The Senate blocks another attempt to advance the SAVE Act, Louisiana and Alabama weaken Black representation, and USPS advances new mail-in ballot rules — here's what's happening.
Welcome back to The Good, The Bad, The Ugly — your go-to source for the latest in voting rights. At the federal level, the U.S. Senate blocked another attempt to advance the SAVE Act, a voter suppression bill, while the U.S. Postal Service is advancing a proposal that could make it harder for millions of people to vote by mail. Meanwhile, in Louisiana and Alabama, redistricting continues to weaken Black political representation across the South.
So, buckle up as we break down the wins, the setbacks, and the urgent fights ahead in the battle for our democracy.
The Good
The Senate blocked another attempt to advance the SAVE Act, preventing new proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration in federal elections. The requirement could have disenfranchised eligible voters who lack easy access to documents such as passports, birth certificates, or naturalization papers.
What’s Next: Although the bill was blocked in the Senate, efforts to enact proof-of-citizenship voting requirements are expected to continue in Congress and state legislatures across the country.
The Bad
Louisiana’s Governor has signed a new congressional map into law that eliminates one of the state’s two majority-Black congressional districts—even though Black residents make up nearly one-third of the state’s population. The vote comes just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state’s current map, further weakening protections under the Voting Rights Act.
Meanwhile, in Alabama, the Supreme Court allowed the state to use a congressional map that lower courts found intentionally discriminated against Black voters, despite the Court’s own 2023 ruling requiring fairer representation. Together, the decisions in Louisiana and Alabama could pave the way for additional redistricting efforts that weaken Black political representation across the South.
What’s Next: Voters throughout central and southern Alabama who cast ballots in the state’s May primary will have to turn out for a second election in August to vote under the new gerrymandered map. Several other states across the South, including Georgia and Mississippi, are also preparing to draw new gerrymandered maps.
The Ugly
The U.S. Postal Service is moving forward with a proposed rule that would give the agency an unprecedented role in administering mail-in voting. Under the proposal, USPS would be responsible for verifying voter eligibility lists provided by states and could refuse to deliver ballots to voters not included on those lists. Postal worker unions and voting rights advocates warn that USPS lacks the resources, training, and legal authority to take on these responsibilities, increasing the risk of errors, delayed ballots, and voter disenfranchisement.
What’s Next: The proposed rule must be finalized before it can take effect, a process that includes an opportunity for Americans to comment on the rule. In the meantime, multiple lawsuits are challenging both the executive order behind the proposal and USPS’s authority to implement it, arguing the changes could make it harder for eligible voters to receive and return their ballots.