The Brennan Center has released a policy agenda proposing eight reforms to protect voting rights and representation. The report was issued by Michael Waldman, president and CEO of the Brennan Center.
Waldman wrote that American public institutions urgently need repair and renewal. He urged the country to “think anew,” as Lincoln advised.
The agenda is the fourth in a series from the organization. Earlier installments addressed corruption and Supreme Court reform.
The Brennan Center said its solutions must match the scale of today’s challenges. It described the project as engaging people from both parties and no party.
The report states that the vote is the heart of democracy and the essence of self-governance.
The report says the Supreme Court has effectively destroyed the Voting Rights Act. Shelby County v. Holder in 2013 eliminated a key part of the law.
Brnovich v. DNC in 2021 made it virtually impossible to challenge discriminatory practices, the report says. Since then, the gap between white and nonwhite turnout rates has grown rapidly.
Legislatures in more than half the states have passed more than a hundred new laws restricting access to voting since 2020.
The report says Louisiana v. Callais earlier this year left the Voting Rights Act’s redistricting prohibition a dead letter. It says Black majority districts have been eliminated across the South.
Foreign agents, including Russian intelligence agencies in 2016, have attempted to influence U.S. elections, the report notes.
The Brennan Center says Congress must act under the Constitution’s Elections Clause. It notes presidents have no role in running elections.
Congress has previously passed national election laws, including the National Voter Registration Act in 1993. The Help America Vote Act of 2002 funded new voting technology after the 2000 Florida recount.
The Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022 clarified procedures to certify a presidential victor.
The report cites record turnout in the past two presidential elections: 66 percent in 2020 and 64 percent in 2024.
The Brennan Center says the agenda seeks a modern, participatory electoral system for a changing, diverse country.
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