National

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has restored the voting rights of nearly 3,400 residents who were wrongly taken off the state's voting rolls, but Democrats and civil rights groups are still demanding answers about the voting purge.

Driving the news: The voters who were "canceled in error" were felons who'd violated probation but were misclassified as having committed new felonies, the Richmond Times-Dispatch first reported. 

Why it matters: Virginia voters will go to the polls on Nov. 7 to determine whether Youngkin will succeed in his push for Republicans to win control of both chambers of the state's legislature.

Youngkin is planning a broad conservative agenda if the GOP takes over the legislature — including a push to ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions.

Besides testing Youngkin's call for abortion limits in the politically divided state, the election also is seen as a test of the governor's viability as a candidate for national office.

Zoom in: Democrats, civil rights activists and others continue to wonder whether the removal of thousands of people with felonies, a group that typically favors Democrats, was an effort to suppress Democratic votes

"We're already 30 to 35 days into early voting, so it's an equity issue," Shawn Weneta, a policy strategist with the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, told Axios.

"These people have been deprived of 30 to 35 days of their opportunity to vote."

Virginia's Department of Elections "continues to monitor the situation daily at the locality level to ensure that all affected voters are reinstated," spokeswoman Andrea Gaines said.

Yes, but: Weneta said the ACLU of Virginia is concerned that even more residents are affected than has been reported. 

"We have no way to know if that 3,400 is actually correct," Weneta said. "When they acknowledged the mistake, they said it was only 270 people. Well three weeks later, they say it's more than 10 times that number."

The big picture: Virginia is the only state where a person convicted of any felony automatically loses the right to vote. After he was elected, Youngkin implemented a policy requiring each person with a felony to file an application to have their voting rights restored. 

Virginia's NAACP filed a lawsuit this month accusing the Youngkin administration of failing to turn over public records explaining how it decides when to restore the voting rights of convicted felons.

And Virginia Democrats in Congress have called on the Justice Department to investigate how thousands of residents lost their voting rights after being wrongly accused of violating probation.

"These new reports are alarming, especially with a consequential election already underway in Virginia," wrote Virginia Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner joined by the rest of the state's Democratic delegation. 

Between the lines: Critics of Youngkin still have questions about how the voter purge happened and what they call a lack of communication from the governor's office.

Weneta said Youngkin's administration hasn't responded to multiple letters sent by voting rights advocates about how the purge happened.

"The administration is still refusing to be transparent about how the error happened in the first place and how they're going to fix it," he said. "Instead they've tried to divert responsibility off to local registrars and even tried to blame other previous administrations for the problem."

What they're saying: A congressional aide told Axios that Virginia Democrats are planning to send a follow-up letter this week to the Justice Department to get an update on its investigation. 

"These people deserve an apology," Weneta said. "Nobody has done anything to apologize or try to be accountable for what happened."

Virginia restores 3,400 to voting rolls, but questions remain

Democrats and civil rights groups are still demanding answers about the voting purge.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin speaks at an event.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin addresses the Economic Club of Washington's luncheon on Sept. 26. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Voting rights

Virginia Gov. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Glenn Youngkin" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/22/glenn-youngkin-us-president-2024" data-vars-content-id="1383a333-210f-408b-8843-2b4e7ede66a1" data-vars-headline="Virginia restores 3,400 to voting rolls, but questions remain" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/22/glenn-youngkin-us-president-2024" target="_self">Glenn Youngkin</a> (R) has restored the voting rights of nearly 3,400 residents who were wrongly taken off the state&#x27;s voting rolls, but Democrats and civil rights groups are still demanding answers about the voting purge.Driving the news: The voters who were &quot;canceled in error&quot; were felons who&#x27;d violated probation but were misclassified as having committed new felonies, the Richmond Times-Dispatch first reported.

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

The growing and personal Democratic split over the Israel-Hamas war is about to spill onto the House floor, with leaders bracing for fights on Israel-related legislation between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel members of Congress.

Why it matters: "Things could not possibly be any worse than they are right now," one House Democrat lamented.

Democratic aides and lawmakers told Axios that the upcoming votes on half dozen votes are exacerbating a tense situation.

A top aide to another Democrat said their office has been inundated with a "constant" battery of phone calls on the issue.

Several of these bills, despite having Democratic co-sponsors, are poised to split the party.

The liberal group J Street is pressing House Democrats to vote against a GOP-led resolution condemning "the support of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations" on college campuses.

