Press Call Thursday: New Report Documents Thousands of Polling Place Closures Since VRA Was Gutted

WASHINGTON – On Thursday, November 3 at 11:00 a.m. ET, voting rights advocates will host a telephonic media briefing on a new report documenting widespread polling place closures in jurisdictions once covered by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA).

Since the 2013 Shelby decision to gut the VRA, polling place reductions in formerly covered places now go largely undocumented and unchallenged. This report—The Great Poll Closure—identifies thousands of these polling place reductions in advance of the first presidential election in 50 years without a fully operable VRA.

By comparing polling place data in formerly covered jurisdictions from past elections to lists of voting locations for the upcoming 2016 election, The Great Poll Closure sheds light on an unmistakable trend to reduce voting locations since Shelby, with a special focus on states and counties with clear records of voting discrimination, including Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, North Carolina, Mississippi, and Georgia. 

Voters in these jurisdictions are encouraged to check their polling place locations with the following tools:

·         Rock the Vote’s Polling Place Finder  

·         League of Women Voters’ Vote411.org

·         Election Protection Hotline: 866.OUR.VOTE

To receive an embargoed copy of the report in advance of the call, RSVP to [email protected]. Local advocates from featured states can also be available for comment.

WHEN: Thursday, November 3 at 11:00 a.m. ET

WHO:

·         Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

·         Scott Simpson, author of The Great Poll Closure and media and campaigns director of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

·         Samantha Pstross, executive director of the Arizona Advocacy Network

DIAL-IN INFORMATION: Dial-in: 888-632-3384. Verbal Passcode: “Voting Rights.” RSVPs requested to [email protected].

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