Voting Rights Today: Strategies to Move From Voter Suppression to Equal Protection

— A coalition of local non-profit groups is joining together to co-host a speaking engagement on voting rights and voter suppression from the Southern Poverty Law Center on Wednesday, October 30, 2019, at the Unitarian Society’s Parish Hall.
Nancy Abudu, Deputy Legal Director for Voting Rights at the Southern Poverty Law Center, will speak on Wednesday, October 30, at 6:45 p.m. at the Parish Hall of the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, 1535 Santa Barbara Street. Her topic will be “Voting Rights Today: Strategies to Move From Voter Suppression to Equal Protection.”
 
“At the SPLC, we believe that voting is a human right and that robust access to the franchise strengthens our democracy, our culture and our communities,” Abudu said. “We also know full well that our nation’s history is inextricably linked with generations of struggle to expand voting rights. To this day, communities of color, young people and people experiencing poverty are routinely disenfranchised by discriminatory laws and partisan gerrymandering. For all of our efforts, the legacy of Jim Crow is still with us.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center is dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of our society. Using litigation, education, and other forms of advocacy, the SPLC works toward the day when the ideals of equal justice and equal opportunity will be a reality.

Nancy G. Abudu leads a team of legal and technical experts dedicated to ensuring the voting rights of minority communities and other marginalized populations, primarily in the Deep South. She was previously the legal director for the ACLU of Florida. She has also served as a senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project.
 
Launched in 2019, the SPLC’s Voting Rights Project is working to become the premier voting rights program in the Deep South, advancing affirmative electoral reforms through an integrated advocacy approach that combines litigation, legislation, community education, and voter mobilization. This new project, among many areas of focus, centers on expanding access to the ballot by denouncing partisan gerrymandering, combatting onerous registration and strict ballot requirements that are designed to decrease voter participation, and restoring the right to vote for people with past felony convictions. As the 2020 Census gets underway, SPLC will engage with communities to discuss the importance of an accurate count. The Voting Rights Project seeks to prevent voter purges and absentee ballot restrictions and to ensure disability rights. Further, its efforts will seek to ensure that historically disenfranchised communities are educated about the redistricting process and trained on how to play a significant role in drawing their own political boundaries.
 
Abudu has litigated a variety of civil rights cases in federal and state courts, including challenges to state felon disenfranchisement, proof of citizenship and voter photo ID laws. She has pushed for greater enforcement of the Voting Rights Act and other federal laws that protect the right to vote. She has published several articles and a book chapter on various forms of voter suppression. Abudu received her bachelor’s degree from Columbia University, and she earned a law degree from Tulane Law School.

This free public event is co-sponsored by Santa Barbara-Goleta Valley AAUW (American Association of University Women), Santa Barbara Women’s Political Committee (SBWPC), Santa Barbara League of Women Voters (LWV), and the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara. No recording or photography is allowed at this event.  Light refreshments will be provided.  For additional information contact: Claire VanBlaricum at (805)967-7523