Voting Rights

Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy and the fundamental right upon which all our civil liberties rest. The ACLU works to protect and expand Americansʼ freedom to vote.

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Vote Your Rights

Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy and the fundamental right upon which all our civil liberties rest. The ACLU works to protect and expand Americansʼ freedom to vote.

Established in 1965, the ACLU Voting Rights Project has worked to protect the gains in political participation won by racial and language minorities since passage of the historic Voting Rights Act (VRA) that same year. The Project has filed more than 300 lawsuits to enforce the provisions of the VRA and the U.S. Constitution.

The Latest

Press Release
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ACLU of Arkansas, For AR Kids Secure Settlement Affirming Right to Petition in Public Spaces

Issue Areas: Free Speech, Voting Rights
Court Cases: For AR Kids v. Town of Rose Bud, Arkansas and Shawn Gorham, Mayor
Know Your Rights
Know Your Rights: Bill ofl Rights

Know Your Rights: The Bill of Rights In Simple Language

Know Your Rights
Vote Your Rights

Know Your Rights: Voting in Arkansas

Know Your Rights
Man signing public petition

Know Your Rights: Petitioning in Public

Court Case
Jun 04, 2025

Brief for Amici Curiae, Arkansas State Conference NAACP and Arkansas Public Policy Panel In Support of Petition for Rehearing En Banc

The ACLU of Arkansas and the ACLU filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit on behalf of the Arkansas State Conference NAACP and the Arkansas Public Policy Panel. The brief urges the full court to rehear Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians v. Howe.
Court Case
Dec 29, 2021

The Arkansas State Conference NAACP et al v. The Arkansas Board of Apportionment et al

The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Arkansas, Law Office of Bryan L. Sells LLC, and Dechert LLP filed a federal lawsuit challenging a new redistricting plan for the Arkansas State House of Representatives that would undermine the voting strength of Black Arkansans.
Court Case
Apr 16, 2014

Martin v. Kohls: Voter ID

Victory! In 2014 the ACLU and the Arkansas Public Law Center filed suit in state court on behalf of voters challenging the Arkansas voter identification law passed in 2013. The suit said the law violated the Arkansas Constitution by impairing the right to vote and by adding to the voting qualifications already set out in the Constitution. People who had voted for twenty years in the same precinct and were known by election officials were turned away for lack of a picture ID. The court agreed with us and found the law unconstitutional. The Arkansas Supreme Court upheld the decision.