It’s Election Day! Be prepared and informed at the polls today with these resources for Harris County voters.
Read moreEncouraging Voter Participation during Early Voting
Early voting for Texas for the 2021 uniform election starts today, Tuesday, October 19th, and ends on October 29th. To encourage participation in early voting, we have compiled a list of national voter initiatives intended to promote voter registration and participation.
Read moreNational Voter Registration Day 2021
It’s National Voter Registration Day! Now is the time to prepare for the year’s upcoming elections. Register in September, vote in November!
Read more101 Years of Women's Suffrage in the U.S.
Image by ELLE RITTER from Pixabay
On this day, we celebrate the 101st anniversary of women’s suffrage in the United States. Last year, we as a nation celebrated the centennial of this historic day, and to honor the occasion, the Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library hosted a symposium. Titled “Votes for Texas Women,” The event focused on the history of women’s voting rights in the U.S. and the importance of inclusion in government and the law. A recording of the event is available for viewing on the Law Library’s website. Until September 22, 2021, licensed Texas attorneys can earn one hour of CLE credit for viewing the video, available here.
Read moreRecord Number of Native Americans Elected to Congress
Democrat Sharice Davids, a member of Wisconsin’s Ho-Chunk Nation tribe, defeated four-term Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder in Kansas on Tuesday.
Democrat Deb Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe running in New Mexico’s First Congressional District, also won her election.
Leading up to the 2020 presidential election, pollsters and demographers talked about the potential impact of the Native American vote on the outcome of the race, especially in key battleground states like Arizona and Nevada, where, three days after the election, votes are still being counted. Also discussed in the lead-up to the election was the difficulty that many Native Americans face in registering to vote and in casting their ballots. Decades of denying this population access to the polls via the systematic violation of their right to vote has led, historically, to lower voter turn-out among Native Americans. (The Library of Congress traces Native Americans’ struggle for voting rights, and the ABA documents how the Native American vote continues to be suppressed.)
Although many still don’t feel entirely welcome at the polls, and efforts to increase Native American voter participation are ongoing, the number of Native Americans elected to national political office is growing. In Tuesday’s election, more Native Americans were elected to Congress than ever before. Six candidates won their races, giving the House a record number of Native members, including Democrats in Kansas (Sharice Davids) and New Mexico (Deb Haaland), who became the first Native American women elected to Congress. This historic achievement, decades in the making, may expand paths of access to the polls for a population of voters long denied their fundamental American right, and inspire Native Americans with political aspirations to seek office in future elections.
In November, as we celebrate Native American Heritage Month at the Harris County Law Library, Ex Libris Juris will highlight the achievements and contributions of Native Americans throughout history. Visit often in the coming weeks to learn more!
