This week the Brennan Center released our latest Voting Laws Roundup, which offers a troubling view of the year ahead. So far, lawmakers in 27 states are considering 250 bills that would limit voting access — an almost 250 percent increase in restrictive voting legislation than at this time last year. State lawmakers have also continued to introduce election sabotage bills, which would undermine election administration by placing it in the hands of partisan officials. While there are also 399 bills pending in state legislatures that would make it easier to vote, Americans’ ability to vote is going to increasingly depend on where they live if Congress doesn’t pass federal legislation defending voting rights.

Elections held this year for state, county, and municipal election officials will determine who administers the vote in 2024. These contests will include offices up to and including the presidency. Our monthly tracker analyzes funding and messaging alike in the electoral battles for these crucial positions. The newest report focuses on secretary of state elections while also covering officials at all levels. From major donors to candidates supporting the Big Lie to the unprecedented national funding for these races, get the latest state-by-state insights.

The Supreme Court has agreed to consider an Alabama redistricting case that could make it harder for communities of color to use the Voting Rights Act to ensure fair representation. Under decades-old precedent, the Alabama case should be a no-brainer: indeed, a panel of three lower court judges — including two appointed by President Trump — unanimously struck down Alabama’s original voting map as illegal. In taking the case, the justices are signaling a willingness to reconsider whether race can be considered at all when making sure maps are acceptable under the Voting Rights Act.

The impending retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer gives President Biden the chance to make good on his promise to nominate the first Black woman for the highest court in the land — a milestone for the Court. There is ample evidence that demographic and experiential diversity in judicial selection enriches court deliberation and promotes confidence in the justice system. The research makes it clear: a bench that fails to reflect the public it serves is ill-equipped to serve that public.

Social media monitoring has become a significant source of information for the federal government, from agents reading posts to agencies buying private monitoring tools that claim to predict when users may engage in violent crime or terrorism. Which federal agencies monitor social media, and why? Are there any limits on their activity? A new Brennan Center explainer answers these questions and more. This increasing use of social media raises concerns for civil rights and civil liberties, especially as protestors and marginalized communities bear the brunt of suspicionless surveillance.

While the problems of excessive sentencing and mass incarceration are monumental in scope, we can’t lose sight of the personal damage they inflict on individuals and families. The latest essay in the Brennan Center’s Punitive Excess series is by Carlton Miller of Arnold Ventures, whose brother was convicted by a nonunanimous jury in Louisiana. He was finally released after nearly 24 years in prison thanks to historic justice reforms. This personal story illustrates the crushing costs of mass incarceration, the troubling vestiges of slavery and Jim Crow in the prison system, and the power of redemptive justice.

Social Media’s Free Speech Problem
Thursday, March 24 // 6–7 p.m. ET
The problem of misinformation on social media has ballooned over the last few years, especially in relation to elections. The result has been further polarization of our already divided country. How do we control this false speech while protecting the First Amendment — and our democracy? Join us for a live discussion with one of the country’s leading experts on election law, Richard L. Hasen, author of the upcoming book Cheap Speech: How Disinformation Poisons Our Politics — and How to Cure It, for a look into how social media companies can solve this problem without shutting down the essential free flow of ideas and opinions. RSVP today.

Voter suppression isn’t over. In 2021, state lawmakers passed an unprecedented number of laws that restrict voting access. Our latest Voting Laws Roundup shows they’ve already introduced more new restrictive voting legislation than at this time last year. Read more on Instagram >>