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Farrakhan v. Gregoire (PDF)
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued its decision regarding the state of Washington’s law prohibiting the right to vote for felons. The court’s decision, that the law violated civil rights protections, conflicts with three other federal appeals court decisions, and raises the possibility that the Supreme Court may take up the issue in the future. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has since placed a hold on its decision, so that Washington State's Secretary of State may appeal.

Read the opinion here.
Featured Resources
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued its decision regarding the state of Washington’s law prohibiting the right to vote for felons. The court’s decision, that the law violated civil rights protections, conflicts with three other federal appeals court decisions.
In response to a request by the Election Commission, the Hawaii Office of Elections produced this report outlining the plan for the 2010 elections. A focus of this report is the effect of the reduced budget for the office on staffing and the number of precincts which will be open for the elections.
Although ethnic diversity of the U.S. has been increasing, voter registrations have not followed this trend. A new report finds that although the voting population is still unrepresentative of the American population at large, the 2008 voting population was more diverse than in years past.
The security risks inherent in internet-based voting today pose significant barriers to the adoption of this method in nationwide elections. The author suggests changes to both internet security and the allocation of election tasks to improve the applicability of the internet in elections.
The EAC's annual report on 2008 spending provides detailed information regarding states’ usage of HAVA funds, as well as data on competitive grants distributed by the EAC. Of the $2.96 billion they received from the EAC, states have spent 76% and are expected to use remaining funds in 2010.
Research Projects
The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law is a non-partisan public policy and law institute that focuses on fundamental issues of democracy and justice.
Election Law @ Moritz, run through Moritz College of Law at the Ohio State University, contains both explanation and commentary on a wealth of election reform issues from a legal perspective.
electionline.org provides daily news updates on election reform issues, as well as deeper analysis of selected topics, including recent reports on voter registration, recount procedures, and the progress in implementing the Help America Vote Act since 2002.
Dēmos is a non-partisan public policy research and advocacy organization founded in 2000. A multi-issue national organization, Dēmoscombines research, policy development, and advocacy to influence public debates and catalyze change.
FairVote develops and promotes practical strategies to improve elections at the local, state and national levels.
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