(This article originally appeared in the Stateside Dispatch [1], Progressive States Network's email roundup of the latest state policy news. Sign up to receive the Dispatch in your inbox here. [2])
A new analysis showing how widely voters' wait times on Election Day differed by state and demographic group — as well a new report on how voter registration modernization and early voting could help fix the problem — are both helping to focus more attention on election reform efforts early in state legislative sessions. Meanwhile, efforts to suppress the vote are proceeding as well, while a controversial redistricting scheme in Virginia seems to have fallen apart.
PSN released this infographic and map [3] of how voters' wait times differed by state and demographic group. [PSN]
The Brennan Center for Justice released a report [4] with three main recommendations on how to fix the problem of long lines at the polls: modernizing voter registration, a fixed national time period for early voting, and setting minimum standards for polling place access. [Huffington Post]
Nicole Austin-Hillery on the Voter Empowerment Act [5], comprehensive legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. John Lewis that would "address the core problems that led to voter frustration and disfranchisement in 2012." [Roll Call]
Florida Gov. Rick Scott's own Secretary of State is joining the call [6] for expanded early voting days and locations in Florida. [AP]
Reports indicate that President Obama may soon join the push for action in Congress [7] — perhaps including it in his State of the Union address this week. [New York Times]
Ari Berman in The Nation on the collapse of the bipartisan consensus in support of the Voting Rights Act, and why conservatives are now trying to destroy it [8]. [The Nation]
A bill that would have purged Colorado's voter rolls of "suspected" non-citizens failed to pass [9]. [Project Vote]
Virginia's partisan redistricting scheme, launched last month while a key State Senator was absent attending President Obama's inauguration, fell apart [10] after being ruled "not germane" by the Speaker of the House. [ThinkProgress]
Virginia passed another measure [11] restricting the types of identification accepted at the polls. [Blue Virginia]
Legislation introduced in Indiana would attempt to prevent out-of-state college students [12] from voting. [Indianapolis Star]