It also urges Democrats to vote against new sanctions on Iran and a resolution declaring it "not acceptable" for Iran to have nuclear weapons.

The big picture: President Biden's initial response to the Israel-Hamas war sparked some of the harshest criticism he's received from progressives and people of color in his party — and those lawmakers think the party's base is on their side.

Members of the Squad, the high-profile group of House progressives, accused the White House of empowering Israel to retaliate in a way that has put the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza at risk.

"I want [Biden] to know as a Palestinian American and also someone of Muslim faith, I'm not going to forget this," said Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the first Palestinian-American woman in Congress, at a recent rally protesting the White House's response.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Zoom in: Nine House Democrats voted against a resolution last week that condemned Hamas and supported Israel, and another six voted "present." 

The vote sparked intra-party public feuds.

Rep. Andre Carson (D-Ind.) called Rep. Josh Gottheimer a "punk" and "cowardly"after the New Jersey Democrat wrote on X that the Democrats who voted against the resolution supporting Israel and condemning Hamas were "despicable," CNN reports.

Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) said "it's not us without a soul" after Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) suggested people who haven't condemned Hamas' slaughter of Israeli civilians "don't have a soul," the New York Times reports.

Between the lines: One area of Democratic unity is on a resolution, expected to get a vote this week, to censure Tlaib for her history of comments on Israel and her speech to a protest at the Capitol complex pressing for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's (R-Ga.) authorship of the censure resolution, which refers to the protest as an "insurrection," has turned off Democrats on both sides of the conference.

Zoom out: Some of the administration's harshest critics on the Israel-Hamas war could face pro-Israel primary challengers this cycle.

Lee already has a primary opponent, with potential challengers weighing runs against Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), the New York Times writes.

The bottom line: "It has been an incredibly clarifying and terrifying moment at the same time for many progressive Jews," Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt told the Wall Street Journal.

"They're calling me, tweeting, messaging, expressing shock and sadness that the people they marched with, the causes they marched for, have abandoned them in their hour of need."

"We have an administration and a Congress that fundamentally does not view Palestinians as whole human beings," said Waleed Shahid, an activist who has worked for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) 

"When you have that kind of uphill battle, you have to take your case to the court of public opinion and make them answer why that is."

Deep split erupts between Democrats on Israel-Hamas war

Pro-Israel activists counter demonstrate a pro-Palestinian rally on October 13, 2023 in New York City. Photo: Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

Israel

Axios Explains: Israel-Hamas war

The growing and personal Democratic split over the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Israel-Hamas war" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/10/27/israel-hamas-ground-invasion-gaza" data-vars-content-id="2aa3f641-3abf-4933-ace1-2404ab5045bb" data-vars-headline="Deep split erupts between Democrats on Israel-Hamas war" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/10/27/israel-hamas-ground-invasion-gaza" target="_self">Israel-Hamas war</a> is about to spill onto the House floor, with leaders bracing for fights on <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Israel-related legislation" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/10/31/house-israel-hamas-war-democrats-votes" data-vars-content-id="2aa3f641-3abf-4933-ace1-2404ab5045bb" data-vars-headline="Deep split erupts between Democrats on Israel-Hamas war" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/10/31/house-israel-hamas-war-democrats-votes" target="_self">Israel-related legislation</a> between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel members of Congress.Why it matters: &quot;Things could not possibly be any worse than they are right now,&quot; one House Democrat lamented.

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

Dissatisfied with President Biden and former President Trump, some Arizona swing voters would prefer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in 2024, according to our latest Engagious/Sago focus groups.

Why it matters: Interviews with Arizona voters who pivoted from Trump in 2016 to Biden in 2020 suggested they are open to a third option other than the two candidates leading their parties. 

"With so much antipathy toward Trump and Biden, swing voters are off-the-charts receptive to a third alternative, especially one with such a recognizable name," said Engagious president Rich Thau, who moderated the focus groups.

"I like the Kennedys. I would look at the past with their family for the ones that … helped run this country. That would be my reason why I would like to choose a Kennedy to come back into office," said Tina N.

Zoom in: Axios sat in on two Engagious/Sago online focus groups Tuesday night with 11 Arizona voters. Two were Democrats, three were Republicans, and six were independents.

A focus group is not a statistically significant sample like a poll, but the responses show how some voters are thinking and talking about current events.

The big picture: Most voters said they would prefer Biden over Trump if next year's race is a repeat of the 2020 election, but they have some real concerns about the incumbent.

