voting rights

April 12, 2013 - Lawmakers in North Carolina and Texas are attempting to cut early voting hours. But after Florida's 2012 election fiasco -- and mounting evidence of the racial disparities in who such laws affect -- it could be a tough sell.

April 3, 2013 - Over the last week, GOP lawmakers have unleashed a flurry of bills that would make sweeping changes to North Carolina elections. They share a common message - and a common sponsor, backed by one of the state's biggest political donors.

March 26, 2013 - A provision of the North Carolina constitution designed to suppress the black vote is no longer enforceable under the Voting Rights Act, and a bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to give voters a second chance to remove it.

March 15, 2013 - In 2011, Tennessee lawmakers promised to deliver free photo ID cards to all who would need them under a strict new voter ID bill. Two years later, only a small fraction have received them.

March 6, 2013 - Once again, Southern states are pushing to enact new voting restrictions including voter ID laws. But has the public debate changed?

February 25, 2013 - A big potential drawback to the convenience of absentee and mail voting: Studies show that ballots are rejected at a higher rate than for voters who brave the wait at polling places.

January 30, 2013 - The legislative session that starts today promises to bring big changes to North Carolina as the leaders of the once-progressive state seek to slash unemployment insurance, create a more regressive tax code, impose voter ID requirements, increase private control of public schools, and enshrine right-to-work in the state constitution.