Voting Rights

Voting Rights

Nothing is more fundamental to our democracy than the right to vote. A system of fair and open elections in which all qualified citizens — regardless of gender, race, socioeconomic status or any other category — may cast a vote and have it accurately counted is the backbone of our democracy.

For decades, the ACLU has been instrumental in fighting some of the most egregious discriminatory practices at the polls. But since those victories have been won, new threats to voting rights in Florida have emerged: photo ID requirements, restrictions on voter registration, limiting the number of early voting days, and systematic purges of registered voters, and unfounded allegations of fraud. These voter suppression tactics disproportionately impact racial and language minorities, the elderly, and student voters.

From working to solve elections problems that arose in the 2000 presidential election in Florida, to defending the Voting Rights Act in the face of voter suppression legislation, the ACLU of Florida works to ensure that all citizens can exercise their right to vote.

The Latest

News & Commentary
ACLU

What Dr. King’s Work in Florida Demands of Us Now

Florida on the Front Lines of Justice
Press Release
ACLU Florida

Daytona Beach Residents Sue to Challenge Gerrymandered City Commission Map

Issue Areas: Voting Rights
Press Release
ACLU Florida

Federal Court Upholds Florida’s Racially Gerrymandered Senate Map in Tampa Bay Lawsuit

Evidence revealed in court underscores ongoing struggle for racial justice in Florida’s redistricting process
Issue Areas: Voting Rights
Resource
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Home

Court Case
Apr 07, 2026

UnidosUS v. Byrd

This case challenges a law requiring new and current voters to have “evidence of citizenship” on file, such as a passport or birth certificate, to register to vote or remain on the voter rolls. Thousands of Floridians don’t have ready access to these documents.
Court Case
Feb 01, 2026

Hispanic Federation v. Byrd

This case challenges bans on non-citizens being involved in voter-registration activity in Florida and the harsh strict-liability penalties ($50,000 per individual violation) that can put third-party voter-registration organizations out of business even for accidental violations. Working with numerous partners, we obtained a preliminary injunction against enforcement in July 2023, which became a permanent injunction after a successful trial in April 2024.
Court Case
Aug 18, 2025

Nord Hodges v. Albritton

This case challenged two Florida Senate districts in the Tampa Bay area—Districts 16 and 18—as racially gerrymandered in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. District 16 stretches across the waters of Tampa Bay to connect disparate and distinct Black communities in Tampa and St. Petersburg, packing more than half of the region’s Black residents into that district. As a result, adjacent District 18 is artificially stripped of Black residents, diminishing their influence and voice in elections there. We filed this case in April 2024. In March 2025, the court permitted our claim concerning District 16 to proceed to trial, which was held in June 2025.
Court Case
Jan 01, 2026

VOTE! v. City of Daytona Beach

This case challenges the Daytona Beach City Commission’s redistricting map, adopted in October 2025, as racially gerrymandered in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. In drawing the map, the City Commission set an arbitrary and unjustified racial target for two districts. To achieve their desired racial composition, commissioners connected disparate neighborhoods, divided established communities, and ignored citizen input. The use of race to draw these districts was not justified by the Voting Rights Act. We filed our complaint in October 2025.