News & Commentary
Mar 19, 2017
Should Candidates Who Owe Campaign Fines be Barred from the Ballot?
Governor Gina Raimondo has announced the introduction of a “Good Government Reform” package of legislation designed to “restore confidence in government.” There’s a lot to be said for that, but one of the proposals – barring candidates who owe campaign fines from running for office – should be rejected.
Jan 27, 2017
ACLU Report Examines Voting Problems in November Election
Coming on the heels of false allegations by President Trump of widespread voter fraud, the ACLU of Rhode Island today issued a report indicating that some lawful voters were turned away from the polls in November due to the state’s controversial voter ID law. The report documented a number of other concerns based on observations from a few dozen ACLU volunteer poll monitors during the 2016 general election. The findings generally mirror those contained in a report the ACLU issued after the 2012 Presidential election.
Jan 25, 2017
Statement on President Trump's Call for Investigation of Voter Fraud
ACLU of RI executive director Steven Brown issued the following statement today in response to President Trump’s call for an investigation into alleged widespread voter fraud:
Oct 24, 2016
Why the Mattiello-Frias House Race is Different--and it Has Nothing to do With the Candidates
The electoral race between Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello and his Republican challenger Steven Frias has, for obvious reasons, drawn an incredible amount of attention. Both candidates are working very hard to capture every vote they can in their district. But one exceptional aspect of their race has gone unmentioned: they have fewer people to convince to vote for them than in all but one other House district.
Sep 21, 2016
Statement in Response to Federal Appeals Court Decision In Cranston “Prison Gerrymandering” Case
The following statement was issued today by representatives of the ACLU of Rhode Island, Demos, the Prison Policy Initiative and the ACLU:
May 24, 2016
Federal Judge Orders End to "Prison Gerrymandering" in Cranston School and City Council Districts
In a precedent-setting ruling, U.S. District Judge Ronald Lagueux issued a decision today holding that the City of Cranston violated the one person, one vote requirements of the U.S. Constitution when it allocated the entire incarcerated population of the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) as “residents” of one ward of the City when it drew district lines for the City Council and School Committee following the 2010 Census. The ruling allows the City 30 days to present the Court with a new redistricting plan meeting constitutional requirements.
Apr 06, 2016
ACLU of RI Applauds New Online Voter Registration Law
The ACLU of Rhode Island today commended Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea for introducing, the General Assembly for passing, and Governor Gina Raimondo for signing legislation adopting online voter registration for the state’s residents, and particularly for addressing voters with disabilities.
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