Protecting Voting Rights
Dechert is committed to protecting and advancing voting rights. For two decades, Dechert attorneys have challenged laws and practices restricting ballot box access, including voter ID laws, gerrymandering, and early and absentee voting restrictions. Lawyers provides legal support to organizations promoting voting rights, offer advice on election law compliance and contribute to public education about voting rights. The firm’s work ensures full participation of citizens in the democratic process, reflecting Dechert’s commitment to justice and civil rights.
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In partnership with various civil rights organizations, Dechert actively challenges restrictive voting provisions. The firm’s efforts include:
- Successfully challenging New York State's refusal to include inactive voters on Election Day poll ledgers.
- Countering restrictive voting laws, such as Texas's SB1 legislation, and contesting redistricting maps that undermine the voting power of minority populations in Texas, Arkansas and Georgia.
- Ensuring Spanish-language access to ballots in York County, Pennsylvania.
- Filing amicus briefs in U.S. Supreme Court voting rights cases, arguing for the protection of the Voting Rights Act.
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During each election season, hundreds of Dechert lawyers and paralegals staff a national voter hotline for Election Protection, the nation’s largest non-partisan voter protection coalition. Election Protection helps ensure eligible voters can participate in the democratic process while collecting data for meaningful reform so that elections are free, fair and accessible.