"He looks like he's stumbling a lot, so there's a balance issue," said Jocelyn H., referencing Biden's health. 

The group participants said they aren't seeing many examples of the economic success that the Biden campaign is trumpeting via social media and ads in their community.

"We're not back. We've entered onto a good path back, and there's still a lot more work to do," said Steven F. 

Between the lines: None of the voters could identify Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who recently launched a Democratic presidential bid, by name. 

And while most thought it's a good thing that the president has a primary challenger, some weren't sure that Phillips is the right guy.

Between the lines: No one in the group disapproved of Biden's handling of the war in Gaza, but only three of the participants would say they approve. 

"I think he's hamstrung like the folks over in Israel themselves are as to how do you fight a war in a civilian area while protecting the civilians, while taking out their oppressors, their enemy, who wants them all wiped off the face of the earth, including the entire state of Israel and all its population," Steven F. said. 

"I don't know about the funding. I mean, it seems like we're just dumping money into Ukraine and Israel. Obviously if they need the help, it needs to be reciprocated. They need to give us something in return, but I think that we need to support our allies," John M. said.

The bottom line: No one in the group thought Trump would do a better job than Biden in handling the war in Gaza and most participants did not regret swinging to Biden in 2020.

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Focus groups: Arizona swing voters prefer RFK Jr. to Trump and Biden

Robert F. Kennedy Jr (RFK)

Joe Biden

Donald Trump

2024 Elections

Dissatisfied with <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="President Biden" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/joe-biden" data-vars-content-id="2d682b63-bd72-4e5e-be51-b0a4b012f60d" data-vars-headline="Focus groups: Arizona swing voters prefer RFK Jr. to Trump and Biden" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/joe-biden" target="_self">President Biden</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="former President Trump" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" data-vars-content-id="2d682b63-bd72-4e5e-be51-b0a4b012f60d" data-vars-headline="Focus groups: Arizona swing voters prefer RFK Jr. to Trump and Biden" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_self">former President Trump</a>, some Arizona swing voters would prefer <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Robert F. Kennedy Jr." data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/10/09/rfk-jr-2024-independent-candidate-biden-trump" data-vars-content-id="2d682b63-bd72-4e5e-be51-b0a4b012f60d" data-vars-headline="Focus groups: Arizona swing voters prefer RFK Jr. to Trump and Biden" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/10/09/rfk-jr-2024-independent-candidate-biden-trump" target="_self">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a> in 2024, according to our latest <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Engagious/Sago" data-vars-click-url="https://engagious.com/swingvoters" data-vars-content-id="2d682b63-bd72-4e5e-be51-b0a4b012f60d" data-vars-headline="Focus groups: Arizona swing voters prefer RFK Jr. to Trump and Biden" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://engagious.com/swingvoters" target="_blank">Engagious/Sago</a> focus groups.Why it matters: Interviews with Arizona voters who pivoted from Trump in 2016 to Biden in 2020 suggested they are open to a third option other than the two candidates leading their parties.

In the past two months, young voters have shown President Biden and his Democrats that their anger over U.S. policy on Israel could help spoil his bid for re-election — but that their support for abortion rights could help him win in 2024.

Why it matters: Those mixed messages — delivered in polls on the war in Gaza and in several state elections last month — are partly why Democrats, with increasing urgency, are putting abortion rights front and center in aggressive campaigns to motivate voters under 30.

Zoom in: Ohio's vote in favor of abortion protections — along with Democratic wins in Kentucky and Virginia — has organizers in Arizona, Nevada and Florida rushing to get abortion-rights measures on the ballot in those key states, partly to try to boost Biden and down-ballot Democrats next November.

But many Democratic activists say their takeaway from last month's contests wasn't just the potency of abortion rights at the ballot box — it was the enthusiasm young voters showed in backing the cause.  

In Virginia, for example, many university precincts reported particularly heavy turnout as Democrats took control of the legislature — and denied Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin a chance to pass his proposed 15-week abortion ban. 

The overwhelming majority of Ohio voters age 18 to 40 — Generation Z and millennials — backed amendments protecting abortion rights and legalizing marijuana, according to CNN exit polls.

"In states like Virginia and Kentucky, we're seeing young voters continue to make a large difference," said Jack Lobel, national press secretary for Voters of Tomorrow, a nonprofit that aims to get Gen Z more involved in politics and is active on campuses.

"We're determined to mobilize them, and they show up as a result."

