Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on The Fulcrum and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher.

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After a string of recent successes, advocates for improving the fairness of elections and expanding access to voting amid the coronavirus pandemic have suffered three defeats in recent days.

Lawrence Goldstone is the author of numerous books and articles on Constitutional Law, most recently “On Account of Race: The Supreme Court, White Supremacy, and the Ravaging of African American Voting Rights.”  Find out more at www.lawrencegoldstone.com.

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This is a horrific time for our country and a time of deep reflection for me. 

As a child of the 60’s, it is almost incomprehensible to fathom that we are experiencing a moment that is eerily similar to what I lived through fifty year ago on May 4, 1970. 

In recent weeks, the brutal murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, in addition to so many others, have shaken our nation to the core. 

As the fight continues across the country to expand safe and secure options for voters to participate in the 2020 elections, 5 nonpartisan organizations collaborated to put on a virtual rally to bolster the cause. 

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on The Fulcrum, and was republished on IVN with permission from the publisher.

Straight-ticket voting won't be returning to Texas now that a federal judge has rejected an effort by Democrats to maintain the practice.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on The Fulcrum, and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher.

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Progressive groups may use the courts to pursue even more wide-open absentee balloting in Missouri this year.

It was brought to the attention of the IVN editorial team that Facebook had labeled a recent quote posted on the IVN Page from US President Abraham Lincoln as “false information.” The fact check bewildered us given the nature of the quote and to whom it was attributed.

This evening we talk with Chad Peace, legal advisor for the Independent Voter Project. The Independent Voter Project (IVP) is a non-profit 501(c)4 organization that seeks to re-engage nonpartisan voters and promote nonpartisan election reform through initiatives, litigation, and voter education. IVP works with organizations around the country to reduce the institutional barriers that limit electoral competition and restrict the nonpartisan right to vote, thus insulating the two major parties from competition.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law Thursday that requires election administrators to mail ballots to all registered voters across the state. The bill ensures all voters have the option to vote by mail amidst ongoing health concerns related to COVID-19, though some races may take weeks to be officially resolved as ballots can now be received up to 17 days after Election Day.

Here is what you need to know:

That voter suppression is antithetical to democracy seems axiomatic, particularly if democracy is defined as rule by the majority. It is also, however, perhaps the most effective means for a minority to attain and perpetuate control of an elected government. Since it will not do to admit to cheating one’s way to power, voter suppression is generally couched in such euphemisms as “preventing voter fraud,” or “ensuring that only those able to understand for whom they are voting get to cast a ballot.”