriel I. Cepeda Derieux (Staff Attorney, ACLU Voting Rights Project), Thomas Wolf (Counsel, Brennan Center Democracy Program). Osita Nwanevu of the New Republic will moderate.
Co-hosted with Brooklyn Historical Society and NYU’s John Brademas Center.
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PODCAST: Check out two brand new episodes of Brennan Center Live! Listen to How Progressives Can Compete for Power
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and The Revolution in Prosecutors’ Offices
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e are experimenting with the format of this newsletter and are eager to know what you think of it. What would you like to see here? Email your thoughts to
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The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to reform, revitalize – and when necessary defend – our country’s systems of democracy and justice.
Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
120 Broadway, Suite 1750
New York, NY 10271
T 646 292 8310
F 212 463 7308
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