Civil Rights News: Defense of Voting Rights; Motherhood and Pay Inequality

Compiled by David Seidman, a Summer 2012 intern.

Florida’s Approach to Purging Voter Rolls of Noncitizens Prompts Federal Lawsuit
Robbie Brown
New York Times

The Department of Justice sued Florida on Tuesday seeking an injunction to stop a purge of voter rolls.  The lawsuit alleges that Florida’s efforts place an “unlawful burden” on thousands of legal voters by requiring additional proof of citizenship. Last week, the ACLU sued Florida on behalf of two naturalized citizens alleging civil rights violations. A recent analysis by the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections concluded most people targeted by Florida were legal voters, including at least one decorated war veteran.

Florida Governor Rick Scott has defended the policy as crucial to removing illegal immigrants from voter rolls. On Monday, Florida sued the Department of Homeland Security to gain access to a federal immigration database to assist in the purge.

Labor, Civil-Rights Groups: Voter Rights Must Be Protected
Doris Nhan
National Journal

The AFL-CIO partnered with the NAACP, the National Council of La Raza and Generational Alliance to announce a coordinated strategy to increase national turnout and registration among the low-income, African-American and youth populations. Fearful of racial profiling and in anticipation of a “tidal wave” of attempts to suppress voter turnout now through 2013, the coalition also announced the launch of the interactive “My Vote, My Right” campaign. Focused on six states, the coalition’s efforts will include an analysis of current voter-registration laws, a series of educational town hall meetings and bilingual election monitoring hotlines.

Motherhood Still a Cause of Pay Inequality
Eduardo Porter
New York Times

Despite considerable progress over the past five decades, the average full-time working woman earns 18 percent less than that of the typical man. Economists attribute part of the gap toward an economy that forces women to shoulder the majority of the family burden. While pay disparities are present throughout the labor force, the gender gap widens at the highest income bracket. A recent analysis of 3,000 University of Chicago M.B.A graduates found that after 15 years, women were making just 55 cents for every dollar of men’s pay.

Last week, Senate Republicans blocked the Paycheck Fairness Act aimed at achieving equal pay for equal work. Other public policy initiatives, including California’s innovative paid family leave program, have shown to increase mothers’ incomes by up to 9 percent.