Yes, but: The Israel-Hamas war, sparked by the militant group's Oct. 7 attack on Israel, has complicated activists' efforts to rally under-30 voters to support Biden in 2024 — and capitalize on the momentum from last month's elections. 

Leaders of several groups of young progressives warned Biden recently that he's risking "millions of young voters staying home or voting third party next year" because of his strong support of Israel, which resumed its military campaign in Gaza after a temporary ceasefire collapsed due to Hamas' refusal to release more hostages.

Palestinian health officials say that more than 15,000 people were killed in Gaza before the fighting was paused last week for hostage releases. 

"It's incredibly clear that our generation is a huge anti-war generation," said Michele Weindling, political director of the Sunrise Movement, a group that believes U.S. aid to Israel should be directed toward the climate change crisis.

What to watch: It's unclear whether many young voters' interest in progressive ballot initiatives will be overrun by their dismay with a Middle East war that doesn't seem likely to end anytime soon.

"Having a ballot measure on a controversial issue is not always enough to result in higher engagement," said Alberto Medina, spokesperson for the Tufts University Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.

The other side: For Republicans, Biden's struggles with young voters because of the war represents an opportunity to cut into Democrats' typical advantage with voters under 30.

Likely GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump has been unpopular with young voters, but a New York Times/Siena College survey last month jolted Democrats when it showed Biden virtually tied with Trump among under-30s. 

Republicans are signaling that their efforts to attract young voters in 2024 will focus particularly on the youngest male voters, whom the GOP sees more socially conservative than most millennials. 

A recent survey by the American Enterprise Institute indicated the percentages of Gen Z men who identify as liberal and/or feminist, and who support same-sex marriage, are lower than the previous generation. 

Brilyn Hollyhand, co-chair of the Republican National Committee's Youth Advisory Council, has been working with conservative student groups to get college students to attend and tune in to GOP debates. 

And CJ Pearson, a 21-year-old conservative media personality, has proposed a town hall for presidential candidates moderated by Gen Z conservatives. 

"It'd be historic and it would give conservatives the opportunity to reach my generation with ideas they aren't hearing on their college campuses," he said last month in a post on X.

Democrats wrestle with young voters' mixed messages

Abortion rights and the war in Gaza are fueling two polar reactions.

Students participate in a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University in New York on Nov. 14. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

2024 elections

In the past two months, young voters have shown <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="President Biden" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/joe-biden" data-vars-content-id="342457a2-f417-4add-b65b-34366a186eb4" data-vars-headline="Democrats wrestle with young voters&#x27; mixed messages" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/joe-biden" target="_self">President Biden</a> and his Democrats that their anger over <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="U.S. policy on Israel" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/10/21/israel-hamas-war-inside-bidens-gaza-strategy" data-vars-content-id="342457a2-f417-4add-b65b-34366a186eb4" data-vars-headline="Democrats wrestle with young voters&#x27; mixed messages" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/10/21/israel-hamas-war-inside-bidens-gaza-strategy" target="_self">U.S. policy on Israel</a> could help spoil his bid for re-election — but that their support for abortion rights could help him win in 2024.Why it matters: Those mixed messages — delivered in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="polls on the war" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/poll-bidens-standing-hits-new-lows-israel-hamas-war-rcna125251" data-vars-content-id="342457a2-f417-4add-b65b-34366a186eb4" data-vars-headline="Democrats wrestle with young voters&#x27; mixed messages" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/poll-bidens-standing-hits-new-lows-israel-hamas-war-rcna125251" target="_blank">polls on the war</a> in Gaza and in several <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="state elections" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/elections/2023/11/15/ohio-november-2023-election-young-voters-back-abortion-marijuana/71516787007/" data-vars-content-id="342457a2-f417-4add-b65b-34366a186eb4" data-vars-headline="Democrats wrestle with young voters&#x27; mixed messages" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/elections/2023/11/15/ohio-november-2023-election-young-voters-back-abortion-marijuana/71516787007/" target="_blank">state elections</a> last month — are partly why Democrats, with increasing urgency, are putting abortion rights front and center in aggressive campaigns to motivate voters under 30.

A federal appeals court's decision striking down a key tool used to enforce the Voting Rights Act could set up another clash over the landmark law before the Supreme Court.

Why it matters: The appeals panel in Arkansas ruled Monday that only the Justice Department — not individuals or groups such as the NAACP — should be allowed to file lawsuits accusing state election policies of violating the 1965 law's ban on racial discrimination.

