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Fair Elections Center is a national, nonpartisan voting rights and election reform 501(c)(3) organization based in Washington, D.C.
They say the year`s end is a good time for reflection...so we`re looking back at the top 10 dumbest voting policies as chosen by our Voting Rights Project legal team and compiled by our Policy Director and Senior Counsel Michelle Kanter Cohen.
Read our hot takes on everything from using stale data to punish eligible voters to spending taxpayer dollars on holographic ballots at the link in our bio (bit.ly/fectop10dumbestlaws)
We take our motto "every year, every vote" very seriously. That`s why we`re so excited to announce the winners of the 2025 CVP t-shirt contest!
🏅First Place, CVP Student Advisory Board Favorite, People’s Choice Award: Lillian McNally
🥈Second Place, CVP Staff Favorite: Fiorella Recchioni
🥉Third Place: Hana Thorson
Congrats to all our winners, and thank you to everyone who voted! Keep an eye out on our merch store to get your hands on the winning designs soon (bit.ly/cvpmerch) 👀
As Fair Elections Center grows and evolves under our new President and CEO Rebekah Caruthers, we continue to honor the work of our founder (and current president emeritus and senior advisor) Robert Brandon. This summer, we celebrated Bob’s impactful career with a reception in Washington, D.C., and in October we published a timeline of his remarkable achievements.
Over 50 years as a public interest lawyer, Bob achieved success on a variety of policy issues, including pharmaceutical regulation, tax reform, affordable energy, expanded healthcare access, environmental justice, college affordability, internet access, and—of course—voting rights.
Click the link in our bio to learn more about Bob’s legacy (fairelectionscenter.org/founder)
Legal language can feel like a world of its own, but understanding these terms can empower us to be more engaged and active citizens, writes Yasmine Ganemtore, Fair Elections Center Communications Intern.
Read our latest blog, in which Yasmine guides readers through a 2012 court case, to learn about the full life of a legal battle from the moment its filed to the judge`s ruling.
Link in bio (bit.ly/feclegallangaugeblog)🧑⚖️🏛️
This year, Fair Elections Center’s Voting Rights Project continued to fight for the nonarbitrary restoration of voting rights to people who have been convicted of a felony.
In Virginia, our legal team attacked this issue on two fronts. Our ongoing First Amendment lawsuit against Governor Glenn Youngkin (and his arbitrary restoration system) reached the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, where Litigation Director Jon Sherman argued the case of George Hawkins, a 33-year-old Virginian who was convicted of a felony at 17 and has never been able to vote. In the General Assembly, members of the House of Delegates and the General Assembly passed an amendment to the Virginia Constitution that would automatically restore the voting rights of people who have completed their sentences for felony convictions. As a founding member of the Right to Vote coalition, Fair Elections Center continued its years of advocacy for the amendment in partnership with passionate Virginia leaders. If passed again by the General Assembly in 2026, the amendment will head to the ballot in November for a final vote.
Across the border in Maryland, Fair Elections Center submitted testimony in support of a bill that would streamline the process for voting rights restoration in that state by requiring state agencies to collaborate to provide incarcerated individuals with automatic restoration of their pre-existing voter registrations upon release from incarceration.
Fair Elections Center’s legal work has always prioritized voting rights restoration, and we have found innovative ways to support the issue. The Voting Rights Project will continue to investigate and support voting rights restoration efforts in several states in 2026.
ICYMI: Rebekah Caruthers, our President and CEO, weighed in on the mid-decade redistricting battles nationwide in a new piece by AP.
Full story here: https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-congress-trump-fair-maps-republicans-democrats-7ffad367df39c96ceffe00cf46577b1d
(link in bio)
This month, Fair Elections Center submitted comments to two government agencies, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA), in opposition to proposals to modify and reissue system of records notices (“SORN”) reflecting recent overhaul of a DHS system that will facilitate state efforts to impose a backdoor documentary proof of citizenship (“DPOC”) requirement.
In these comments, Fair Elections Center urged both agencies to stop the sharing of SSA data with DHS, which violates federal privacy laws and puts eligible voters at risk of having their citizenship, and right to vote, questioned due to outdated records.
Read more at the link in our bio (fairelectionscenter.org/advocacy/comments-on-save-system)
2025 is almost over and we’re feeling nostalgic already 😭 Take a trip down memory lane with us on a field trip to the state capitol ⬇️
Throughout the spring semester, Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project organized Legislative Advocacy Days in four of our core states. These events gave college students in Georgia, Arizona, Florida, and Texas the opportunity to learn how bills become laws in their states, meet their elected officials, and advocate for the issues they believe in!
Students left their capital cities with a better understanding of the legislative process and more confidence to fight for their own futures. By combining policy advocacy and student voting rights, two of Fair Elections Center’s core programmatic areas, these Legislative Advocacy Days bring us one step closer to creating a future where all citizens are encouraged and empowered to develop lifelong habits of civic participation.
The SAVE system wasn’t designed for election security, but DHS is determined to use it as such. Using outdated and incomplete Social Security data to “verify” U.S. citizenship can lead to serious errors and voter suppression. Michelle Kanter Cohen, our policy director and senior counsel, explains why in a new StateScoop article.
Read the full article: https://statescoop.com/dhs-save-elections-secretaries-state-letter/
(link in bio)
🚨FLORIDA🚨
Youth Take The Lead is happening THIS THURSDAY, and it only comes once a year.
Join Equal Ground for a high-energy, statewide training that breaks down how Florida’s legislative process actually works and how advocacy can shift outcomes. You’ll walk away with real tools you can use in your community right now.
This Thursday · 6:00–7:30 PM ET · Virtual and free
Don`t miss this free, virtual event! For more information and to register, visit equalgroundeducation.zoom.us/meeting/register/j3H6WyihQ7CGlah021NoqA#/registration (link in bio)
Voting for the Campus Vote Project T-Shirt Contest starts TODAY! The winner of the Instagram People`s Choice Award will receive a $100 cash prize and their design will be available for purchase on the CVP merch shop.
Vote for your favorites by clicking on our profile and liking the design you think is best by December 10!
Want to vote for this year`s first, second, and third place winners too? Join the Assembly of Student Civic Coalitions to receive the voting form! bit.ly/asccinterestform (link in bio)
Voting for the Campus Vote Project T-Shirt Contest starts TODAY! The winner of the Instagram People`s Choice Award will receive a $100 cash prize and their design will be available for purchase on the CVP merch shop.
Design #1 by Lillian McNally
Here`s how to vote for your favorite design:
🌟We will post each design individually.
🌟Like the design you think is best!
🌟Cast your vote by December 10th!
Want to vote for this year`s first, second, and third place winners too? Join the Assembly of Student Civic Coalitions to receive the voting form! bit.ly/asccinterestform (link in bio)
