Student Voting Rights

As student civic engagement has grown, so have the arbitrary barriers that impede their ability to vote. Burdensome voter ID and proof of residency requirements obstruct students’ path to the ballot box, as does lack of access to convenient early and Election Day voting sites. Andrew Goodman Ambassadors and Puffin Democracy Fellows champion solutions that protect and enhance students’ right to vote. After our Ambassadors and Puffin Democracy Fellows pursue engagement, education, and advocacy as a first course of action, we intervene with legal action where obstacles to student voting remain. With the full weight of the 26th Amendment on our side, we’re uplifting student voices and votes in our democracy by litigating for student voting rights and accessibility.

Lawsuits

The Andrew Goodman Foundation works to make student voices a powerful force in our democracy. We will not stand idly by while student votes are being suppressed. We’re standing up, showing up, and speaking out.

Wisconsin

November 2019
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Voting Rights

Recent Amicus Briefs and Statements

As we advocate for student voting rights, we remember our founding story. Grounded in the legacy of the civil rights movement, our founding story remains at the forefront as we advocate for student voting rights. We’re an ally in the battle for full voting rights, and we stand in solidarity with others who advance the struggle for collective civil rights.

SCOTUS Amicus Brief: Minority Voters Must Have Equal Access to the Ballot

January 2021
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Voting Rights

Letter to Congress: No New Domestic Terrorism Charges

January 2021
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Social Justice

SCOTUS Amicus Brief: States Cannot Engage in Age-Based Discrimination In Absentee Voting

October 2020
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Voting Rights

Reports and Research

Our research and reports demonstrate our work to empower student voters by increasing voter access and removing voting impediments.

 


Age Discrimination in Voting at Home Report

Seven states currently discriminate on the basis of age in their vote-at-home (also known as absentee ballot) systems. In this novel report, a coalition including The Andrew Goodman Foundation, Equal Citizens, UCLA Voting Rights Project, Vote at Home Institute, and Stris & Maher LLP explains why these laws are unconstitutional under the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, which prohibits age discrimination in voting.


Youth Voting Rights and The Unfulfilled Promise of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment

Read legal scholarship by our former Chief Counsel for Voting Rights Yael Bromberg which has been described as a ground-breaking study of the issue. The article tracks the history of the largely forgotten and overlooked Twenty-Sixth Amendment, applies it to current contexts including access to polling places, voter identification laws, and residency restrictions, and promotes a standard of review and path forward as we approach the 50th Anniversary of the Amendment.


On-Campus Early In-Person Voting in Florida in the 2018 General Election Report

The Andrew Goodman Foundation commissioned a report to measure the impact of expanded on-campus early voting opportunities in Florida during the 2018 General Election.

 

 

 


Securing On-Campus Polling Places: Case Studies from the Andrew Goodman Network

Through our Andrew Goodman Vote Everywhere program, The Andrew Goodman Foundation has extensive experience and expertise in coaching and assisting students in organizing and advocating to bring polling places to campus. We are sharing case studies from the Andrew Goodman Network that illustrate not only the importance of on-campus polling places, but also how to secure and maintain them.


Securing On-Campus Polling Places: A Toolkit

We have distilled our experience and expertise in bringing polling places to campuses into one powerful resource, our Securing On-Campus Polling Places: A Toolkit, so that students everywhere can work toward increasing accessibility to the ballot box on their campuses.