voting rights

As the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act sits stalled in the U.S. Senate, Florida’s Senate Bill 90 has been challenged in a federal lawsuit. Each promises to enact several changes to how votes are cast and counted in the United States. This story provides explanatory context and background.

A conversation with investigative reporter and founder of the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting Jerry Mitchell about how his work led to convictions of KKK members in the 1963 Birmingham Church Bombing, the 1963 assassination of Medgar Evers, the 1966 fatal firebombing of NAACP leader Vernon Dahmer, and the killings of civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner during the Freedom Summer of 1964. Mitchell comes to FGCU for free lecture that’s open to the public on Wednesday, Feb. 16.

Earlier this month the Florida Gulf Coast University Library Archives and Special Collections’ hosted a virtual panel discussion in conjunction with their current digital exhibition titled, “Fight for the Ballot: Voting Rights in the 20th Century.”The panel discussion called, “The Right to Vote – Under Attack Again!” was moderated by WGCU’s John Davis and included legal and voting rights experts C. Ronald Ellington, Howard Simon and Jennifer Scuteri all discussing voter suppression, gerrymandering and the impact of elections.With just over a week until the Nov. 3 General Election, we present that panel discussion.

In the November 3rd general election, Florida voters will decide the fate of Amendment 1, which on the surface seems fairly innocuous. Numerous media outlets have reported the Amendment is redundant, and does nothing to change the state’s constitution. However, the proposed change could lead to significant new barriers to eligible voters in future Florida elections.

Voter turnout in the U.S. typically trails behind voter participation rates in other developed nations even as the history of efforts to expand voting rights in this country has been a long, often bloody battle. On the heels of Florida’s primary elections this week, we explore the new virtual exhibition at Florida Gulf Coast University’s Wilson G. Bradshaw Library titled, “Fight for the Ballot: Voting Rights in the 20th Century.”

A federal judge on Tuesday excoriated lawyers representing Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration, accusing the state of trying to "run out the clock" to...

Singer John Legend was on hand to lend support Friday as 18 former felons were granted the right to vote in what Miami officials called a simple and...

Last fall, Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment restoring the voting rights of to up to 1.4 million former felons in the state who have…

Lawmakers in the Senate today passed a bill that would implement Amendment 4, which allows certain felons to vote. But as Blaise Gainey reports...

Felons in Florida would have to settle pending fines and fees before having their voting rights restored, according to a proposal currently making its...