The decision, written by Circuit Judge David Stras, a Trump appointee, flies in the face of decades of legal precedent. 

The vast majority of court rulings that have shaped protections for people of color and others under the Voting Rights Act have come in cases that were brought by individuals and groups.

Zoom in: Monday's ruling comes at a time when challenges to congressional and legislative maps drawn by Republican-led legislatures in Alabama, North Dakota, Louisiana and Georgia have led judges to order those states to come up with new maps that don't limit minorities' voting power.

All of those challenges were brought by individuals and groups — not the Justice Department.

 It's unclear how, or whether, those cases might be affected if the Arkansas case eventually leads to a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, as many legal analysts expect.

The big picture: If states wind up complying with various court orders to redraw maps, Democrats could get a mini-windfall of new congressional seats as they hope to regain control of the House from Republicans in 2024.

Last month, a federal court approved a newly drawn Alabama congressional map that will expand the voting power of the state's Black residents, who make up about 30% of the state's population but were mostly in one of the state's seven congressional districts under a GOP-drawn map.

The new, court-approved map includes one majority-Black district — represented by the Alabama delegation's only Democrat — and another district that is 49% Black.

Black voters tend to heavily favor Democrats, so the change significantly boosts the odds that Alabama will have two Democratic House members after the 2024 elections.

Between the lines: In North Dakota, a federal judge ruled recently that the state's latest legislative redistricting plan violates the voting rights of Native Americans because it dilutes their voting strength.

U.S. District Chief Judge Peter Welte has given North Dakota's legislature until Dec. 22 "to adopt a plan to remedy the violation."

Outgoing Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, is preparing to call a special session for the state's GOP-led legislature to follow a court order to redraw its congressional map.

Louisiana's population is 30% Black but only one of its six congressional districts has a majority Black population.

Georgia's GOP-controlled legislature is scheduled to return Nov. 29 for a special session to redraw several congressional districts after a federal judge ruled they violated the Voting Rights Act.

Black voters in Michigan are challenging the state's legislative maps, arguing that current legislative maps keep Black voters from having adequate representation in the legislature.

A state judged ruled in September that a Florida redistricting plan supported by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is prohibited from being used for any future U.S. congressional elections because it imposes on the voting rights of Black voters.

Yes, but: The ruling in Arkansas came in a case in which the Arkansas NAACP and others have sought to get state House districts redrawn. It's not the only such challenge that hasn't succeeded — at least not yet. 

North Carolina could become a more Republican-leaning state under newly drawn political districts the legislature passed last month.

The U.S. Supreme Court signaled last month that the GOP's hold on a South Carolina district may remain despite a significant number of Black voters claiming that they were treated unfairly during redistricting.

What they're saying: "For much of the last half-century, courts have assumed that (a provision of the Voting Rights Act known as Section 2) is privately enforceable. A deeper look has revealed that this assumption rests on flimsy footing," Judge Stras wrote in his opinion in the Arkansas case.

"This decision by the (Arkansas) appellate court is ill-advised, cannot stand, and should be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court," Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said of the Arkansas ruling.

 "Congress must act to protect voting rights for Black voters and voters of color."

Ruling sets up voting-rights clash as states redraw congressional maps for '24

Monday's ruling, if upheld, would reverse decades of precedent and shut down many voting-rights challenges.

Exterior photo of the front of the Supreme Court building.

A federal appeals court&#x27;s decision striking down a key tool used to enforce the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Voting Rights Act" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/02/push-to-expand-voting-rights-gains-ground-in-2023" data-vars-content-id="684332dd-3d4c-4d1f-9c50-3c9e401b5f1a" data-vars-headline="Ruling sets up voting-rights clash as states redraw congressional maps for &#x27;24" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/02/push-to-expand-voting-rights-gains-ground-in-2023" target="_self">Voting Rights Act</a> could set up another clash over the landmark law before the Supreme Court.Why it matters: The appeals panel in Arkansas ruled Monday that only the Justice Department — not individuals or groups such as the NAACP — should be allowed to file lawsuits accusing state election policies of violating the 1965 law&#x27;s ban on racial discrimination.

Eugene Scott

Stories

Democrats wrestle with young voters' mixed messages

Ruling sets up voting-rights clash as states redraw congressional maps for '24

Focus groups: Arizona swing voters prefer RFK Jr. to Trump and Biden

Deep split erupts between Democrats on Israel-Hamas war

Virginia restores 3,400 to voting rolls, but questions remain